Personal Statement: Aubrey Dela Cruz

I am a Senior in the Academy of professional and public services. While at Waipahu

High School, I was given many opportunities to participate in many programs and activities

through which I have grown not only academically, but personally. With the classes that I took at

Waipahu, (APPS Core, marketing, accounting, and finance) I was able to focus on and pursue

business. It was through those classes where I found a passion and preferred interest with money

management. With my experience, I found that through the work that I complete, I always set

out to have determination, be open-minded to learn, and showcase service to others.

Whenever faced with challenges, I feel a sense of determination to not let it be an

obstacle to me, but rather as an opportunity to try harder and focus on my goals. I have learned to

always strive towards academic success through self-motivation and constantly surrounding

myself with support. The strength and passion that I have for my goals causes me to have a

commitment towards learning. For example, I am currently working towards my goal of

graduating with my Associate in Arts degree by the time I finish high school by taking dual

enrollment courses and obtaining 60 credits. Although this goal will take four years to complete,

I can say that I have continued to work diligently towards this goal for the past three years and

have built a devotion towards completing the goals that I set. All of this was done through the

drive that I have towards academic success, which I achieved through my aspect of adaptability.

To continue, through my experiences, I have always had a strive to learn. My sense of

open-mindness has taught me to take initiative in the workplace and be comfortable with the

uncomfortable. Taking initiative was not always comfortable for me at first because I am

naturally shy. However, I believe that my strive to grow as a person taught me to persist even

when outside of my comfort zone. I have grown to take initiative and lead in the best interest of
others. For instance, when doing tax preparations for VITA, I must communicate and instruct

others on tax preparation and the process behind completing a tax return. I am often faced with

assisting new people, which has made me feel a bit uneasy in the past, but I have learned to be

consistent and complete the task at hand. This was all due to my enthusiasm, which has taught

me to be courageous and to continue to lead even through feelings of discomfort.

Moreover, whenever I am tasked with completing a job, I believe in displaying service to

others. The kindness and support that my peers show me when I go through challenges inspire

me to give that kindness back to others. An example of this is when I first started doing martial

arts at the Hawaiian Kajukenbo Association. While starting this new sport, I was clueless and

completely unsure how to do certain basic techniques. Nevertheless, my instructors and peers

humbly taught me with respect and made me feel welcome in their class. These simple yet

significant displays of goodwill that I experienced, inspired me to want to give back to my

community and seek out opportunities to help others. I used this inspiration to volunteer service

hours that serve the community to clubs like DECA, Phi Theta Kappa, and Leo club. Various

support through my experiences of change has invigorated a desire to voluntarily help serve

others with acts of service.

To conclude, through my personal journey and experiences, change shaped me into the

person that I am today. Through my personal experience, I have had a tremendous amount of

self-development, which has adjusted me to become a worthy candidate for various

opportunities.