The curtain swells with the boiling over of a thousand murmuring voices, threatening to expose us all at any moment. I am not daunted by this red, rippling foe, however, as I have seen it many times before, from the tentative steps and shaky notes of the first audition, through the countless dress rehearsals and run-throughs, to here and now: the culmination of months of hard work and dedication. It occurs to me that I am a crucial ingredient to...

During the summer before my senior year, I rented an apartment in Brooklyn Heights, where I lived alone for six weeks. The subway stopped right underneath the building, providing an easy commute to New York University, where I interned under one of Courant Institute’s brilliant professors, Trushant Majmudar. I was given this opportunity by GSTEM, a program hosted by NYU and designed to give young women the chance to participate in laboratory research. Each weekday – except Wednesday, which was...

When I applied to Dartmouth, I sent in three letters of recommendation. One was from my favorite math and engineering teacher. The second was from my favorite teacher, English junior year. The third was from my music and performance arts teacher. When choosing...