I could not walk. No matter how much energy I put in; mentally and physically, I was broken. My body was being incinerated, slowly succumbing to the heat, but no sweat. I didn't know it yet but from that point on, my life was going to be worse than hell. My eyes burned and stung with even the smallest glare of light. My senses were under a satanic assault. My mother's intuition was in high gear, I was rushed to...

As I nestled into my chair in Ms. Miller’s 7th Grade English class, a sense of dread and failure set in. I had forgotten to do a simple assignment, a “Get to Know Me” worksheet of sorts. To some this was a benign slip, but this meant so much more to me. I had just committed an act of betrayal, a slap in the face, and I felt like a student of ill repute. Two days prior, Ms. Miller...

I am in constant search of my nirvana. A truly meditative environment of geeks and hipsters, entrepreneurs and snowboarders, adventure seekers and industrial designer types. The type of people who read Immanuel Kant and Plato then switch to Fast Company and WIRED. As far as I can surmise, Reed College is that nirvana. Reedies are the people who would be stoked to chill in a coffee shop for hours debating anything they come across, then go surf or snowboard. Reed...

Reed College was one school I never thought I would get into. My grades were terrible and I had around two things to stand on: My SAT scores and my recommendations. And Reed has been very vocal in saying that SAT scores are not that significant as they are at other schools. But when I got the call from Reed College I was thrilled.The same thing happened on May 4th when in the middle of an AP exam I received a call from Colby College saying I had gotten off the waitlist. Now it should be noted that the...