Hey There
I'm Merrick Hersom, a May 2022 graduate of Franklin High School in Franklin, Tennessee. I was born in the city of HuangGang in the province of Hubei, China, and was adopted by a caring American family in March 2017. My ultimate goal is to secure a position in information technology support specialist at a reputable company in the future.
My Story
I was accepted into an orphanage in 2003 at just 20 days old, having been found abandoned near its gates. Like many of the children at the orphanage, I have a physical disability - in my case, arthrogryposis. This condition limits the flexibility of my joints and affects muscle growth, leading to contractions in certain parts of my limbs. In early 2016, an aunt approached me and asked if I wanted to be adopted by a new family. Without hesitation, I said yes.
However, I soon learned that the adoption process would be complicated and could take up to a year for a response. The wait was filled with a mix of excitement, worry, and panic. This was my second attempt at adoption, as no one had been willing to adopt me as a baby. I was also concerned about the age limit for adoption in China, which at the time was 14. I was 13 and would turn 14 in just a few months. I feared that I would not be adopted due to my age or the fact that I had already been through the process once before. Additionally, the number of teenage boys being adopted from my orphanage was zero.
Despite these fears, my wait came to an end in early 2017 when I received the news that I had been adopted. It was a long and uncertain journey, but ultimately, I was brought to my forever family.
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Upon my arrival in the United States, I faced the challenge of learning English from the ground up in order to effectively integrate into my new school and understand lectures in class. The process of learning English was not only difficult in terms of vocabulary and grammar, but also in adjusting to an American culture that was vastly different from that of China. Despite these difficulties, I was able to accelerate my learning speed with the encouragement and effective guidance of my parents. After six months, I successfully integrated into the 8th-grade English class and caught up with my peers. While the process of learning English was challenging, I also received recognition from my parents for my abilities and strengths. In a new environment and with a new family, I often shared stories with my parents about how I had repaired a TV set for the staff at my orphanage, taught them how to operate their smartphones, and spent every weekend exploring the architecture of the Windows system in the computer room at the orphanage, rather than playing games like my peers.
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In addition, as I became acclimated to my new family, I quickly discovered that I had a strong aptitude for technology. My parents noticed that I had an innate ability to operate electronic products, software, and other technological devices. In my new home, I often assisted my parents in troubleshooting electronic or software issues, such as streaming live video from a mobile browser to a television, resolving Wi-Fi connectivity problems, and guiding them through the intricacies of the Windows operating system.
With access to my own laptop, I was able to dive deeper into the world of technology and enrolled in computer science classes throughout my four years of high school. This deepened my understanding of the field of information technology and
solidified my desire to pursue a career in Cybersecurity. My passion for this field has continued to grow as I am particularly interested in learning about ethical hacking methods for identifying vulnerabilities on the internet and patching them in order to improve the security of a company's network system.
In conclusion, my past experiences have taught me to be resilient in the face of challenges and to strive to find solutions. I am a highly passionate and responsible individual, and if given the opportunity, I will be a dedicated and responsible employee in any organization.
