This blog post introduces how to craft a self-introduction that goes beyond simply listing your career history or qualifications, instead weaving in your personal philosophy and values regarding architecture.
Growth Process
Growing up, I was always surrounded by the bustling energy of a large extended family. This environment naturally taught me that people are beings who feel a sense of belonging within a group and live in harmony with the whole. Even at a young age, I understood that humans cannot live alone, and that personal growth is not solely achieved through one’s own effort and talent. Rather, it blossoms within the relationships with the countless people who stood by me, nurturing and helping me rise.
I lived with my grandparents and was close to many extended family members, including aunts and uncles. When there was a family event, everyone naturally gathered together. Looking back now, those times filled with laughter and endless conversation were truly rich and abundant. Though I was an only child, playing with my younger cousins naturally taught me the manners and responsibilities expected of an elder. Especially during family trips, we’d split into several cars, moving about in a bustling atmosphere. Those moments accumulated, making my childhood always vibrant and full of life.
When problems arose, seeking advice from the adults around me felt more natural than turning to teachers or books. At home, it was simply the norm to share concerns and solve problems together. Like the saying, “Two heads are better than one,” when difficulties arose, the whole family would put their heads together to find solutions. Especially, the thoughtful and wise presence of my grandparents, who stood at the center of the family guiding the household, remains deeply etched in my memory even now. I often thought that when I grew older, I too wanted to become someone who could warmly embrace those around me, just like them.
No matter how close relatives are, experiencing life’s events together inevitably leads to conflicts, big and small. However, our family has built its relationships in an atmosphere where we consider each other’s perspectives and prioritize the harmony of the whole over individual desires. And it was thanks to the foundation of all those relationships, carefully built by my grandfather and grandmother.
Growing up in this environment, I naturally learned from a young age to view the world from the perspective of ‘us’ rather than ‘me’. Even in my social life and interactions with friends, I believe my mindset of trying not to show selfishness too readily is also thanks to the discipline I received during this time. The time spent growing up within the warm embrace of an extended family, harmoniously navigating relationships with diverse people, has become the solid foundation shaping who I am today.
School Life
The sense of ‘togetherness’ naturally formed within my large family during childhood was a very familiar landscape to me. With so many family members, caring for and helping each other was simply the norm, and this experience naturally permeated my school life as well. It was during those years that I viewed the entire class as one community, mingling with diverse friends and striving to build harmonious relationships.
Just as at home, even if someone lacked ability or was still immature, we embraced and tried to be together simply because ‘we were family,’ I took it for granted that with my classmates too, ‘because we were friends,’ we would look out for and care for each other. Rather than just hanging out with a few close friends, I wanted to share time with everyone around me. I cherished connections and valued the communal atmosphere above all else, where everyone came together as one to enjoy happiness.
Among the friends I spent time with, some were more accustomed to solitary life, perhaps because they rarely saw relatives or grew up as only children. But most of us delighted in the lively, bustling atmosphere of our class every single day. When someone discovered a new interest or took on a challenge, the entire class joined in, cheering them on and pooling our strength to ensure no one felt left out. Those moments of coming together with my classmates, our hearts united, remain in my heart today, painted in warm colors.
Even though the educational environment back then fostered endless, grade-focused competition, we learned something far more valuable than studying. It was the relationships between people and the way to live together within a community. Through friendships, we learned to be considerate and cultivated the sensitivity to understand others’ perspectives. In this way, we began to blossom, developing the qualities needed not just as students, but as future members of society.
Looking back now, the school life I enjoyed during that time was not merely about academics. It was a precious time for learning about people, mastering relationships, and experiencing the essence of life lived together. The memories from that era, when the value of ‘togetherness’ was deeply engraved in my heart, remain a warm light illuminating my life today.
Strengths and Weaknesses of My Personality
I possess a personality that readily seeks help from others when solving problems. This does not mean I shirk my responsibilities onto others. I believe this stems from my childhood, spent in a large family where I grew up respecting elders older and wiser than me, naturally accepting their advice. This upbringing shaped who I am today.
Thanks to this upbringing, I consider seeking guidance and learning from others a natural part of life. Advice from those with more experience and wisdom has always been a valuable asset. I am well aware of my own immaturity, so I never turn away such counsel. I firmly believe that seeking help to fill my gaps is never something to be ashamed of.
