In this blog post, we will introduce sample self-introduction essays that can be used for the growth process section, focusing on the family environment.

 

A child with a strong sense of curiosity and independence

My parents were concerned that I would grow up to be a child with a strong individualistic personality because I was an only child, so they often created opportunities for me to spend time with my cousins and older sister. As a result, I became a child who enjoyed interacting with others. I loved spending time with family and relatives, and I also enjoyed spending time with friends. When I started kindergarten, I often invited friends over to my house, and my mother was always busy preparing food for my guests.
When I was alone, I read a lot of books. My mother loved reading, so we spent time together in the study, which encouraged me to read a lot as well. Through reading, I began to develop an interest in various fields and grew into a child with a strong sense of curiosity and independence.
When I was in middle school, I once visited my grandmother’s house in the countryside with my older cousins without any adults. Since my cousin was a college student, we all followed him on the train and bus, arrived safely, had a great time, and returned home. After that, I calculated the route to my grandmother’s house, train reservations, travel time, and costs, and went there alone. My parents naturally assumed I would go with my cousin, so they were surprised to learn I had traveled alone after I arrived at my grandmother’s house. My mother wanted to come down to the countryside immediately, but I assured her I could handle the return trip on my own since I had come alone, and I indeed returned home safely without any minor difficulties.
From that point on, my parents began treating me as an independent individual and respecting my opinions more. Whenever I expressed a desire to do something, they listened seriously and encouraged me to take on new challenges, offering advice rather than just worrying. Thanks to my parents’ support, I approached everything with confidence.

 

 

The Legacy of Diligence and Responsibility

I am a diligent and responsible person. My father worked at the same company for 32 years until he retired last year, always showing dedication and responsibility. Despite the global economic downturn and restructuring across the financial industry, he stepped down to make way for younger colleagues. However, during his time as branch manager at the Jongno branch of the bank, he was selected as an outstanding branch twice for his excellent performance.
From elementary school onward, I would accompany my father to work every morning, aligning my schedule with his. Through the conversations we shared in his car during those commutes, I came to deeply understand and respect him, growing into the person I am today. He never tried to instill the values of diligence and responsibility through rote teaching. Instead, he let us feel their importance through his own actions, such as never missing a single day of work. He also shared stories about his colleagues who were model employees, helping us understand the important values of social life. Having grown up respecting my father, I have always strived to emulate his example. This diligent attitude was recognized at school, where I served as class president during my school years, effectively leading my classmates.
During my university days, when I worked part-time, I always fulfilled my responsibilities no matter what task was assigned to me, earning recognition from both managers and colleagues for my consistent diligence. Many people from the company remembered my dedication and even reached out to me after my employment ended.
Diligence and a sense of responsibility are the precious legacies I inherited from my father.

 

 

Taking care of my younger sibling at a young age and displaying a mature demeanor

While my peers would go to tutoring or find ways to play after school, I had to rush home to help my working parents. At home, there was a younger sibling who relied on me more than our parents, and I had to constantly be on the move to handle simple household chores or prepare ingredients. At times, it was tough not being able to spend my time freely like other kids, but looking back on how those experiences helped me mature on my own, I feel a sense of pride I can’t quite explain. At first, I would cut my fingers while handling simple ingredients or fumble around not knowing what to do. But over time, I developed a neat and efficient way of working, leaving almost no scraps behind and meticulously separating food waste. When my parents jokingly said I was ready to get married, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride.
Additionally, having a younger sibling to take care of at such a young age served as a solid foundation that kept me grounded and responsible. Though it was tough to hold back my desire to act childishly toward my parents out of a sense of duty to be the responsible older brother, seeing my younger sibling rely on me more than our parents and grow accustomed to my care filled me with pride, knowing I was fulfilling my role as someone who helps support my family.

