Michigan Ross 100-word essay set

Ross 100-word Topics I want people to know that … I value collaboration. From working with diverse backgrounds in software coding to collaborating with doctors and private equity specialists on a biotech startup, collaboration is my ideal path to creativity. One area of my life where this is most important is music: I play cello in a string quartet. I learned the instrument during college, studying musical theory concepts from the two violinists and establishing timing with our violist. This collaboration inspires each of us to challenge each other and embrace creativity together. We develop innovative approaches to the music we play, creating a unique sound and identity as a group.

I was humbled when … I mentored Ahmad, a first-generation immigrant from Pakistan, during his career search. Despite several years of work experience back in Pakistan, Ahmad struggled finding a long-term career while balancing two jobs and raising three children. Throughout college, I thought I faced obstacles simply trying to match my academic pursuits to a meaningful career path. Working with Ahmad, however, taught me what persistence really looks like. Despite his lack of English fluency and unfamiliarity with the US professional landscape, Ahmad, like many other recent immigrants, was determined to learn anything and do anything that would make life better for his family.

I was aware that I was different when … I traveled to Tryavna, Bulgaria, my family’s ancestral home, in middle school. I assumed that my fluency in the language and my proud Bulgarian heritage would mean instant assimilation. However, I soon realized that life in Tryavna was very different from a Bulgarian-American family in suburban Dallas. Even in 2012, Tryavna was still recovering from the economic and physical devastation of World War II, and I sensed that the townspeople shared a common experience of persistence and survival, which I as an outsider could never fully understand. In Tryavna, I gained a greater appreciation for the nuances that truly define a culture.