A group is fundamentally a structure created by imperfect humans to help and rely on one another. In that sense, not drawing upon the power of ‘history’ – the accumulated wisdom and experience over time – is no different than turning away from the closest shortcut and stubbornly insisting on a long and arduous path.
Of course, I don’t merely rely on others’ opinions. In the process of making truths born of experience my own, I always allow ample time for reflection and internalization. Within that, I strive to distill the values and lessons that are truly necessary for me. Often, someone advises me, “Isn’t the experience of exploring things yourself first also important?” That advice has merit. But for me, seeking the wisdom of others is like entering a library filled with ancient books.
Within those ancient texts lie centuries of human thought and knowledge passed down through generations. Of course, not everything within is directly applicable today; it must be critically filtered and read. Yet, the core insights that remain timelessly valid are like treasures, still profoundly applicable in the modern world. I have chosen a way of life where I find my own direction and enrich my inner self through such wisdom.
This aspect of my character may sometimes be misunderstood as ‘dependent.’ Yet I believe this process actually makes me a more autonomous person. Listening to others’ experiences and digesting them into my own language is never a passive act. Rather, it is an active practice of taking steps toward becoming a better version of myself.
Life is structured in a way that we cannot accomplish everything alone. Within that, we live by sharing and learning from each other’s wisdom. I consider my personality to be an attitude faithful to that very essence of life.
Values
It is time to reflect on the true value of life, lived together by pooling our strength. Lately, we show an increasingly favorable attitude toward Western-style individualism, with a growing tendency to emphasize ‘individual play’—prioritizing each person’s own share over collaboration. We often see attitudes suggesting that since humans are born alone and die alone, securing one’s own space is sufficient. The counterquestion naturally follows: why should we care so much about others?
But I want to ask in return: is that person truly living a life born alone, lived alone, and departing alone? We were never truly alone from the very beginning. Life originates in the mother’s womb, and its beginning involves union with the father. Countless hands and efforts accompany the journey to protect that life. The medical staff and caregivers who assisted in the monumental task of childbirth, the countless friends and adults who influenced us during our growth—all those relationships and encounters have shaped us into who we are today.
Humanity evolved through an era where survival itself was impossible without joining forces. In times when sharing warmth meant the difference between freezing to death or staying alive, we learned through experience the law of survival: we must live together to survive. And even in today’s modern society, it is only through the complex structure of ‘life’—maintained by the constant exchange of influence within countless relationships—that we can endure.
Yet, to believe one navigates the world solely by one’s own will, to stubbornly insist on solitude while turning away from all relationships, may be to defy the natural order. That path, which rejects even the smallest attempt to share life’s warmth, ultimately leads to greater loneliness.
We are all connected, and life deepens and broadens through those connections. While solitude and quiet are sometimes necessary, if they contain no relationships with others, it is not freedom but isolation. Ultimately, in the life we live together, we become mirrors for each other, pillars of support, and sometimes the very meaning of life itself.
The true depth of life stems not from ‘how to live well alone,’ but from realizing ‘how to live together.’ Today, as we contemplate ways to live together while respecting each other’s individuality, are we not drawing closer once again to the essence of humanity?
Motivation for Application and Aspirations
My fascination with architecture stems not merely from focusing on the appearance or structure of a single building we might construct. I was deeply impressed by the way it considers the background and surrounding environment it will occupy, and even its harmony with the city. In particular, your company does not focus solely on the beauty or functionality of individual buildings. Instead, it meticulously examines the context and characteristics of the city where the building will be placed, concentrating on finding a harmonious place for it. This philosophy of yours resonated deeply with me.
Growing up in a large family, I naturally learned how to live within a collective. Raised in a constantly bustling and vibrant atmosphere, I internalized a sense of how an individual ‘I’ should exist within the whole. Through that experience, I came to understand how much power the charm and characteristics of a single person or entity can wield when they blend with the whole. I realized that the nature of an independent entity inevitably differs from that of a functioning part of a whole. To remain meaningful in both contexts, one must constantly maintain a flexible and multifaceted attitude.
This awareness and attitude align with your company’s architectural philosophy. It involves considering not only the individuality and function of a standalone building, but also how it can blend and harmonize within the larger context of the city. I am confident this perspective will serve as a solid foundation for all the work I will undertake at your firm.
I believe architecture is ultimately a vessel that holds people’s lives and shapes the face of a city. I aspire to be a practitioner who intensely contemplates the relationships between people and space, and between cities and architecture. I believe that together with your firm, I can leave meaningful footprints along that path.
