Personal Statement
   Program: LLM

I have always been motivated by an inner desire to prove myself to others.  I was born to a mother of Japanese origin in xxxxx, the site of a notorious massacre of Chinese people by the Japanese.  I was relentlessly teased and discriminated against, with the other students often referring to me as “little Jap”.  Rather than turning inwards or reacting with self-destructive anger, I turned this negative situation into a positive and became determined to overcome any obstacles on the path to my success.  I developed a strong character while remaining cheerful and optimistic, which helped me to win friends among my classmates.  It is this attitude of confidence and determination that has spurred me to both academic and business success, and I plan to continue along this path to success in the LL.M. program at the University of xxxxx Law School.

The hardships of my early childhood helped to forge a distinct sense of who I am at a young age.  My early success came in Mathematics, when I won second place in the National Mathematics Olympic Competition.  I was selected by the Foreign Affairs College as a select student for training as an expert in foreign affairs.  I was told that I would need to develop a scientific background while also learning to think more logically and reasonably.

My abilities in mathematics and physics did not help me much with English, History and Law studies, and I did not do well my first year at FAC.  However, with my strong spirit of perseverance, I doubled my efforts in order to keep up with my classmates.  I was able to use my abilities in analytical thinking to develop an effective and efficient personal study plan for myself, which enabled me to rise from near the bottom of the class to graduate among the top three out of eighteen students.

Once again I had been able to turn a negative situation into a positive one.  In changing from a physics and mathematics major to diplomatic studies and law, I was able to add creative thinking in addition to my extremely strong analytical and critical thinking skills.  As I progressed through my law courses, I began to realize that many people hurt themselves and others through an absence of legal knowledge.  With support from the university and our professors, some of my classmates and I created a unique student legal aid center with a 24-hour hotline to provide fundamental legal assistance for those needing help.  Through my efforts with the center, I spent a lot of time, energy and even my own money to help those that were in need.  I began to see the harsh reality of life in China.  In many sad cases, even though we worked very hard, we were powerless to change society to help the person.  I learned the important lesson that a fair and equal society must be based on a sound legal system and rule of law.  From that point on I knew that my goal in life was to help as many people as possible while working to improve China’s legal system.

After graduation, I worked in a joint venture between AOL-Time Warner and Lenovo as the youngest manager in the company, for the Business and Legal Affairs department.  One of my big projects was leading a five-person team in developing an electronic payment program especially for AOL clients in China.  I went to every bank in China and along with the MIS department, designed a method of e-payments for each bank.  Some of my other duties there included being in charge of most of the business cooperation for the Content Department, where I had to contact around 200 companies, ranging from the national weather bureau to the National Basketball Association in the U.S., to develop relationships with my company.

My AOL experience led to an offer from the top university in China, xxxx  University, as legal counsel to create a new department for its xxxxOnline project to take care of legal and business issues.  As the director, I was able to participate in high-level business meetings and played a crucial role in developing a business plan with the board members.  Gradually I was asked to provide not only legal knowledge but my business ideas as well.  The board of directors developed a strong trust in me, and I was able to manage many academic seminars for famous professors from all over the world.  Organizing these seminars strengthened my leadership abilities as a project director.  I was able to meet many famous people, including Bill Clinton and Stephen Hawking.  During the SARS epidemic of 2003, most schools and companies shut down.  But my team at Xxxxx Online, along with three professors from the Psychology Department, continued to deliver online lectures and question and answer sessions.  Xxxxx Online became quite famous during SARS because of the success of this project, and I once again was able to help turn a negative situation into a positive one. 

Another major project that I was honored to manage was the Midi Music Festival, with 300 bands from all over China.  I was given full control over the project and much freedom, support and trust from my supervisor.  It became a four-day outside festival, with more than 2,000 people attending everyday and media coverage from more than 150 media outlets including CNN and the BBC.  I learned that especially for such a large project, you must be flexible and ready for all possible problems and challenges.  I also learned that in leading a team, you must let each member know that they are trusted and needed in order for the team to work together towards a common goal.

In what little spare time that I had, I was invited by the largest and most prestigious overseas English exam training institution in China to teach logic and analysis for LSAT courses.  I was motivated not by the money but by the desire to help as many people as possible who wanted to study law abroad.  Through these classes, I was able to share with many students my life’s goal of building a better legal system in China.

To develop my international work experience, in xxxx I went to work as a business and legal advisor for the Xxxxx Group, one of the largest real estate groups in Hong Kong.  My research on eight companies found them near bankruptcy, and the owners not only did not plan to work with Xxxxx but also did not care about the legal issues surrounding their possible bankruptcies.  Most of them cited their good relationships with local governmental authorities as reasons not to worry.  They didn’t care about Chinese law - they saw large capital investments as the way to succeed.  Lack of legal knowledge created a barrier to working with foreign investors and companies.  Even with the booming Chinese economy, Chinese and foreign companies will find it difficult or impossible to succeed with such a poor legal system and unhealthy attitudes towards business.

My experience in Hong Kong has also shown me that even the most common people there have a  basic and clear knowledge of the legal system unlike most people on the Mainland.  Working at Xxxxx has given me exposure to many international lawyers from famous law firms, to practically study and use Common Law, and how to negotiate in cross-cultural environments.  I have learned that much of business is directly related to the law.  With an energetic spirit full of enthusiasm for every new challenge, I developed myself quickly as a female business professional in a country where successful businesswomen are not always welcomed. 

Although I have learned so much and faced many challenges in my business experiences, I know that my legal knowledge is not sufficient.  My heartfelt desire is to continue my personal and professional development in the Xxxxx Law LL.M. program.  I would also like to participate in the Joint Certificate Program in Law and Public Policy because it integrates perfectly with my desire to become one of the top international lawyers in the world.  Armed with the Xxxxx Law LL.M. and the Certificate in Business and Public Policy, I will be able to return to a top management position with Xxxxx, where I can continue my goal of developing the legal and business environment in China to help my homeland integrate itself into the global business world.  Through my hard work and a strong desire to make the world a better place, I will do my best to help people in all walks of life in all of my corporate and charitable work efforts.

(1451 words)