KGSP - U Personal Statement

Hi. I am Zoe and I would like to apply for the Korean government scholarship programme. I need your advice and correction for this matter.

I was born in a low-income family in the Philippines that grows root crops. I am the eldest of five siblings studying in a barangay school. Both of my parents own a small lot where we grow our crops. They barely earn 40 000 pesos for these crops the whole year, yet we had to fit into that amount. So what they make is just enough to feed us all for the entire year but not enough to provide us with an excellent education. Nevertheless, we cannot complain, so we have to endure. Our garden could have provided us enough if only we had enough information to produce a crop and use chemicals that could help boost the productivity of our harvest. This environment made me realize that I had to pursue agricultural chemistry so I could help my parents grow their crops properly.
Before that, I knew I was into chemistry since I was always curious about how matter is composed, made, and even engineered into something beneficial for society. I remember the day when my science teacher in Grade 8 talked about plants and how it produces their food and the materials found in their cells. I was fascinated with “cellulose” and found myself curious about it. I make a researched about it and found out that one characteristic of cellulose is its natural polymer. Knowing that polymers compel plastics, I then researched using cellulose to replace plastics made from petrochemicals. However, I found out that there are existing researches about it already and that the school could not afford to fund my study. Even though I could no longer pursue that research, I did not stop reading books about the improvement of using cellulose from plants to make eco-friendly plastics. Later on, as I delve deeper into this thought, this dream of having a degree in agricultural chemistry turns into a dream of becoming a chemical engineer.
However, I always hear from our neighbourhood and teachers how unlucky of us not to go to a school and university that could tend and help us build our potential in natural sciences and engineering because of our financial status. I do not have much connection to high technology, which is why many people thought it was hard to pursue that dream, but that did not stop me from achieving greatness. I, personally, spend most of my time in the library browsing books about the latest inventions and discoveries. I borrow books from the library and compare them with the news flash on our neighbourhood’s television. In that way, I will be updated with science and engineering-related news worldwide. It is an advantage that I take the time to read many books about literature, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Whenever competitions in these subjects, I am always selected to represent the school.
Apart from being an active student in science related subjects, I was also active in a various areas of our school. I was always the representative of our school for the MTAP- Mathematics Teachers Association of the Philippines math challenge. Every year as we competed, we always won for that competition. More than that, I am very versatile as I also compete in radio broadcasting, feature writing, and even science and Technology writing in Journalism contests. On top of that, I have always won first place in those categories at the district level. Also, I have been active in the student’s government body and was elected as the school’s president of the student council in my last year in high school. It is an integral part of me joining the Girl Scout of the Philippines in a regional camporee, a broadcaster and journalist, and also our school’s president for the student government council because these are the foundation of my leadership ability and communication skills. You must wonder how I got all these achievements even with a little to almost zero knowledge resources. Here’s the reason why.
My late grandmother, Celita Magdadaro, was the very person who supported me with all my endeavors in life. She was the very person who advocates me about the importance of reading. She was into literature while I’m into chemical books. She was the same person who told me that I could be anyone I wanted as long as I thrived for it. She would always say that as early as four, she saw a potential of me becoming a chemist as she would always hear me asking why is the water transparent, why does the plant grows on its own, how a glass became glass. Since then, whenever she stopped by an old bookstore, she would buy me a book about chemicals and some prominent person in the world of chemistry. I became familiar with these chemical elements and these individuals, and I, later on, became interested in all the works of chemists and the like. I couldn’t stop craving more chemical knowledge and how they were engineered. This was probably the very reason why even without the high technologies I could use for an easier way of searching for the latest discoveries in chemistry, I can still compete with those with easier access to technology. It was also an advantage that I read a lot; that is why I store information faster than most of my age.
All of these allowed me to be the top student in our school from seventh grade until I finished 12th grade. After my senior high school, I was given a chance to go to Davao city and enroll myself in a prestigious university, the University of Mindanao. I took up a Bachelor of Science and Entrepreneurship. It was not the course I was into, but I didn’t have a choice since my aunt paid for my tuition and other bills; I had to pursue the route and thought that maybe after finishing this course and having a profession, I could enroll in chemical engineering. I work for her as a babysitter. I help them with all the household chores in the morning and go to school in the evening. It was tough to focus on my studies because I had to finish all my work first before school. When I went to school, I was already tired that it was tough for me to even listen to my professors. Even so, I still got good grades. With all these events in life, I never stopped fueling that desire within me. Instead, I was motivated to go to a University abroad and take an undergraduate course. I was browsing through the Internet about international scholarships that could help me get science-related classes, and I came across with Korean Global Scholarship Program. I was doing my research about it and realized that I could benefit from it. Not just that, as a patriotic citizen, I know it could be beneficial for both countries especially now that South Korea and the Philippines has sign an agreement to collaborate in various areas such as research and development. This is an opportunity for me to contribute to this research and development agreement of both countries. On the other hand, you must wonder why I chose a South Korean scholarship when there is a lot more to choose from. South Korean universities are acknowledged worldwide due to their world-class education. Some of its universities even belong to the top 100 universities globally. Aside from that, South Korea has been one of the leading OECD countries for academic achievement and competitiveness. It also stands high in the global index of cognitive skills and educational attainment rankings. More so, South Korea has been the hub of innovation and technology advancement, which I would like to be a part of. Apart from my desire to become part of Korea’s innovation and technology advancement, I am also interested with the way South Korea evolve from a developing country to becoming one of the first world countries. What amazes me is that even with the technological advancement of South Korea, the country was and still is able to preserve its culture. They were able to spread its culture across many countries and even influence many to speak its native language, Hangeul.
This GKS program is a tool for many unfortunate intellectual students who cannot afford a prestigious university. I, personally, thought that this could be my breakthrough with all the challenges I’ve faced. It offers free tuition fees, settlement fees, free housing, and even a large sum of allowance. Apart from this, KGSP prioritizes students who want to take up science and engineering-related courses, which makes me more interested in this scholarship. For a student who only wishes to pursue her desire in engineering and natural sciences, specifically chemical and biological engineering, it is of immense help for me to get this scholarship, especially with my situation.

Thank you for your kind consideration, and I look forward to your reply.