People are inherently valuable. Education is knowledge and power. Confidence is key to success. Always try your best and don’t settle for mediocrity. – Hillary Liang, August 2018
As a child of immigrant parents, I learned the inherent value of one’s community support early on. Education was the panacea to my adversaries and I found solace in school, despite coming home to a crumbling two bedroom apartment shared with seven other people. My immediate priority was to alleviate my family’s financial burden and began working at age 13, often missing school to make it to multiple part-time jobs.
Fortunately, government aid and community scholarships were the vehicles that allowed me to fund my college education. I was able to focus on my studies and subsequently, assumed many leadership positions in school and extracurricular. I campaigned for free public transportation for low-income youth, a freeze on tuition hikes, health insurance for the homeless, and more educational resources for underserved students.
My experiences throughout my education and advocacy prepared me for a career in civic engagement, where I planned to take my newfound knowledge to revitalize the city. Using leftover money from my scholarship fund, I started various initiatives for the underrepresented population in San Francisco. I believed that the city and its people have a moral imperative to ensure everyone access to fundamental resources.
While going door-to-door to different legislative offices and community agencies, I realized there was a large number of similar initiatives by existing groups. The ubiquitous discussions over methodology was indicative of a common goal, but more importantly, showed the city was not lacking in resources, volunteers, or monetary means. The ultimate gap was finding key leaders to fill critical long-term positions and carry out proposed initiatives. I realized I could make a larger impact by attracting top talent and engaging other young professionals in these roles. The strategy on how was more elusive.
This edifying experience has enabled me to learn and discover my true personal and professional potential, where I aspire to become an advocate for education and public service. Collective action and shared access to public knowledge have the capacity to strengthen communities. By encouraging young people to be involved in exciting public service projects, we can build a pipeline of changemakers and energize others to lead by example.
My commitment is to one day help other underprivileged students pursue a higher education and demonstrate the same generosity given to me. Above all, I want to share my strength by teaching others how to become heroes of their own stories.