I strode through the open corridors of the station full of people bustling left and right, hurrying away purposefully.
The giant display board flashed times and destinations one after the other: New Haven at 7:27, New York City at 9:07, Pittsburgh at 7:22, Providence at 7:11.
Where are you going?
I looked around, and my eye caught a new name that had flashed on the screen. 11:01 to Philadelphia. A great city, not ridiculously busy but large enough to be considered metropolitan, that is rich in legacy, and home to one of the best universities in the nation. Snapshots of sidewalks crowded with modern pedestrians rushing by a backdrop of colonial archetypes filled my mind. I remembered the childlike wonder I felt stating at the huge domed room of Huntsman Hall, and the speed at which I scribbled down notes while talking with Professor Myers after sitting in on her MGMT 100 class. Her enthusiastic account of the Wharton experience and informative advice on the plethora of management techniques I could apply to my club, FBLA, left me with the impression of an outstanding and unique institution with an exciting intellectual atmosphere.
What do you want to be? A voice inquired in my head.
 My mind sifted through blended memories and emotions, searching for a definitive answer. My interests and ambitions may have begun when I was young, but as I grew, they grew. An eight-year-old girl selling paper airplanes and fortune tellers because her classmates weren’t skilled enough to make filming a commercial in front of the Columbia University Library for a marketing summer course final ones as perfect. The same girl, older, hunching over her first art commission for $3. A fifteen-year-old project. A sixteen year old globe trekker musing over magazines in the Chinese National College of Arts Main Library. This girl is an artist, musician, and business leader, spending six weeks in an art studio, a week in China at my father’s new fledgling company, and another week competing in the Future Business Leaders of America 2010 National Leadership Conference at Tennessee.
As an American-born Chinese who grew up in Beijing because of family complications, I definitely have the best of both worlds. I am the embodiment of my parents’ American dream and their Chinese heritage; I can experience everything from a mixture of languages to a mixture of foods. More importantly, I have developed a growing understanding of both countries’ cultural, political and economic systems. FBLA, Model UN, Chinese School, and Columbia’s Summer High School Program; these are all steps I took to ensure I could build a wide base of knowledge and experience to help me in the future.
 It is hard to find a level of international involvement which will help me enhance my past experiences and become a true expert in business and international affairs more dynamic than that of Penn’s. Two years ago my father began his fledgling international company in China, and I have witnessed the endless frustrations he’s had with accounting, personnel, finance, and legal issues, all of which have to conform to the standards of both countries. He alone showed me a more complex and more interconnected world, linked by ties of money, common interest, and diligence. The Huntsman program, with its global connections and study abroad opportunities, can turn me into the educated professional I admire, prepared to tackle any difficulties in international business.
I forced closed the open door of my mind, the voice finally satisfied, and boarded the 11:01 to Philadelphia, a resolute grin on my face. That is my ride.