<p>The max is 500 words, I'm at 485 right now. Any help would be greatly appreciated :)</p>
<p> Why do you seek to join Teach For America?
What would you hope to accomplish as a corps member?
How would you determine your success as a corps member?</p>
<p>Serving the community has played a large part in shaping who am today. Despite growing up in an upper-middle class household, as a first-generation Indian-American, annual trips halfway around to world to my parents homeland ensured that I would never take for granted the life I had. I have received numerous academic accolades yet I often wonder how much of the credit should be given to my individual skill versus the fact that I was raised by two parents who emphasized the importance of education early in life.
Both my father and uncle are professors, and from an early age I was taught that in order to truly conquer a subject matter one must be able to explain the same information in the simplest of forms. From my father, I learned many vital skills that helped me to tutor underprivileged kids at the San Jose Family Shelter throughout high school. As a small child, I can remember the patience and diligence that my dad showcased while going over my homework with me on a daily basis. Despite my stubbornness, I came to realize why he would go to such lengths in order to teach me basic lessons. Doing well in school is the surest way to a better life, and I feel that by joining Teach For America I would be able to help these individuals gain perspective and understand the value of a good education.</p>
<p>As a corps member, I hope to instill a sense of ambition and drive in children who have come to believe that they are incapable of breaking certain socioeconomic boundaries. Despite our vast wealth, I believe that the United States has continuously overlooked low-income families and failed to provide them with the right tools for learning. For all the rhetoric about achieving the American Dream, the fact of the matter remains that so few underprivileged individuals will actually be able to reach such a goal. A large reason for this can be attributed to the low standards that public schools set for their students, and I hope to counteract this by relating to the students on a more personal level and being able to foster a sense of enthusiasm for learning.</p>
<p>I would determine my success as a corps member by the number of children who go from seeing school as an adversary to seeing it as a means to a better life. While working with children at the San Jose Family Shelter, I found that the students who acquired a thirst for knowledge also became more positive, social, and self-confident. Despite being the son of immigrant engineers, it has never ceased to baffle me why the United States chooses to import rather than home-grow its skilled labor force. In our inner-city youth I believe that we have an untapped market of young people whose meager surroundings have instilled a sense of ambition which needs to be properly directed.</p>