The Driving Force

Draft - First Paragraph

The complexities of life are rattling to the core. They send us on the spiraling journey we call life. Throughout my life I have experienced a vast variety of events and choices in which have led me to me being able to have emersed myself in different cultures, discover new passions and so much more. From where it all started in South Africa to how I ended up on the other side of the world in the United States; My journey throughout the years has allowed me to explore myself through different means such as education and public service allowing me to devolve my passion to inspire change and help others and to later in life run for public office. The challenges I have set for myself though large are something my life has guided me towards; My upbringing and has given me deep connection with the inner workings of society and the social constructs in which we all develop through it has allowed me to see the world in a perspective that others may not and has allowed me to flourish towards my future prospects.

Draft - Next Paragraphs

A world away now, South Africa holds significant value in the structure of my daily life and the memories in which it gave have carved the path in which I have chosen. The memories of my childhood from the very start have allowed me to conceptualize now as an adult, the concept that not all in society is structure to benefit all and the ability to fight for others or even offer a warm meal can drastically shift the path of another’s life. One of these memories I remember so vividly would be that of visiting Robben Island. Walking through the cells block in which one of the most inhumane acts in South African apartheid era history took place had a way of striking my emotions and curiosity. The history behind the walls were draped in the brutalities of oppression that allowed me for the first time to see that world is not all fair and just. The lust for power overcame the concept of humanity by allow for the inhumane treatment of Nelson Mandela and other prisoners within. Learning about this treatment and being able to live in the era of Nelson Mandela and seeing the unity in which he built made me want to fight for change. I now recall a line from the song The Crossing (Osiyeza) saying “Siyawela lapheshaya lulezontabla ezimnyama” (Clegg) which means we are crossing over those dark mountains. This line has developed into core attachment to that memory as I correlate this with the struggle in which Nelson Mandela fought for freedom for not only himself but his country and the world. It today allows me to listen to it as I sit in class in America and recall on why I decided to go to college. The people, my friends, my neighbors, my family, and my country. These though broad concepts allow me to keep that light lit within me as I too want to use the limited time I have been given to inspire others and help them fight for their needs in life whether that may be in a court room or a political chamber. I keep fighting towards this future I have chosen within my degree of Political Science.

            School has been a rollercoaster full of ups and downs that I have had to navigate. Throughout my journey, I went to school in many different places, within South Africa and in other countries allowing me a deep perspective into the cultural and social structures in which other societies live and implications of mistreatment and inequalities in which they face in their own countries compared to that in which I experience as a kid. It allowed me to immerse myself into different worlds and see things I never would have dreamt of from seeing. The economic barriers in Thailand to seeing the poverty in Egypt, I grew up seeing that life may not always be fair and that some people are just used as a pawn in a great game of chess called life. I still find the quote of Nelson Mandela to hit home more than ever now while in school. His words saying “In our language there is a saying: Ndiwelimilambo enamagama (I have crossed famous rivers). It means that one has travelled and, in the process, gained much experience.” (Mandela, pg 59) Have allowed me to find my passion to keep pushing forward and develop myself through education and to focus on those means in which education will allow me to flourish with my future aspirations on becoming an attorney and eventually a politician. This aspiration does not sit easy on my mind and chest as it plays a crucial role in who I am and how I function. I have developed drastically over the years since I was a small child in South Africa to the adult that sits here tying this. The development of mind and compassion; The development of the curiosity of life and the means in which we as society can build each other through fighting for a different those suppressed allows me to keep steady in the belief that the path I am on is the correct one for me.

Draft - Next Paragraphs

The law has found a way to have a great impact on my personal life through my experience as an immigrant. Going through the immigration process and the complex maze in which it was to gain my citizenship, immersed ne into the diverse world of law due to mu dealings with my own immigration attorney. Within, my dealings with her, I began to understand how deeply the law shapes people’s lives, and more drastically my own. I have found I am drawn to the idea of becoming a lawyer. Though I love to argue, I do not want to just become a lawyer to argue cases, but to be a voice of reason and change that allows people to flourish in their own lives and not fear to set challenges. I imagine myself fighting to bridge the gap between the concepts. Of the law that drastically impact my own personal life but that of others and to fight for the people it’s meant to protect, especially when it comes to immigration. So many immigrants, including myself face systems they don’t understand and laws that often don’t understand them, and I want to inspire change and, to bring compassion to that aspect of law. My goal to inspire change by showing others how the Constitution, though written centuries ago, still has the power to guide us towards our own personal aspirations.

            Throughout my life, I have set many goals and one of those major goals being that of becoming a lawyer, I still have major aspirations in continuing my journey of public service by becoming a senator. The concept of becoming someone who can turn thoughts and concepts into direct action on a larger scale reminds me of the song lyrics “And I don't really care if nobody else believes (ha) Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me” (Platten) by reminding me of the concept that even if no own believes I can create change or become a senator, I still have my fight behind me due to my passion. My experiences, I would gain in law would give me a deep continued appreciation for how policies directly impact my own and other people’s lives, especially that of immigrants. As ab immigrants myself I and other I know, often struggle to find our place and voice in this complex system in which we live under. This system feels like it is constantly working against you and beating you down daily; As a senator, I would want to inspire change. Change does not come easy though as I know all too well; I hope to inspire change by allowing for understanding rather than division, by creating conversations that though difficult at times, bring people together instead of pushing them apart as we have seen in modern day American politics. I believe that real progress begins with human compassion and education on the differences we all have. I all too well have learnt a lesson when it comes to compassion throughout my journey in life and now in college. I want to inspire people to see beyond stereotypes and to see the politics of shared humanity that connects us all in which for example I personally found that there are people who share my same views and mindsets that I am so deeply am passionate about. My goal would be to advocate for immigration reform that reflects both my values in compassion a d fairness while also investing in the education, as it has become a rallying force behind my goals. The benefits in which these experiences have granted me have drastically altered the way in which I live my day-to-day life. It has given me back the concept of the American dream and what I want to fight for.