Interview Questions

How has your family's experience or cultural history enriched you or presented you with opportunities and challenges in pursuing your educational goals?

Almost everyone in my family went to college and they always remind me how important it is to get a good education after high school and do what I wanna do. My sister went to college a few years ago when I was a freshman and she's always telling me about her experiences in college and how important she thinks it is. It makes me excited to go to college and pursue my educational goals.

How will you apply technology skills in your future career? Give an example of an emerging technology that will help you improve your work or life.

I hope to become a conservation scientist, so I think the obvious ones are the basics of word and excel when it comes to data analysis. Another that I think could help is social media. Through social media and basically the internet itself i can share more about what global issues are going on and what others can do to help, and I can share my findings.

What is the most pressing need/problem in your local community? How would you go about solving this problem?

I think a big problem in my community is bullying and cyber bullying..it's not as big of a problem as it could be but it's still a serious issue that Iidon't think anyone should ignore. To go about solving this problem I would make sure that I'm treating everyone with respect and how I would want to be treated. I wouldn't keep quiet if I were to see something that looked like bullying, I would keep in mind what I'm posting on social media and make sure that it's not hurting anyone. I would just make sure that everyone around me is comfortable.

Describe a skill, principle, or concept learned in a class that you will use in your future career.

I think critical thinking skills are extremely important especially in the field of science when you're trying to get to the base of a question and answer it. Every single one of my literature and social studies classes have taught me to think critically and think outside of the box. I think in every AP class I've taken, I've learned that you can't just memorize based off of patterns, in the real world you have to take the time to apply your knowledge and what you know to answer questions.

How would your friends characterize you? What would they write about if they were writing about you?

I think my closest friends understand that other people can mistake me for being an extrovert because I'm comfortable and open around those that I trust. They understand that I can become overwhelmed and withdraw from people to take a break and recharge because it's just in my nature. My friends would characterize me as someone who just really loves life, someone who goes to great lengths to avoid conflict. They would say that I have a passion for engaging in things that help others but my true passion lies in getting to the heart of the issue so nobody has to be helped at all. They would say that I'm sensitive to the feelings of others.

Describe an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.

I think my grandpa was a big influence on me in the sense that he kind of shaped my curiosity for the world. My grandpa was one that collected a lot of things that to him were really valuable but to others in my family they were just junk. He collected model airplanes and thousands of books and movies that he loved and whenever I went to his house when I was little I would go through all his stuff and I just wanted to know more about all of it. He would notice that I loved going through his stuff and he would sit me down and read me some of his books and tell me all the details about the other things he collected and he told me how important it was to ask questions and be passionate and curious about the things you're interested in. I was too young to really understand what he meant but I do now. Now I try to ask as many questions as I can when something I'm curious about comes up.

Describe examples of your leadership experience in which you have significantly influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time. Consider responsibilities to initiatives taken in or out of school.

Just recently I have made it a priority to participate in relay for life every year. May of this year was my first year participating in it and it made me realize how much I enjoyed volunteering my time and money towards a really good cause and influencing others to participate too. This year I encouraged as many people as I could to donate money beyond their goal and join our team, it felt good.

Describe your dream job and why you would be good at it.

My dream job is something in the field of science, specifically ecology or environmental science. I think science is a really good career choice for people who are curious about the world and constantly find themselves pondering questions that don't have answers yet. I'm one of those people. I'm a curious person, I'm very observant and skeptical and these are good qualities of a scientist. I've also always loved nature and I want to make sure that it's preserved overtime because it's so precious and I think a lot of people overlook that and assume that it'll be fine in the long run but it won't. I'm somebody who is determined to make a difference in the world and answer questions that still need answering.

What are your dreams of the future? When you look back on your life in 50 years, what would it take for you to consider your life successful?

My dreams of the future consist of going to a great college that will provide me with the education I need to do what I want to do when it comes to a career. I dream of making many more friends during that process. I dream of having a successful career that will make me an overall happy person. When I look back on my life in 50 years, to consider my life successful I would have to have been happy with what I did, I would have overcome challenges no matter how difficult they were, I would have never stopped striving for personal growth and I would've found something that I'm passionate about, because everyone has that something.

