Hey all,
I just finished my HBS accomplishments essay. Let me know what you think. I want to make sure I am on the right track before tackling the other essays!
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As a child, I had a fascination with colognes. I was so captivated by fragrances that my parents gave me a fragrance kit for my 12th birthday. It is no wonder then that, after gaining chemistry knowledge in my first year of college, discovering a passion to be an entrepreneur in a field I loved, and acquiring startup capital, I began my own fragrance manufacturing company. It was a mammoth task balancing college courses, running a business, and engaging myself with the campus and community. In 2006, three years after starting my business, I took a temporary leave from college to focus more on my entrepreneurial endeavor. With much at stake, the risky decision, however, proved very successful. Within a year, I managed five employees, established clients in 47 US states and 16 countries, and increased revenues by over 900%! My operation was recognized by leading wholesale and trade publications as being one of the most prominent new fragrance manufacturers and even received leadership acknowledgement by the National Republican Congressional Committee. Ultimately, I realized the magnitude of my accomplishment when an offer was made to acquire the company in 2008, generating significant value from my investment and affording me the opportunity to take the lessons learned of leadership, persistence, and initiative back to my undergraduate pursuits armed with unique perspectives to augment class discussions.
A more personal accomplishment of which I am proud involves the sport of skiing. Several years ago, some friends asked me to go to the slopes with them. Not knowing how to ski, I was assured that they would teach me. I had always dreamed of skiing advanced black diamond slopes, and this was my chance. While I wanted to ski the most advanced slopes from the start, I knew that I had to rely on the knowledge and experience of my friends as they taught me within the confines of my own beginners’ abilities. I did, however, set a goal to ski a black diamond slope before the end of the season. With a lot of coaching and practicing, I was finally able to successfully ski a black diamond slope on the second to last day of the season, although only after many face-to-ground meetings with the snow! Ultimately, I was most proud that I realized my limitations and trusted the expertise of my friends who knew more about skiing than I did, while at the same time setting a realistic, although chancy, goal—which I met.
Although proud of the preceding accomplishments, I must admit that I gain the most satisfaction from the positive change I was able to affect in the life of nine-year-old Raheem. While doing volunteer service at Cleveland Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services (MRS), I was asked to work with Raheem, a refugee who was forced to leave Afghanistan with his mother after his father was killed in a terrorist bombing. Although fluent in English, Raheem had difficulties adjusting to school. I made a personal commitment to work with Raheem and help him successfully increase his grades to a satisfactory level, meeting as many as three or four times each week. After about a year, Raheem had not only improved his grades, but had also made the honor roll. In all honesty though, Raheem probably taught me more than I was able to teach him. His perseverance in the face of adversity, resolve to accomplish goals, and amazingly positive attitude are themes that are forever etched on my heart. Engaging with Raheem to reach his goals is an accomplishment that impacts my life to this day.
I just finished my HBS accomplishments essay. Let me know what you think. I want to make sure I am on the right track before tackling the other essays!
*******************************************************
As a child, I had a fascination with colognes. I was so captivated by fragrances that my parents gave me a fragrance kit for my 12th birthday. It is no wonder then that, after gaining chemistry knowledge in my first year of college, discovering a passion to be an entrepreneur in a field I loved, and acquiring startup capital, I began my own fragrance manufacturing company. It was a mammoth task balancing college courses, running a business, and engaging myself with the campus and community. In 2006, three years after starting my business, I took a temporary leave from college to focus more on my entrepreneurial endeavor. With much at stake, the risky decision, however, proved very successful. Within a year, I managed five employees, established clients in 47 US states and 16 countries, and increased revenues by over 900%! My operation was recognized by leading wholesale and trade publications as being one of the most prominent new fragrance manufacturers and even received leadership acknowledgement by the National Republican Congressional Committee. Ultimately, I realized the magnitude of my accomplishment when an offer was made to acquire the company in 2008, generating significant value from my investment and affording me the opportunity to take the lessons learned of leadership, persistence, and initiative back to my undergraduate pursuits armed with unique perspectives to augment class discussions.
A more personal accomplishment of which I am proud involves the sport of skiing. Several years ago, some friends asked me to go to the slopes with them. Not knowing how to ski, I was assured that they would teach me. I had always dreamed of skiing advanced black diamond slopes, and this was my chance. While I wanted to ski the most advanced slopes from the start, I knew that I had to rely on the knowledge and experience of my friends as they taught me within the confines of my own beginners’ abilities. I did, however, set a goal to ski a black diamond slope before the end of the season. With a lot of coaching and practicing, I was finally able to successfully ski a black diamond slope on the second to last day of the season, although only after many face-to-ground meetings with the snow! Ultimately, I was most proud that I realized my limitations and trusted the expertise of my friends who knew more about skiing than I did, while at the same time setting a realistic, although chancy, goal—which I met.
Although proud of the preceding accomplishments, I must admit that I gain the most satisfaction from the positive change I was able to affect in the life of nine-year-old Raheem. While doing volunteer service at Cleveland Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services (MRS), I was asked to work with Raheem, a refugee who was forced to leave Afghanistan with his mother after his father was killed in a terrorist bombing. Although fluent in English, Raheem had difficulties adjusting to school. I made a personal commitment to work with Raheem and help him successfully increase his grades to a satisfactory level, meeting as many as three or four times each week. After about a year, Raheem had not only improved his grades, but had also made the honor roll. In all honesty though, Raheem probably taught me more than I was able to teach him. His perseverance in the face of adversity, resolve to accomplish goals, and amazingly positive attitude are themes that are forever etched on my heart. Engaging with Raheem to reach his goals is an accomplishment that impacts my life to this day.
