Political awakening through travel to North Korea and family exile

¶ … mom and I huddled in the corner when the police came. They banged on the door, shouting for my father. How did I get here? Why was my family running from the law? My dad had simply joined the Chinese Democratic Party in the United States, but this was a forbidden membership in China. The Chinese Democratic Party in the United States voices its criticism of the Chinese government openly, something the Communist Party cannot tolerate. We are still waiting for our application for political asylum to be processed. As if the troubles with the government were not enough, my grandfather, the one who gave me the model plane, passed away during this time. My gap year was filled with terror. I felt hopeless. Finally, the United States granted our request and we were able to leave China.

My early childhood was uneventful. I was materialistic and cared mainly about things like Hello Kitty. When I turned thirteen years old, I was expecting nice new clothes, so when my grandfather handed me a model airplane. I pouted. I thought it was boring even though my grandfather had labored at this model in his free time after working as an aviation engineer. This was something that had bits of his soul into it, but at the time, I was too young and immature to realize it.

When my grandfather died years later, I would remember that moment with great sorrow and shame. Yet my moment of awakening came years before my grandfather's passing, when I was in middle school and our extended field trip was to the "hermit kingdom" of North Korea. As a student in China from a mixed Korean-Chinese background, this was to become one of the most powerful and momentous occasions of my life. If ever a person receives a wake-up call, it comes after traveling to North Korea.

I was with a group of student representatives from China, and we travelled with our teachers. As the only one in the group who spoke Korean, I also served as the only translator. It was a greater responsibility than I had known until that point, and while it eventually built me a foundation of leadership and people skills, at the time I was frightened. North Korea was a mystery country to all of us, myself included, and what I saw there shocked me. We spent the day observing North Korean education. I noticed that the school day began with exercises, mainly marching on the spot military-style while saluting an image of the Leader, all performed to a medley of populist songs. I then noticed that for North Korean students, learning to read means learning to read about Kim Il-sung, and that learning to play music class involves singing patriotic songs. The life of Kim Il-sung forms the focal point of much educational content, and pedagogy is based on Kim Il-sung's 1977 Thesis on Socialist Education, which emphasizes the political role of education in developing the revolutionary spirit. Of course, the possession of any foreign book or media is strictly forbidden. I was left with the indelible memory of Pyongyang as a ghost city, for after 10PM, most electricity has been turned off, there are no more cars on the already empty roads, most people are in bed, and there are no entertainment venues whatsoever.

Our trip to North Korea was the first time I knew how little it was I did know, and it was the first time I became hungry to learn and see more of the world, broaden my horizons. I then thought of my grandfather and his model plane. Could it be he wanted me to fly -- anywhere -- traveling the world with my dream? The model airplane symbolizes the soaring of my dreams and the expansion of myself into someone beyond the sheltered girl I used to be. I wanted to become a more ambitious and mature girl who thinks critically about the world rather than growing into a spoiled, passive consumer. While I did undeniably feel angry that the children of North Korea do not have the right to learn what they want to and cannot speak what they want to say, my father would later experience (and continues to experience) tremendous political troubles being persecuted by the Chinese government and is currently seeking asylum. It is safe to say that there are a lot of new things I need to learn about the world, and that I have grown by leaps and bounds since that day my grandfather gave me a model airplane instead of Hello Kitty.

Good-day, Australia!

No one ever forgets the first time they see a kangaroo jump onto the highway. Australia opened its huge, warm heart to me. I attended high school there, and I smile just thinking about it. It was not as difficult fitting in as I thought it would be. I found myself elected President of the International Student Club, I suppose because I recognized that other foreign students shared similar fears and hopes even though we were from many places around the world. We bonded together frequently over the stories of our food cultures, something that invariably helps break down language barriers and reveals our common humanity. The freedom of Australian life encouraged me to explore new hobbies and I quickly discovered my passion for photography.

My high school years were spent at a home stay, something that was severely intimidating to me initially because I was living with total strangers. In a matter of days, I had fallen in love with the glamor of Australia-its people smile genuinely and its nature unfolds magical secrets. I learned how to cultivate a raucous sense of humor, and to appreciate the way Australians seize life and live it to the fullest. The Australian attitude spilled over into my life, and I became obsessed with fashion and photography. I joined clubs and met a group of Korean students who shared my love of Korean fashion.

Over one winter break, we as a club traveled together to South Korea and visited fashion studios there. Meeting the artists, designers, and photographers, I started to tell my own story authentically through my lens. This was the time of creative flowering for me. As a club, we dedicated ourselves to daily street snaps and posted them to our blog. On my own, I photographed individuals who had personal stories to tell and gave them those photos as keepsakes: from families with aging grandparents to newlyweds.

The Gap Year

Life was simple and easy for a while I was in Australia, but it would not remain so for me. Almost immediately after I started University, my life changed as we received some shocking news. At first, I did not know what was going on, only that my phone calls with my mom became increasingly frightening. My mom wanted to protect me by not telling me everything, but eventually she admitted that our family was not safe, that the police had been hounding her because they were looking for my father, who they considered politically dangerous.

