University of Southern California — Business Administration
Applicant recounts pursuing a social venture idea through repeated rejection and failure, discovering through mentorship with a person with disabilities that authentic storytelling and collaborative leadership matter more than individual pitch perfection.
Personal Statement
I was becoming a gambler. Maybe the kind my mother warned me about, chasing near-impossible odds for the thrill of a breakthrough. The stakes? Only my dreams, passion, and the futures of countless others I'd never met.
Was I foolish to go all in?
Eleven tries, eleven failures. Yet, I showed up for my twelfth pitch, clutching a battered folder with all my notes. As I straighten my lucky tie, I catch my reflection on the polished table–disguising self-doubt with forced poise. My notes, once precise, now resemble a mad prophet's scrawl. I hear the same words again: “We’ll consider and get back.” Months of effort–skipped classes, NGO visits, endless rehearsals–reduced to a gamble with no guaranteed return.
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