Dim, flickering room lights, on at odd hours. The sound of powerful taps on a screen. Bleary eyes scanning the screen, rapid fusion of disparate information, brain whirring in a consistent, cyclic process. These actions form the substance of research; the substance of my identity. I was diagnosed with hyperactive and inattentive ADHD as a child, resulting in unfocused daydreaming, mental and physical restlessness, isolation in test rooms, and being singled-out in classrooms. Severe ADHD was an enormous burden for...

As a person who has made efforts to build a community within his high school through the EMERGE Fellowship and the East Early College High School Debate Team, Bates would allow me to embrace and join a collaborative residential community. Just as I have created a safe space within the East Early Debate Team to help young debaters grow into their full potential, I wish to recreate that same safe space within the Brooks Quimby Debate Council. I want to...