Meet Elsheba!

All pumped up and ready for next weekend’s  USAPPS 2 Day workshop? Spend some time to learn more about one of the awesome facis we have helping out this year – Elsheba!

Introduce yourself!

Hey everyone! Elsheba K. Abraham here and I am a rising sophomore currently studying in Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. In simpler terms, I’ve basically finished my first (freshman) year in college. I’m back in Malaysia for the wonderful three month summer break that we have before continuing my second year in Hopkins! I am currently considering a double major in Behavioral Biology and Anthropology with a minor in Italian. Yes, if it’s not apparent – I kind of like to study people haha.

What did you do in high school?

Friends at Hopkins Spring Fair

Before I ended up studying in the USA I was just a regular kid studying in SMK (P) Sri Aman in PJ. I was into lots of things in high school: track, tennis and being a prefect took up a large part of my secondary school life.  Outside of school, I developed other interests too – some of which I still keep at till today. I absolutely love dancing (hip-hop especially though I don’t discriminate against other styles) and will find any opportunity to either perform or watch other dance performances. Being the curious traveler that I am, I also make it a point to do as much traveling and exploring as I can – not only in other countries, but in my beloved Klang Valley too. I’m always up for an adventure, and finding hidden food treasures come at the top of my priorities as a traveler.

Why the US?

After studying in Sri Aman, I was given a scholarship by JPA to study in the US. So I was sent to INTEC, Shah Alam to do my ADFP for a year before finally flying over to the States. When I applied for a scholarship to the US, I didn’t even know what field of study I was interested at that time. All I knew was that whatever I studied, I wanted to study in the US. What caused my strong fascination for the US was their unique and wholesome approach to education. I appreciated the fact that students were given enough flexibility to explore their academic options before deciding on their major, and emphasis was placed on knowledge inside as well as outside the classroom. So that’s why it was such a relief to know my dreams were becoming reality when I received my acceptance letter to JHU. Although Hopkins was not my first choice, I’ve come to realize that I was meant to go here and have not looked back since.

What made you join USAPPS?

Sitting at the Hopkins sign

The only reason why I am able to sit here and write to you about my ongoing experience in the US is because I had guidance when I was applying for the US; the people around me helped to ensure I got a spot in the universities of my choice. That is why I am with the USAPPS 2013 team now – I can only hope to give back a little bit of what I got to everyone else thinking of applying to the States. It is a wonderful country with such an amazing range of people, environments and attitudes that you could only dream of. The US is the perfect place for someone to develop both in intellect and as a person in general, and I want to help prepare you for the best four years of your life.