[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
understand the root problems. From my work, I know our critical needs and how to best approach them. I
want to rise to a position where I can allocate resources to where they will make the most difference.
Although I can't save the world, I am committed to doing my part.
Role Models
As a young boy in Brooklyn, I was crazy about the New York Yankees. I followed every game on
television and radio, paying close attention to the play-by-play commentary. At age six, during my first trip to
Yankee Stadium, I watched Ron Guidry pitch a game for the very first time. He quickly became my hero,
both for his amazing ability to throw a curveball and for his obvious love of baseball. Watching him dazzle a
stadium of 20,000 rapturous fans, I couldn't imagine a better role model.
Looking back, I favored the flamboyant Guidry over the less famous players because of his ability to
energize the crowd. From my childish perspective, he was like a firecracker that could go off at any moment,
striking out his competitors at an inconceivable pace. A media darling, Guidry won five straight Gold Glove
awards, along with the coveted Cy Young Award. Once, after an unexpected victory, he left the field to play
the drums with the Beach Boys. At that time in my life, sports were mostly for entertainment. Competing to
win was secondary to the dazzling show that Ron Guidry put on.
After two decades of watching and playing competitive sports, I now view athletics quite differently.
Unfortunately, despite my passion for the game, I never shared Guidry's ability to strike out batters or to hit a
grand slam home run. Yet I thoroughly enjoyed playing on a softball team. Some of my headiest college
memories involve the adrenaline rush that accompanied a great hit and the lump in my throat when we
unexpectedly lost. Even when my team was outmatched, I took great pride in fighting a good fight and
exceeding my own standards.
Although my primary goal was recreation, sports ultimately taught me a lot about working on a
team. Even with a "star" player, the game was rarely won or lost by just one person's skills. Keeping the
other team at bay required split-second timing and collaboration; every man in the outfield had a vital job to
do. Likewise, when the going was tough, it was the persistence of my team mates that kept me going. We
gelled together as a cohesive unit, playing to our strengths and concealing our weaknesses. Although I was
thrilled by our hard-fought wins, the true victory was in our special camaraderie.
In team events, a maverick like Ron Guidry is no longer my idea of a hero. Looking back, his
priority was not helping his team mates, but in promoting his own career. Although there is a place for
showmanship in athletics, the need for restraint and controlled aggression is equally important. Today, in
both business and baseball, my heroes are the clutch performers who play within their limitations, but push
their potential within that framework to achieve the team's objectives. They may not be the most graceful or
talented players, but they come through when the team needs them most. They are the unsung heroes
behind every so-called "superstar."
Most Valued Accomplishments
(1) My three-week financial training program at Bank One involved several areas in which I had no previous
experience, including financial modeling, financial analysis and computation and business simulations. As
the youngest member of the class, I struggled to develop my analytical nature. Throughout the course, I
pored over the examples and instruction manuals, which were more intense, challenging and voluminous
than any textbook I had ever used. After studying my financial and accounting books each evening, I arrived
early before each day s class to practice what I had learned the night before. My hard work paid off, and as
the training program proceeded, I became more skilled and knowledgeable. Conquering the training
program was critical to my success at the firm, where I must analyze business processes and develop
solutions with confidence and skill.
(2) As the President of the Armenian Student Association (ASA) at New York University, I worked diligently
to promote the Armenian culture and heritage on campus. My primary goal was to foster a greater sense of
cohesion among the members and make the club successful. Before I assumed the presidency, the ASA
had been inactive for two years and needed an influx of energy to attract and retain student interest. To
compete with other extracurricular activities on campus, I changed the nature of the club s traditional
activities. I organized the first Armenian exposition on the NYU campus, which featured Armenian artwork
and literature, along with Armenian food. By sharing the richness of the Armenian ulture, we attracted the
interest of twenty new members and helped to restore the quality of the AS.
(3) During the summer of 2001, I joined the XXXXX, a non-profit group that organized a summer enrichment
program to support and nurture "average" students. For three two-hour sessions each week, I tutored and
mentored Eliot James, a young man of great enthusiasm and intelligence. Despite his bright smile and
exceptional memory, Eliot struggled to learn basic vocabulary and math. All too often, he became frustrated
in class and was distracted by the disruptive students around him. As a result, he was removed to the
hallway away from distraction, away from instruction.
As I began to work with Eliot, I discovered that he primarily needed my emotional support. I encouraged him
to resist the tendency to doubt himself, to discount his achievements, or to critically compare himself to other
people. Ironically, these were the same behaviors that I had suffered when I was Eliot s age. With someone
to believe in him, Eliot made significant strides that summer and continued to work with me after the program
ended. Today, in his first year of college at the University of Florida, Eliot is a confident and successful
business major.
Since that rewarding summer, I have invested considerable time and energy mentoring other talented
students who were at risk of falling through the cracks of the public school system. Each child has taught
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]