Describe a personal challenge you faced or a situation that you found to be particularly difficult. How did you overcome this obstacle and what did you gain from the experience?

Two years ago, when I graduated from high school, my parents came to my room and said: “Many people say Economics is a ‘hot’ major, and many students apply to this, so we want you to study this too”. I felt puzzled and asked: “Why must I choose the same discipline as them? I have a passion for International Relations”. My parents opposed it. Because this discipline was unfamiliar to people in my hometown, my parents were afraid that there would be lots of whispers and comments. They required me to reverse this decision. In society, if you do something different from others, you may be seen as a weirdo.

But I do not want to be anyone but myself. Therefore, I tried to persuade and tell parents how much I love IR, day by day. I explained to them what IR is; told them about wars, climate changes, migration, and conveyed that I want to research to find out measures to tackle issues. My parents finally understood my passion and supported me. After all, I want to say, if you love something, do not give up owing to other people’s words. Try your best and live your own life.