How do you think the Yemeni American community can encourage higher education within its youth?
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The Yemeni American Community is a rapidly growing cultural society, yet its youth have developed distaste for higher education. In the midst of our progressive world, many individuals in our community feel that the need for higher education is non-existent. This is due to the lack of motivation and support from family members and society as a whole. Nonetheless, there is hope for this generation and for those that are yet to come. The Yemeni American community can reverse this belief by creating motivation of its own, by showing kids the benefits of getting a higher education, and by establishing role models for the youth.
We can organize work visit days where we can expose the youth to different fields of professional work. By exposing the youth to different fields of work, they will be able to see the difference a good education can make in their lives. These visits can inspire kids to get a college education and show the benefits of getting this education.
We could also offer incentives to continue school into college by offering scholarships such as this to help fund their education, by lessening the burden of student loans. These incentives would encourage the Yemeni American youth in the community to pursue a higher education.
What do you think are the barriers of education and what are the ways to eliminate them?
Education is one of the most important aspects in a person’s life besides one’s beliefs and religion. Yet there are many barriers blocking students in the pursuit of this vital tool. These barriers need to be uplifted and changed into something that will encourage students to pursue education in their lives.
The cost of schooling in college can be very expensive. The government provides some assistance through college financial aid but the cost of schooling is still really high. By lowering the cost of education, one of the barriers can be removed. This could be done through communicating with colleges and even ask for sponsorship from companies if necessary to provide funding for the school.
Another way to uplift the barriers placed upon students is to provide them with the communication skills necessary to comprehend the English language. Many youth from the Yemeni community are not proficient in the English language and they do not have a good grasp of professional communication/settings. By teaching them how to read, write, and comprehend the English language, efficiently another barrier would be lifted. Once they are comfortable with the English language introducing them to mock interviews and career experiences would benefit them because they could prepare themselves for the real world.
Write a personal statement highlighting your challenges, accomplishments and dreams.
Throughout my life, I have had to overcome many challenges to reach my accomplishments. I hope that these accomplishments will lead me to my ultimate dream.
One of the challenges I had growing up was being different from everyone else. Growing up in Traverse City, Michigan I was the only Arabic person of Yemeni descent for miles around. I was surrounded by white catholic people in an Anglo-Saxon community. At times, I was an outcast, but I learned to deal with it and made some really good friends. Being different really pushed me to be the best I can be and inspired me to be who I am today. It also made me proud to be a Yemeni American and allowed me to embrace my culture and religion.
Some accomplishments include my acceptance into a variety of universities including Wayne State University (where I will be attending in the fall of 2009), the University of Michigan, Michigan State, The University of Detroit Mercy, Central Michigan University, and the University of Michigan-Dearborn. I successfully completed a rigorous four-year magnet school program known as DCMST (the Dearborn Center for Math Science and Technology) and I will graduate this year with a 3.9 GPA. I also received a Mega Conference “All Academic” award for Track.
My dreams are to one day become a medical Doctor to help people in need of treatment. I hope that through my hard work and dedication, I will someday reach this goal. It will take a lot to go through four years of undergraduate schooling, four years of medical school, and then a residency at a hospital to achieve the title “Doctor” and more importantly to attain the skills to make a difference.
