Terrence Zhang, Period 1, 3/31/22

Terrence Zhang, 3/30/22, Period 1


Goal Setting & Growth

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

As my senior year of high school comes to an end, I have arrived at a crossroads in my life. Depending on which path I’ll ultimately decide to take, my life will be changed forever. However, one thing is for sure - neither will be an easy journey. With the future still uncertain even now, all I know is that I must overcome all the obstacles that will soon come my way. I have no choice but to march onward as time continues mercilessly - faltering or hesitating is not an option. However, perhaps these high stakes are a good thing for me. For the first time in years, I am motivated to put all my effort into improving myself and my skills. Nothing short of my full effort will be enough to pull me through the next four years. Right now, I’ve set my goal to learn a new programming language - Python. As one of the most popular programming languages following C and Java, it will no doubt be a beneficial language to learn as it will both expand my skill set and prepare me for any potential internships I will later take involving it. Throughout this summer, I plan on experimenting and developing lots of software using Python in order to become proficient in it by the start of my freshman year of college. Another goal of mine is to increase my work experience. So far, my resume is rather empty so I plan on getting into an internship over the summer. This is why I’ve applied for this summer’s SYEP program for a chance to get accepted for an internship.

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

I demonstrate resilience towards achieving these goals by reminding myself of all the responsibilities I have on my shoulders. With my parents becoming weaker every year and slowly becoming unable to work, I realized that soon it will become my responsibility to provide for my family. As life is cruel and rarely gives second chances, I must prepare myself and lay a steady foundation for my career in the future. Every goal I complete is an additional rock added - neglecting even one will cause a hole that may result in collapse. While I may become stressed because of all the responsibility, knowing that what I am doing will eventually lead to both me and my family’s happiness is enough to make me continue and push forward.

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

Ever since college results have been coming out, I’ve been hearing all my classmates talking about how they got into good, prestigious colleges. Meanwhile, I have been rejected from most of the ones I’ve applied to. However, I am not discouraged at all. In the end, college is just a means to an end - it is whether you will ultimately end up somewhere you won’t regret that matters. In my eyes, as long as I myself am happy, who cares? For what purpose is the prestige of getting into a good college and potentially getting a high-paying job matter if, in the end, you are unhappy? I believe that it is useless to stress about what has already happened. Instead of staying back and clawing at all the doors that have already been closed, I am more focused on looking forward and not letting myself lose to life. Even if my pride is hurt today, it will be me who will have the last laugh in the end. Therefore, I will remain focused and dedicated to the goals before me.