When my younger brother Colin went to his first day of Kindergarten, he accidentally started a riot in the lunchroom. While trying to say the word chip, he misspoke and said the word “shit” instead. All of the five-year-olds around him started to repeat his mistake until the entire cafeteria was standing on chairs and chanting the swear. Before anyone could even blink an eye, Colin was sent to the principal’s office. My younger brother was left to twiddle...

In this world there is one thing that inspires me, keeps me going through thick and thin; Cold Stone Cotton Candy ice cream. Even the thought of the decadent treat motivates me to make that final push. Although it is a delicious pleasure, it's not just the idea of consuming the ice cream that inspires me. The ice cream itself inspires me to be sweet, let my true colors show, and allow myself a reward every once in awhile. Out...

Although originally laughed at for its humorous design and volatile markets, Bitcoin seems to be a universal currency breakthrough that will take economics by storm between now and 2025. Currently, the online currency is too easily susceptible to hackers and not widely accepted at enough places of business. However, by 2025 cyber security will be improved enough to make even the most hardworking of hackers, hopeless. Another issue the Bitcoin currently faces is its regulation. At the moment, no regulatory system overlooks...

I have always found myself attracted to performing and speaking in front of others. While at a young age this mostly involved walking up to strangers and telling them about Disney princesses, today it is more often about issues within the world. If I’m lucky, the both of them overlap. When I think about going into business, I think less about the money and more about the opportunity for constructive change. In American politics and society, big businesses can...

In the fifth grade, my dad kick-started his new job: professional YouTuber. When the gaming part of his channel was thriving, there were many people my age who thought that his job was the coolest in the world. As an insecure middle schooler, I was constantly worried that people only wanted to be friends with me to get in contact with my father. However, it wasn't just worrying people were only talking to me for my dad; it was the...

Without diversity teams of people tend to fall victim to “group think.” Groups of like-minded people often only consider a narrow set of ideas which causes them to miss out on concepts that might have benefitted them. “Narrow-minded” is not the kind of person that I aspire to be. When I began my process of selecting schools, I sought out an institution that would stretch me, a school that would broaden my horizons and current ideas. If NC State was...

Unlike other universities, many of Georgia Tech’s research opportunities are entrepreneurship based. Most of the other schools I’ve seen have the faculty present all of their research opportunities. Georgia Tech’s unique model of having money available for students who present ideas worth researching puts them ahead of other schools for me. My future in the business program makes this idea even exciting. In the modern business, world entrepreneurship is becoming more and more vital to success. Having...

Between my special needs brother and my self-employed father, everyone in my family chips in quite a bit. For my brother it is creating lesson plans, explaining math concepts, and being a partner in therapy exercises. This involvement has been going on since I was six years old and I can see the positive impact on my brother that my work has had throughout the years. My father being a professional internet personality comes with some unique opportunities for the...

My favorite part of the week is spending all day at a speech and debate tournament. Being surrounded by like-minded individuals who are just as passionate as I am is an incredible feeling. For the past seventeen years, I have been learning what others have required of me. When I go to college, I will have the chance to learn more about what I’m passionate about. I will be surrounded by the same kinds of people that I go...

When my brother was younger, a doctor and a label maker could have been interchangeable. It took years for him to be properly diagnosed, allowing hundreds of incorrect labels to peel off. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, I come from a family with many disabled members. My brother’s autism along with my father’s Tourettes puts me firmly in that category. I am fortunate enough to have a parent with a disability not severe enough to qualify...

When my younger brother Colin went to his first day of Kindergarten, he accidentally started a riot in the lunchroom. While trying to say the word chip, he misspoke and said the word “shit” instead. All of the five-year-olds around him started to repeat his mistake until the entire cafeteria was standing on chairs and chanting the swear. Before anyone could even blink an eye, Colin was sent to the principal’s office. My younger brother was left to twiddle...

My brother’s words hung in the air like an alien transmission that no one knew how to decode. It was a long road trip up to my mother’s family in New Jersey. He said “afastacoo.” At this point he had been saying this imaginary word for months. As I awoke from my cross country slumber, he said the mystery word. In a stroke of self-proclaimed genius, I deciphered the word. He was trying to say “I think that's...

I was walking in the paths that were created hundreds of years ago. Looking at the statues that had been created in honor of great gods and goddesses made me feel small. Hopefully one day I will be as great as them, or at least get to see them. The ticket in my hand is to Greece. Since I was a child, Greek myths have fascinated me. The story of Arachne was always my favorite, and I knew it by...

America may run on Dunkin, but I run on helping others; and coffee. Growing up with a special needs brother, I had to develop patience fast. If one of the ticks from his Tourettes is flaring up, I can’t get mad at him. No matter how annoying the squeaks may be, he doesn’t know he’s making noise. However, simply ignoring him is not enough. I have to help him. This is something I’ve been doing my...

The entire class groaned when the teacher told us about our academic research paper assignment, but I was secretly excited. My fascination with women’s issues was well known among my peers, always being THAT girl to bring them up. There were two main opportunities where I could channel this passion into scholarly work. A review article on contraceptive use in India in eleventh grade and my current project of an in depth paper exploring the relationship between abortion restrictions...

We were deep in the pillow trenches, waiting for our chance to strike. The battle of Fort couch was pitting everyone against each other. I was leading the rebellion against the football that was currently playing on the family room TV. My band of fearless warriors wanted to watch Hallmark Christmas specials instead. Our war grew more passionate as the game went on. Eventually, we came to a compromise that pleased both factions; we would allow them to finish watching...

A small black puppy bolted across the freshly laid pristine snow. It took three days of constant begging to lure him inside the warm house. He was quickly named Sammy and filled with love and attention. It was just my luck that Sammy dropped on our doorstep the weekend of Snowmageddon. Saving puppies is not something that my family or I regularly do. I am not going to be a vet in the future. However, I do plan on helping...

Chris Pratt would have had an easier time leading three raptors than a high school speech and debate team into vans for carpool. This is just an average saturday morning for the past two years as a captain of the speech team. My time as speech captain has involved bringing others into this activity, using everyone’s skills, and helping others discover their talents. Speech tends to be one of the most frightening clubs to join because of the lack...