 

 

An environment that nurtured curiosity and creativity

Thanks to my parents, who possess cold judgment and rational communication skills, I grew up receiving an education through dialogue from an early age. My father, a physics professor, always encouraged me to take an interest in scientific phenomena in everyday life by telling me interesting stories about science.
Growing up in such an environment, I was a child with exceptional curiosity and creativity from an early age. I won awards in science competitions in elementary school, and in middle and high school, I participated in science clubs and even represented my school in a science fair hosted by the city.
While my father stimulated my curiosity about objects and natural phenomena and helped me develop logical thinking skills, my mother focused on nurturing me emotionally, striving to raise me as a child with a rich emotional sensitivity. Although I did not enjoy poetry and novels as much as my mother did, I still had the opportunity to experience various literary works, music, theater, and musical performances thanks to her, which helped me develop an appreciation for the arts.
In high school, I participated in a science competition with my friends. It was a competition where we had to research a given topic and give a presentation, and we had to work together to produce the best results within a limited time. We divided the tasks among ourselves, researched the information, organized the content, and filled in the gaps to present a well-organized presentation, which earned us an excellence award. Despite the time pressure and stress, we encouraged each other to stay calm, which allowed us to achieve this result.
Based on mutual trust, I grew up seeing my parents communicate frequently and show constant interest in each other, which helped me develop into a person who can show love and consideration to my friends.

 

 

Cultivating artistic sensitivity under parents with exceptional artistic sensibility

My father, who majored in vocal music, and my mother, who majored in piano, both possess exceptional artistic sensitivity. Thanks to my parents, I have been exposed to classical music since childhood. My mother even listened to classical music during her pregnancy, which made classical music feel familiar to me. Although my parents wanted me to pursue a career in music, for some reason, I felt that music was merely a hobby and not a profession. At first, they seemed disappointed, but eventually they respected my choice. From a young age, attending concerts and performances with my parents helped me cultivate my artistic sensibility. This sensibility has been instrumental in allowing me to stay true to my emotions and express them honestly. I believe this has helped me form stronger bonds with others, as my keen sensitivity allows me to quickly understand others’ feelings and build rapport with them. I think this is why I was trusted by my friends in school. Furthermore, I believe this has been a great asset in my professional life, as it has helped me work efficiently with my colleagues.

 

 

Sharing various experiences with my family who loves to travel

My family loves to travel. We traveled together not only domestically but also overseas, sharing various experiences. I enjoyed traveling, but I was particularly interested in hotels. While traveling to various places, I had time to observe the unique characteristics of each hotel and think about what made them interesting. I noticed that hotels offer unique services to understand the cultures of the diverse people who stay there, as well as universal systems that are applied worldwide. I realized that the biggest commonality among these hotels is their sincere service, which is centered on the customer. Staying at a hotel made me feel like I was being treated with care, and I believe that this feeling likely influenced the hotel’s image. Growing up in a family that traveled frequently, I naturally developed an interest in hotels, which significantly influenced my choice of career. After deciding to become a hotelier, I made a conscious effort to prepare myself. Since kindness doesn’t come overnight, I always tried to maintain a considerate attitude and keep a smile on my face. I believe this mindset has transformed my life. The effort to maintain a smile has, in turn, filled my life with joy.

 

 

Valuing family communication

Thanks to my parents, who value family communication, I was able to develop a bright personality and interpersonal skills. My parents were very interested in me and wanted to hear about my school life. They also listened to my concerns and helped me solve them. This family environment provided me with a sense of security, which in turn gave me the confidence to live my life.
My father and mother have a deep appreciation for art. Although they did not major in art, they have consistently read related books and visited exhibitions to broaden their horizons. Thanks to my parents, I had many opportunities to visit exhibitions from a young age. At first, I simply followed my parents, but as I visited more often, I began to take an interest in the exhibits. There were occasionally works that I did not understand. In such cases, my parents and I would engage in discussions about the works. We would share our impressions and perspectives. It was fascinating to realize that even when looking at the same piece, people could have such diverse thoughts. I also took up art lessons. My parents provided me with unwavering support. I believe they hoped I would fulfill their dreams. However, I never intended to pursue art as a career; I began as a hobby, so I was unable to fulfill their aspirations. However, through learning art, I was able to develop a more refined eye for appreciating artworks. I realized that there is a significant difference between having experience in creating art and not having any. Based on my art skills, which allowed me to win multiple awards in school and external art competitions in high school and in amateur art contests in college, I will carefully select and plan good artworks.