Although my mom told me to stay in Australia, how could I possibly concentrate on my studies knowing my parents were not safe? I therefore returned to China and stayed with my mom during these dark times, when every single day the police came to the door and threatened my mom. For a while we tried living somewhere else, but the police found us. That was when I was huddled on the floor in a corner with my mom.

Why an Ivy League School?

Why not aim lower? If the implication is that aiming high means setting oneself up for disappointment, then I do not mind. I am not afraid to try and fail but I am also confident I will succeed. I have learned a lot in the past few years, from my time building a street photography blog with my friends from Australia to the moments huddling with my mom in China not knowing whether we would be safe when we woke up the next day. Here I am, in the land of opportunity, and I have nothing at all to lose. I do have an unconventional story. The course of my life might not be what it is for many people who attend high school, maybe take a year off to work or travel, and then apply to their choice school. For me, life has unfolded a little differently. I believe that my past experiences have built character and courage. My application to an Ivy League school is ambitious but also realistic, because I know that Ivy League schools are not looking for ordinary students. Ivy League schools want students who are not afraid to stand out from the crowd, and also willing, able, and interested in helping and participating in that crowd to help make the world a better place.

I am focused on a future in finance, a field that I have demonstrated considerable aptitude for throughout my life, but which I am only now starting to realize after working in the banking sector and after spending time working in retail. My specific goal is successful financial analysis. The article Central Bank Design by Ricardo Reis is a thought experiment, essentially "if you could design a central bank from scratch, what would it look like?" This article has inspired me, and since reading it, I have had a deep desire to be in the economic class Reis teaches, to participate in discussions n how the central bank works. I am interested in the program for economic research and one day hope I can contribute my own research to your institution.

The central bank is the "sole institution in a country with the power to borrow from banks" and to issue currency. There are three elements to the design of a central bank: define its objective function, set its resource constraints and set its equilibrium constraints. With respect to the objective function, this is usually defined as a set of economic goals (regarding unemployment, inflation, etc.) and how those goals are interpreted. The central bank also needs a mandate for long-run goals. This is usually related to inflation. A long-term goal regarding inflation will be complemented by short-term goals regarding other measures. The amount of power given to the head of the central bank to pursue these objectives must also be defined, as will the nature of the power structure (for example, are decisions made by committee, or an individual?).

Also, the resource constraints need to be determined. The bank creates some of its own resources, from its role as a creator of money. The bank also requires fiscal backing, usually in the form of bank assets. In other words, if the central bank loses money, how will it be funded? Additionally, the types of assets that the bank holds need to be defined. The final element will be the equilibrium constraints. These are the rules that govern "what the central bank will reveal, to whom, what it can commit to and how it will be held accountable for meeting its objectives. All told these are twelve dimensions to the design of a central bank. Reis notes that areas such as the type of regulation are not touched upon. He claims that there is now a body of evidence that can help make the best evidence-based decisions on each dimension, in contrast to the ad hoc way in which the current U.S. Federal Reserve was developed. I look forward to contributing my opinions on what changes, if any, we would make to the Federal Reserve.

My hobbies and personal passions set me apart from other finance students who might only be focused on money itself. I believe that I have my pulse on the human side of business as well as the numbers. Seeing how people live in different countries, and understanding what freedom really means, I hope that I can fuse academic knowledge with the understanding that money is not the only thing that makes the world go around. As countries like Cuba are currently poised for change, I am hopeful that places that seem as lost to us as North Korea also become part of our global community. I believe that I belong to an Ivy League community of individuals who are passionate about change and progress, and who uniquely possess the capacity to become influential people. Thank you for your consideration.

Part Two: The Letter of Recommendation

Dear ...

I am writing on behalf of (your name), who I understand is applying for admissions in your school in the field of finance. I have had the pleasure of knowing (your name) for two years, and have supervised her during that time. I have worked as a business manager at Macy's in the cosmetics department for almost ten years, and in my experience there have been few people who I would recommend as wholeheartedly as (your name).

(Your name) has continually proven her expertise, working in the competitive and challenging arena of cosmetics. From the beginning, (your name) has exceeded expectations and surpassed her colleagues. With a daily sales goal of between $2,000 and $,3000, our department ensures that Macy's remains a major retailer of global luxury brands. There are few personnel who are capable of maintaining the pace of sales and more importantly, the quality of customer service. (Your name) is one of the few who I have noticed build rapport with customers over the years, and as a result, I have seen many of those customers return again and again.

Like all our employees, (your name) works hard and is dedicated. However, (your name) stands out for several reasons. For one, she is consistently meeting or surpassing her daily sales goal and has frequently made the list of top sellers. She is cheerful and outgoing, which is a real plus in our department, as customers feel more at ease opening up about their beauty needs. At the same time, (your name) listens closely to customer concerns. Because of her international background, she also has the ability to communicate well with a diverse customer base, something that is crucial here at Macy's.

In short, I have no hesitation recommending (your name) to your program and strongly believe that she will work well with her fellow students as she works hard to achieve her goals in the finance field. I wish her all the best in her future career. You will not be disappointed with your decision to welcome (your name) into the student body at (name of school).