Personal Statement From my youth, I was deeply fascinated by the history stories narrated to me by my parents. That early exposure planted a seed that grew in high school, when my education exposed me even further to the subject. Other members of my family also fueled my love of history. Both my grandparents and uncle instructed in this field, and they helped me realize that a deeper understanding of the past could have a very real impact on present conflicts. History also helps us recognize who we are by giving our life a context of the times into which we are born. My earliest exposure to history studies was focused on China, and it was not until I traveled to Singapore in 2012 that I received exposure to a more global perspective of the topic. My experience there was unpleasant. During my stay, it began to dawn on me that within a nation, the same history could be interpreted in very different ways by different people. Singapore is a nation whose population is 75% Chinese, and the native inhabitants often viewed historical events very differently from the Chinese. This was also a launch point for my interest in …show more content…
I studied the Khmer Rouge and travelled to Washington, D.C., to visit the Holocaust Museum. I learned the bloody tales of the millions of slaughtered Cambodians who died under the rule of the Khmer Rouge, and remembered the words of the Holocaust Museum: “Never Again.” Both incidents, though rooted in the past, continue to affect people today. The study of history allows us not only to recover the past, but also to influence our present and future. Over time, my interest turned to Thailand and Thaksin, a Thailand leader descended from overseas Chinese. A powerful economic and political player, he distinguished himself from other Chinese abroad through his many political efforts. His success inspired my research into Chinese-native relationships in