At Sphinx Performance Academy, I saw myself for the first time; a black girl who knows how to move between the worlds. A cultural shape-shifter, adapting to expectations and feeding off of the energy from expectations I break. I understood why I feel isolated even amongst my friends. Because I adjust what I say and do to my audience, I am never too black or too white. It is a blessing and a curse to understand, as I do, those...

My enemy is everywhere. He can be found in every school and university, fighting to keep his advantage. His strongholds and safe houses, located mostly in rural areas, are full of cameras and microphones, campaign buttons and posters, computers and password information. But no books. He hates books. I see him every day. He always looks different, but I know it is him, because he has the same message. We greet each other civilly, even cheerfully, and as he opens...

Initially, Yale made me nervous. I feared getting lost among the other 5,000 undergraduates, but the residential college system assuaged my fears. The tight knit community of the residential colleges left me confident that I wouldn’t become a face in the crowd. I enjoy knowing that the dean of my college will know who I am when I ask about courses. In addition, rather than being stuck with a group of people who all think the same way as myself,...