The one whom I revere the most

For me, there is one person, a mentor, who significantly affected me and actualized my decision while I was still contemplating whether to study abroad: Mr. Ban-KI-Moon, the eighth UN secretary general. It was in the summer of 2010 when I read Mr. Ban’s biography called, “Study like a fool, but dream as like a genius.” I was with my friends at a huge bookstore on the fourth floor of a department store, and this was the first moment that really changed my life. I was merely window-shopping, but the title of this book released my inner curiosity.

 

To be honest, at that time I was completely uninterested in politics and economics, or world relations. I thought people like Barack Obama were raised to become politicians. However, Mr. Ban’s story changed my view. He was born in a very rural area in South Korea and lived in the mountains to avoid the dangers of the Korean War. However, he had the passion to see another world across the Pacific Ocean. I had been complaining about my own circumstances every time I failed to achieve a goal. I often complained, “Why is there no one to teach me everything?” Mr. Ban had to learn English by himself, so he visited the family of an American administrator of the factory beside Ban’s house. Every play time, he visited them to confirm the proper pronunciation of some English words that his teachers could not say.

 

That was the moment when I decided to become like Mr. Ban, and saw myself as an adult engaging with different people over the world about serious, complex issues that really require improvement. Ever since I realized that only I am to blame for my own failure, I really wanted to challenge and test myself. Mr. Ban taught me one more thing other than to excel despite circumstances: confidence. Of course, many international students whose langue is not English must be nervous. I was an extreme case. Since I wanted to assimilate with native students, I tried to speak with no accent and acclimatize to the North American culture as if I had grown up here. Day by day, I was stressed because I could not understand what my friends said. I blamed myself when I mispronounced words in presentations or in front of others. Once again, Mr. Ban enlightened me: every time he confidently speaks at numerous summits with his heavy Korean accent, I gained another outlook for my future. No matter how one speaks, one’s contribution comes from how one can persuades the audience. The way he presents world issues before the most influential people is consistently confident. I lacked confidence because I was nervous to make mistakes, but Mr. Ban’s confidence showed me that I do not need to fear failure. He was put me on this track as surely as my parents did. I stepped closer to my dream of becoming a diplomat due to his influence in my life.