Learning Statement
I entered college, not quite sure what I wanted to do, nor what I was passionate about. However, I knew that I was interested in leadership and creativity, and those two things would serve as the foundation for my education. As a freshman, I explored how these familiar concepts would translate into college life. I took classes and joined RSOs that I believed would develop my leadership. I put a pause on creativity, telling myself that I would return to it in marketing classes Junior or Senior year. The leadership class I took, turned into the leadership class I taught. And the RSOs I joined, turned into the RSOs I led. I learned to find opportunities, and built a path where one would lead almost seamlessly to the next.
I first took a step back to evaluate my trajectory the summer after my sophomore year while I studied abroad in Rome, Italy. Rome was the first major thing that I had done that swayed from my plan for life. This detour was incredibly rewarding. I had never before traveled internationally, and spending a summer traipsing through Italy yielded a decisive shift in my priorities, relationships, and imagined future. The journal I kept while traveling served as an outlet to process my experiences, but it also turned out to spark a passion for writing, that was further developed in my honors classes Ways of Meaning, and Lovework: An Unfinished Syllabus.
Junior year was equally as influential, as it brought on the second major shift in my life plan. The summer following my Junior year, when I interned at The Intel Corporation, was particularly influential. I was pleasantly surprised by my developing interest in corporate finance. By the end of the summer, I decided that this is the path I would pursue following graduation. Before my internship, I saw finance as an additional set of skills to complement my future career in marketing. However, its complexities and necessity to leadership and decision-making appealed to me. So much so that I’ve decided to accept my return offer, and move to Portland after graduation. I am excited by this opportunity, to begin my life in a new city, and with a company I really enjoyed working for. I imagine that someday, I will use the finance, leadership, and interpersonal skills I develop at the start of my career to launch a business of my own.
The final key part of my college education was when I studied abroad for a second time, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As I mentioned earlier, I had wanted to study abroad for a second time more than anything. When the Argentina program was announced, I had to sacrifice my second focus in marketing, and a good part of my final year living in the same city as many of my friends. I undoubtably made the right decision. Rather than shifting my priorities once again, traveling to Argentina amplified what I had already began to learn. Buenos Aires reignited my passion for art and travel. I had more time to create, and no shortage of inspiration. I loved visiting new museums, learning the history of the murals decorating the streets, and simply appreciating the idiosyncrasies of a new city. I was encouraged to try any medium possible to capture its spirit.
Spending my final quarter of college quarantined in my apartment, has given me the opportunity to celebrate this last chapter of college with my best friends, and also ample time to reflect on the last four years. College is a primary time in life meant for learning. It just so happens that as much of my education came from outside the classroom, as from inside. And I’ve learned just as much about myself, as I have about the subjects covered in my classes. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to develop this portfolio in punctuation of my senior year, and confident that it is an accurate and continuously evolving illustration of the last four years.
