Throughout high school and as I prepare for college, I consider myself to be an extremely well-rounded individual. One of my significant interests is literature. I have read voraciously since I was very young, and consider myself a connoisseur of great books. I have also written poetry from a tender age onwards, some of which has garnered me recognition, accolades, and admittance into selective and intensive writing programs. I consider my writing skills one of my greatest assets, and I...

A Life in Ten Movements 10. The Great Gate of Kiev “Watch the cymbals. “ This was my grandfather’s advice for maximal enjoyment of the last movement of Pictures at an Exhibition. I imagine the broad rondo of his smile as the orchestra’s rhythms subsided into a monumental standstill. His arm embraced my then-toddling older brother; together they heeded the rhythmic hinges of magnificent mythical gates. They aimed their ears at the percussion soaring into the catwalks of the hall...

The trouble with my brother’s tattoo is that he cannot be buried in a Jewish cemetery. A tattoo is a desecration of the body and renders it unfit for burial. Possessed of many such idiosyncrasies, Judaism lives and breathes in me and I have sought to know it intimately. In seeking, I find Jewish thread woven throughout my existence. The doorposts of my house hang with Hebrew script and my logical scaffold for life hangs with concepts of miracle...

When most New Mexicans hear the word ‘Portales’ – if they’ve ever heard of it – they think of the fact that Portales is one of the top producers of peanuts and the top producer of Certified Organic peanut butter in the nation and that Portales houses over forty dairies and a major US dairy solids plant. So yeah, Portales is famous for peanuts and cows, in both reputation and in aroma. Still, Portales is also known for being the home...

I’m claustrophobic. Mr. Raison’s office is reduced to a mere broom closet by the clutter. His desk is adorned with a bust of the Bard and a double-decker matchbox bus from London, forced to negotiate nonsensical routes around teetering stacks of papers. Manila folders I neatly labeled afford his well-loved acoustic with a dusty daybed, and I pale imagining the number of sugar ants inhabiting the empty iced tea bottles beside the bookshelf. If asked for a copy...

July 2011 New Mexico schools - 87% of N.M.'s Schools Get Failing Grade The July 23rd edition of our local newspaper, the Albuquerque Journal, proclaimed “87% of N.M.'s Schools Get Failing Grade”. The public school system which I have attended for thirteen years is based on a culture of failure. The challenge for students like myself, who are motivated and want to excel, is strategizing how to succeed in an educational system grounded in apathy and mediocrity. I’ve...

1) A Life In Ten Movements: Common Application Essay 2) The trouble...: Yale Supplement Essay 3) When most New Mexicans...: Pomona Supplement Essay 4) I'm claustrophobic...: UT Austin Personal Essay 1 (Write an essay in which you tell us about someone who has made an impact on your life and explain how and why this person is important to you.) 5) July 2011 New Mexico schools...: UT Austin Personal Essay 2 (Choose an issue of importance to you—the issue could be personal, school related, local, political, or...