What is your strongest, most unwavering personality trait? Do you maintain strong beliefs or adhere to a philosophy?

My strongest personality trait is my curiosity. I love to learn new things even if they're difficult to learn. I like to ask questions about things that I find interesting. I like to sit back and listen to the opinions of others and see the diversity in what other people think. I've always been that way ever since I was little and I think it's a really important thing to have. I would say I maintain strong beliefs--I believe life is something you should take advantage of. You should learn all you can while you can, ask questions when you're curious about something and always use your knowledge to your advantage.

Describe how your understanding of technology security will keep you safe or make you a better citizen.

My understanding of technology security reminds me that I should always respect the personal information of friends and family and I should never share anything about others that could be embarrassing or hurtful. In this sense it'll make me a better citizen because I'm keeping those in my community in mind and making sure that they're safe. It'll keep me safe in the sense that I know what and what not to share through social media so I can protect myself from embarrassment and hurt.

Explain what you have done to make your community a better place to live. Give examples of specific projects in which you have been involved with overtime.

One project that I was a part of was being on a relay for life team and encouraging my teammates and those that weren't even on my team to raise money towards the American cancer society. In this sense I'm encouraging my community to be selfless and donate their time and money towards a really important cause that could definitely use the help.

What are the two most important things that you have learned about yourself while in high school and what incidences precipitated those learning experiences?

One thing I've learned about myself in high school is that I should surround myself with people that I could learn from. I came into high school with friends that were really similar to me, they were quiet and not very outgoing like I was. I made new friends all the way up to this year and went out of my comfort zone when it came to choosing who I wanted to be friends with. These friends were more outgoing and confident and I let this rub off on me. In a sense I kind of borrowed it from them. Another thing I learned is that I should be able to trust myself. Some nights I would have a lot of homework and tests to study for and if some of my friends asked me to hang out with them I would choose them over my work. This would result in bad grades. But as I got older I learned to trust myself that I could get things done and manage my time wisely despite wanting to do other things.

Summarize your preparation for your education and career goals. What further steps must you take to achieve your goals? Describe how your plans relate to your skills, strengths, interests, and values. Include a realistic financial plan for achieving your goals.

Since I have always been interested in the field of science, I plan to enroll in either the University of Washington or Western Washington University and participate in research opportunities in the fields of environmental and/or ecological science. I have already met all of the requirements in order to be admitted to the University of Washington and Western Washington University when it comes to test scores, minimum course requirements, and more. Given that I get admitted to either university--preferably the University of Washington--I plan to enroll in programs that central around ecology, environmental science, and ecology. Throughout high school, I have taken challenging courses that will aid me in college (AP Statistics and AP Calculus to name a couple), and I have enrolled in many science courses in high school in order to expand my knowledge in science to the best of my ability before college. This comes to show my dedication towards doing well in what I would like to pursue and my constant curiosity towards the field of science. Further steps I must take to achieve my goals include expanding my interest in science in the university itself. I must take advantage of any opportunity I can get to educate myself as much as possible and earn a bachelor in environmental science. When it comes to finances, my parents are prepared and have established paying for two years of college by setting up a GET account. In the meantime, I will be working part-time during enrollment to save for my third and fourth years and I may have to rely on student loans, but this will be my last resort. I will also be applying for financial aid and work study. I will also be applying for as many scholarships as I can.

Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to address this challenge. Include whether you turned to anyone in facing that challenge, the role that person played and what you learned about yourself.

The most significant challenge in my life would probably have to be my older sister going off to college--we were never very close growing up but when I got into high school we became a lot closer; and ironically that was the time that she had to leave for college in Arizona. It felt weird and it still feels weird being the only child at home. Luckily a lot of my friends have siblings the same age as my sister who knew exactly how I felt when their siblings went off to college, so I could kind of cope with them in that sense. And it meant a lot to me knowing that they were going through the same thing. Something I learned about myself was that I only have one sister and I should appreciate her presence whenever I can. I don't have siblings younger than me but it also lets me see the perspective of my parents when I go off to college.