My NUS Application Essay

I am currently packing my stuff, and I found this little treasure from five years ago. I was a bit more idealistic then. Haha:)

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I was a blue baby, and I survived. I memorized all the planets making up the solar system even before I reached kindergarten. I graduated at the top of my class in kindergarten, became a consistent honor student the following years, and graduated as valedictorian in elementary. I dared to dream of becoming a Philippine Science High School scholar. And barely four months from now, I'd be a Philippine Science High School graduate.

It's nice to know that according to the Special Theory of Relativity, the laws of physics are the same in all inertial frame of reference and that the speed of light is equal to c, independent of the motion of its source. But I also value the things I learn outside the four corners of our classroom.

I value the lessons experiences teach me. I almost drowned when I was still a kid, and now I'm a good swimmer. I had cuts and bruises the first time I rode a bike, but now I take challenges in bike racing. Eventually, I realized that before I could get the roses, I would first be pricked by thorns. I learned that it doesn't always have to be perfect the first time. But as the old saying goes, practice makes perfect. I learned that it's okay to cry, but we should not wallow in self-pity. I learned that there would always be people who are wealthier, more intelligent, more good-looking, poorer, dumber, or uglier than the others. But there would never be anyone who is more human or less human than anybody else. In that way we are all equal.

I also learned that I can do anything. I can act, dance, sing, climb a mountain, cook a four-course meal in thirty minutes, do a cartwheel, scuba dive, bake 300 batches of cookies in one afternoon, fly an airplane, tame a ferocious lion, change a busted light bulb, invent a useful gadget, paint a picturesque view and make it seem so real...anything. If I really want to. And I won't hesitate if help or opportunity comes my way.

I can make my country better. I can alleviate hunger and poverty from my beloved country. I can do something to educate my fellow Filipinos. I can serve my country for the benefit of my fellowmen. And I will.

But I've got to study at the National University of Singapore first.

-Korinna G. Espinosa

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Whew. And now I'm done with NUS. What a journey it has been. :)