My Personal Values

Personal Values: the Key to Success
Throughout my college career, my personal values have been the basis for my academic and extracurricular achievements. Integrity, work ethic, passion for service, and focus on growth are the main values that have shaped my attitudes and behaviors. By incorporating these values into my personal philosophy, I have reached a high level of academic success, dedicated my time to serving others, and seized numerous opportunities for personal and professional growth, making me a qualified candidate for the GEICO Achievement Award.
First, I deserve the GEICO achievement award due to my outstanding academic record at the University of Houston. I am an international student double majoring in Management Information
Systems and Supply Chain Management. In the beginning of my college life, I set the goal to graduate with the highest honors for several reasons: first, I believe that graduating with academic honors will open up countless opportunities for me in the business world.
Furthermore, as an international student, I see myself as an ambassador for my country in the United States, and I want to be an excellent representative of Venezuela in the university. Additionally, I hope that my commitment to excellence inspires other members of the LGBT community to pursue higher education and work hard to achieve their objectives. These motivations along with my strong work ethic and integrity have kept me focused on my academic goals, allowing me to achieve a 4.0 grade point average every semester enrolled at the university.
Moreover, the accomplishments I have made in community service throughout my college career further qualify me for the GEICO Achievement Award. Besides my dedication to academic excellence, I have also been involved in service initiatives throughout my entire college career. My passion for service started at the age of 18, when I had the opportunity to volunteer abroad in Fortaleza, Brazil, for 6 weeks. I worked on a
project called “X4Change”, teaching Spanish and English lessons to children and introducing them to my culture. By participating in this project, I was able to make a direct contribution to the Brazilian community and experienced a different culture and reality. Volunteering abroad made me realize the importance of playing an active role in bettering our societies. Since I volunteered in Brazil, I have searched for other opportunities to give back and be an involved citizen. Last year I joined the Metropolitan Volunteer Program (MVP), a fee funded organization at the University of Houston that creates and provides service opportunities for students by collaborating with campus and community partners. My first semester as an MVP member, I became a volunteer in organizations such as the Houston Food Bank and the Houston Humane Society, volunteering more than 16 hours in the Spring of 2015. More recently, I decided to take an active role in giving back and making a contribution to the community and joined the leadership team of the Metropolitan Volunteer Program as the Annual Events Co-Chair. This position has given me the chance to lead annual events such as Adopt a Beach, and the Martin Luther King’s Day of Service, as well as to lead groups of volunteers in service events around Houston. Since last semester, I have volunteered more than 120 hours through my involvement with MVP. Most importantly, I have had the opportunity to make a positive impact on campus and the Houston area, gain leadership skills, and build relationships with fellow students.
Finally, I am an excellent candidate for the GEICO Achievement Award because my focus on self-development has compelled me to grow as a leader through involvement in on-campus organizations. Besides volunteering regularly, I am also a member of numerous organizations on campus, such as the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS), AIESEC, the LGBT Resource Center, and the Management Information Systems Student Organization (MISSO). Each one of these organizations has helped me grow in a different way: from developing a global mindset and emotional intelligence to improving my coding skills. Through participating in these organizations’ programs, events, conferences, and workshops, I have developed myself personally and professionally by acquiring hard skills and soft skills that have shaped me into a well-rounded individual.
As my college career progresses, I will continue achieving my goals through integrity, focus on growth, and commitment to service and excellence.
Being awarded a GEICO Achievement Award would allow me to focus on maintaining my 4.0 grade point average while simultaneously participating in community service initiatives and developing my leadership skills. GEICO has a long story of recognizing students for their dedication to academic success, leadership, and service, and I believe that my achievements make me a qualified candidate for the award. Additionally, the Achievement Award would allow me to be a step closer to reaching my future goals: next month, I will lead a group of volunteers who will travel to New Orleans during spring break as part of the Alternative Service Break sponsored by the University’s Center for Student Involvement. Together, we will help reconstruct and repair homes impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and build a community garden. My goal as a site leader is to build a strong community among participants and to transmit my passion for service to them. Moreover, in the near future, I want to complete the Ted Bauer Leadership Certificate Program, a program sponsored by the Bauer College of Business that aims to enhance students' capacity to lead ethically and effectively all while being in the service of others. Finally, my biggest short-term goal is to join the Program for Excellence in Selling at the University of Houston, the nation’s leading
selling program. As I work on these goals, my values will continue being the foundation for my success; with integrity, hard work, and focus on growth, I will be able to accomplish these and any other goals I set.