Biography

How is a person viewed in his or her society? Is it based on his or her incentives, financial status or knowledge? For me, it is the motivation to help my communty. I was born in the large city of Beijing, Cina and moved to the United States at the age of six. I was only equipped with a few letters of the alphabet and the word "Hello." I was dashed and amazed at the environment I lived in; everything I needed seemed to be in front of me.

As a child, I saw many homeless men and women staking out in the streets; some held signs that said "Need Money for Job." Others simply placed a rusty tin can in front of their "home" and hoped a few nice people would wander by and drop in a few coins. I was dumbstruck that there were so many people who could not afford the material possessions I obtain, who could not go to sleep because they worry about how to find food or a place to rest the next day, who could not go to elementary school to obtain an education. I was so sure everyone who lived in the United States lived in utopia, a land where visions are achieved and dreams come true.

So what drives me to serve others? Motivation. I have found a home in community service, a niche in which I help New Mexico in times of need. I am currently on the Albuquerque Academy Executive Board, which brainstroms creative and fun community service projects. I am the Chair of the Student Foundation Board, which annually provides money to Academy students who have a project that will benefit the commnity. I am a member of Albuquerque Youth in Action (AYIA), which forms creative service projects around the city of Albuquerque. For our last service project, AYIA stationed at Uptown Shopping Center and formed a mural titled: "What Can You Do to Keep the Dream Alive?" People outlined their hands and wrote what they thought they coulddo to keep Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream alive. In accordance with this, one of my major projects I worked on the past two years is Special Olympic Sports. I also attributed much of my time to the New Mexico Make-A-Wish Foundation at the Balloon Fiesta, where I gathered a group of students from the Albuquerque Academy to sell calendars. All of the money we raised was then donated to give children with life-threatening diseases any reasonable wish they chose. I recently completed a 75-hour internship with Congresswoman Heather Wilson. During this time, I learned the significance of contributing to people's lives -- even if it is just relaying their message to the District Director or saying a simple"Yes ma'am." I feel a dedication and commitment to community service and helping my state.