 

 

Living an ordinary life is the happiest life

My father, mother, and younger brother. I was an ordinary boy living an ordinary life. Then, due to circumstances beyond our control, my parents divorced, and after my younger brother went to live with my mother, I was left to live with my father. Due to this situation, my father became deeply discouraged and emotionally wounded, leading him to overwork himself, which resulted in a herniated disc in his spine, causing him significant suffering for a time. I spent my childhood in confusion, torn between wanting to see my mother and feeling responsible for taking care of my father. After wandering aimlessly for a while, I finally made up my mind to stop relying on others and take control of my own life. From that point on, I made efforts to take care of my father, and gradually his health improved, and I was able to find peace of mind as well. Now, my father’s wounds have healed significantly, and he occasionally calls my mother to check in or meets with my younger sister.
What I have always desired most is to live an ordinary life. I have come to understand that living an ordinary life without great ambitions is a truly great thing. Therefore, I am grateful for the fact that each day is ordinary and strive to live positively. I have been working in administrative duties at the College of Science at Kookmin University for the past year, and now that my contract period has ended, I am considering applying for a position at this company.

 

 

I was raised by parents who taught me that the end is more important than the beginning

My father was a tax accountant, and my mother was a full-time housewife. Both were very meticulous people who never wasted money and worked diligently to build our household. Growing up under their influence, I naturally became someone who manages money and time with diligence. They set certain principles for us and gave us the freedom to do whatever we wanted as long as we followed those principles. Having such freedom from the age of 10 was a very unique and generous condition compared to my peers. Moreover, the only rule they set was to “finish what you start.” If I wanted to do something, I would ask for permission, and they would tell me to finish it. As a result, I was able to grow up with a wide range of experiences. For example, when I was young, I was very interested in drawing and wanted to attend an art school. They simply told me that I had to attend the academy until the end of the year and sent me there without any further comments. Under such circumstances, I learned about the freedom to choose and the responsibility to see things through to the end, thereby developing autonomy and a sense of responsibility. I believe that the responsible habits instilled in me during that time enabled me to attend a good university despite starting my studies relatively late.

 

 

Emphasizing an honest attitude toward life, a responsible stance, and consideration for others

My parents emphasized an honest attitude toward life, a responsible stance, and consideration for others. They didn’t just emphasize these things with words; they showed us by example through their own lives. My father, who is a principled person, strictly adheres to rules and standards. My father was even stricter with himself than with us. Although he was an infinitely gentle man, he would scold us harshly if we acted or thought in a way that went against reason or morality. His scolding was so severe that we would never repeat the same mistake again. After being scolded by my father, I would often feel tears welling up in my eyes. Though he never once raised a hand to me, his words always struck me deeply and made me reflect on myself. I believe this family environment laid the foundation for me to grow into a model person.
My mother, who has good relationships with those around her, is someone who actively enjoys life. I have always envied her for that. She is constantly learning new things, and currently she is learning how to paint. She believes that learning has no end and always strives to develop her abilities and grow. Seeing her, I reflect on whether I am content with the status quo. My mother has a cheerful personality and often takes on a leadership role in any gathering. I think I have inherited this trait from her. I am also very interested in embracing many people and forming close relationships with them. One reason I want to know many people is that I want to have various experiences. Since I cannot experience everything firsthand, I believe that building friendships with others allows me to gain indirect experiences. I also think that getting to know people from various fields helps in cultivating wisdom. I believe that relationships with others are crucial in life.