Statement One: Consider something in your life you think goes unnoticed and write about why it's important to you.

I believe an aspect of my life that goes unnoticed is integrity. To me, integrity does not only mean adhering to high moral principles, but having honesty; honesty not only to others, but also to oneself. I have always been raised up to “do the right thing” and while at times the temptation to go against this principle resonates strongly, the true test of this character came my junior year in football.

Being a kicker on the football team, I was usually isolated during practice, left to my own decisions regarding drills and exercises. As a result of the graduation of the last varsity kicker, the coach opened the position to competition. Throughout summer practices, I always ended up being the second string; the junior ahead of me had a stronger leg and more athleticism in general. I knew body-wise, I can only do so much because of the genetic differences. Even then, I kept working hard on my technique and kicking just in case the starter injures himself during a game.

With a few weeks leading up to the preseason, my kicking partner started to become more careless, believing no matter what happens, his position will always be his. We practiced together on an adjacent inferior field compared to where the rest of the varsity practiced. While he idled off, I continued to do the same exact drills and kicks every practice. We would always have five minutes in between practices that to work on field goals and kickoffs with the team. The week before the first game, during a routine rehearsal with the field goal unit, my teammate consistently continued to miss, something that has been occurring more and more lately. I persisted to encourage him but that day, the coach frustrated by the results, called me to kick with the first team field goal unit. Astonished, I stepped up for my first kick. Bam! The first kick went right in the uprights. “Again!” roared the coach. Bam! The second has the same result. So was the third and fourth. That day, the coach named me the starter.

Always anxious about my starting position, I worked even harder during the season while my fellow teammate sank lower and lower in sluggishness. Knowing we would not be seen from the position of our practice field and giving up on trying to regain his position, my teammate started to merely stand around, then sitting and even to the point that he was lying on the pads in the nearby equipment shed. No matter how I tried to persuade him, he would not move from his position. He suggested that I should take breaks too. With the strains of having a full football season, that suggestion seemed especially inviting. This thought endured for the next few weeks of practice as the weariness of long football practices persisted. During the last week of the season, my teammate had the audacity to start using his phone on our practice field. Finally disgruntled, I reasoned with him one last time to kick and practice but heard the same answer as before, “no.” That moment on, I left and squeezed onto the team’s practice field and kicked on my own. Little did I know that while I was practicing with team, our coach went over to the other field to check on us. I never expected for this situation to be revealed to the coach. My teammate was off the team the next day.

Unnoticed traits are not necessarily seen for people’s appreciation. I stood on my own beliefs to do what is right. To be able to unfalteringly obey my own axiom gives the ultimate self-respect to my life and character.

Statement Two: Tell us why you decided to apply to the University of Wisconsin—Madison. In addition, share with us the academic, extracurricular, or research opportunities you would take advantage of as a student. If applicable, provide details of any circumstance that could have had an impact on your academic performance and/or extracurricular involvement.

Opportunities in the University of Wisconsin - Madison appear everywhere but the chance to be part of the International Institute appeals personally to me due to past events.

It all started when I stepped into the campus of National Taiwan Normal University for a Mandarin language camp in sixth grade. I have drifted around North America and traveled to various countries in Asia in eye-opening cross cultural experiences. From learning about jade sculptures in Taiwan to hiking on the Rockies in Canada, I thought I had seen it all. Then, I went on a trip with my student ambassador program with the People to People organization. The year I signed up, the organization’s destinations were France and England, countries that seemed so foreign and faraway. My mind, so used to the “west” and “far east,” could not comprehend what the “far west” might entail. Knowing my ethnicity and way of words differed vastly from those countries; I could not help but feel a sense of dread. When we arrived in France, we first stopped by the Arc de Triomphe, a masterpiece that began stirring my interest in past times. The moment we reached the Louvre, I realized I wanted to travel the world and interact with different cultures. Asking the guard about Bonaparte Visits the Plague Stricken in Jaffa prompted my attention on the impact of propaganda and discussing with the docent about the relevance of Raphael’s St. George stimulated my curiosity in European history. I raced through one room after another, desperately seeking to satisfy my newfound fascination – three hours proved unsatisfactory. Coming back to the United States, I could not wait for another chance to discover a new area of the world. Without the prospect of experiencing distant places due to financial reasons, I plunged into social studies in my school curriculum. Mr. Benner revealed the diverse natures of our world in his World History class; Mrs. Brennan presented the ethical dilemmas of the future through her U.S. History class. Invested with this new knowledge of our future and past, I feel that the University of Wisconsin - Madison’s International Institute provides an ideal way for me to understand the world and its copious cultures. Having experienced two distinct cultures in Asia and Europe, I believe the next challenge lies in the Middle East. The institute’s Middle East Studies has a learning community filled with countless ethnicities and nationalities. From interacting with Sunnis and Shias to debating with Israelites about the implications of each respective government, the opportunity

to have first-hand contact with international cultures at the crossroads of the world remains unparalleled.

My experiences have taught me that the world has turned into a complex, dynamic and ever-changing influx of ideas and markets. The downturn of an economy, such as that of Greece, will impact not only its surrounding countries, but the entire European Union as well. Working alongside people with diverse backgrounds and fostering independence pushes me to find ways to solve the new challenges in the twenty-first century.