My Father

Of the many diverse experiences I have had over the last seventeen years, my father has been and continues to be the most formative influence on my personal development. He has shaped my personality both actively and through example, and can be easily identified by anyone who knows our family well as the source of my strong sense of values and my passion to work with others as a leader, or team member.

Integrity is one of the tenets of my being; it is the one value that has been instilled in me by my father and strengthened by almost every environment I have come into contact with since I was a young child. My father is the most honest person I know. I have seen his honesty and straightforwardness taken advantage of by others more than once while growing up, to the point where I have even complained that he needed to be more aggressive with the people involved in the situation. His response has always been unwavering, emphasizing that in the long-run the benefits of complete integrity in both business and personal dealings with others will lead to success, while anything less will eventually hinder a personÐ'ÐŽÐ'Їs career. This is advice not easily understood by my Korean friends who find themselves in competitive, pressure filled environments where the drive to Ð'ÐŽÐ'oget aheadÐ'ÐŽÐ'± is part of everyoneÐ'ÐŽÐ'Їs personality. Now that I have competed as a high school student, I can feel the magnitude of my fatherÐ'ÐŽÐ'Їs commitment to integrity. Three years ago he was recently promoted to President after 17 years with KoreaÐ'ÐŽÐ'Їs one of the largest companies, where he started as a factory worker. In my fatherÐ'ÐŽÐ'Їs example, I learned that integrity is what leads one to make success in life.

In addition to a strong sense of values centered around integrity, my father possessed amazing interpersonal and motivational skills. Even as a young child it was apparent to me how much the younger officers at my fatherÐ'ÐŽÐ'Їs company respected him. He was a strong leader, as anyone in his position had to be, but he was also modest and team-focused. His encouragement