Please complete the personal statement IN YOUR OWN WORDS. You must submit the personal statement in English in the space provided below. Describe, in no more than 500 words, your reasons for applying for your chosen course of study and the ways in which you expect your study experience to make a difference to your life and those around you.

I have been interested in art and

design

since I was a child.

However

, here in Taiwan, if you can be an engineer or a doctor, you are encouraged to be one, and I am no exception. During my high school years, I was influenced by my peers, starting to change my

career

path to engineering. In 2016, I selected mechanical engineering as my major. It didn’t take me much

time

to realize that I was not good at the discipline I had chosen. Not knowing what I am capable of doing, nor do I know what I like, I could not be more lost and frustrated. Luckily, by the end of the semester, there was a

design

workshop drew my attention. Out of curiosity I signed it up. During the speech and activities, I felt something that I didn’t have while I studied engineering. It was the

first

time

that I felt the passion lay within my heart. In the following semester I selected a course related to

design

. As I dived down deeper it became apparent that

design

Suggestion

the design

is the field that I am good at.

However

, I struggled. Setting my

career

in

design

implies giving up the stable income and a smooth

career

path which staying in engineering guarantees. There is a voice inside telling me that I am supposed to follow my heart, but there are

also

many people think

this

is an absurd act. The two forces inside were tearing me apart, and under

this

situation my course performance only got worse. One day, it dawned on me that only if I do the things I like can I optimize my

career

development.

As a result

, I signed up for our school

design

program to help me broaden my horizon.

Although

studying engineering is difficult for me, I consider it as a challenge and a complementary support for my

design

.

Besides

learning through courses, combining what I had learned, I designed new products and joined in competitions. To challenge myself, I became a teaching assistant tutoring students in

design

. As a freelance graphic designer, I designed the logo and packaging for a foreign coffee shop. Still, even with all these experiences, it is still not enough for me. I want to test the limits and break through. Attending graduate school is a perfect opportunity to help me integrate all my skills better. It took me a long

time

to get myself prepared. To have my own portfolio, new products had to be designed, and there are so many

design

tools that I had to be familiar with. After two years of preparation,

last

Christmas I submitted my application. I can still remember the day I received the admission letter from California College of the Art. I woke up and check my smartphone as usual, and there was a notification popped up. For the

first

time

in my college years, I was

finally

relieved.