Introduce yourself by divulging your interests, views, and values. Share the basics of who you are, why you are here, where you come from, and where you're going. Describe how the experiences of your life influenced your self-awareness, growth, and continuous development. Emotional maturity, ambition, conscientiousness, and integrity are some of the driving components they're hoping to hear from a candidate. Try not to dwell on the hardships and hurdles you've overcome. Focus on the positive takeaways from your experiences and how they helped shape your character.

"I grew up in a small Old West mountain town, which is now an artist's community in Arizona. It's an old "ghost town" called Jerome. The old Nineteenth Century bank--with its vault intact--is still there, and long ago it was modified into a home and that's the house I grew up in. My mom was an accountant, and like her, I always had an affinity for numbers, which eventually led to choosing the course load I did in college..."