As a child, I knew two truths. The first: I had an older brother. The second: I should become him. I believed that following these principles would result in a life like his—happy and successful—so I ordered the same food as he did, took the classes he had taken, and never wore dresses. Pants only. Visiting China challenged this childhood philosophy. When we arrived, my brother was satisfied reading and messaging friends in America. I loyally mimicked, but...

The time I invested into tennis was once for the sole purpose of improving only myself. Interactions with other players would be for selfish reasons, whether they were lessons with my coach concentrated on me, or tournaments with others my age to gauge how I compared. The “singles” mindset made tennis exclusively about me. This changed when I volunteered for the Developmental Tennis program of Special Olympics New Jersey, where I had the opportunity to approach tennis from a communal...

The time I invested into tennis was once for the sole purpose of improving only myself. Interactions with other players would be for selfish reasons, whether they were lessons with my coach concentrated on me, or tournaments to gauge how I compared. The “singles” mindset made tennis exclusively about me. This changed when I volunteered for the Developmental Tennis program of Special Olympics New Jersey, given the opportunity to approach tennis from a communal standpoint. Here, I could use the...

No other school sees hundreds of students tent in snow for basketball tickets, as they do in Krzyzewskiville. However, I realized this communal spirit extends beyond just basketball after visiting the LINK center. From the whiteboard walls to the moveable furniture, the infrastructure was designed for personalized collaborative learning, extending Duke’s supportive community into education. Duke students, who are active on campus, become dynamic global citizens as well. I want to contribute philanthropic aid to the world, and the...

I have always lived on top of a hill. During downpours, the basement never floods. When it snows, children sled in my backyard. I used to never leave the comfort of home, to avoid climbing up the steep hill when returning. However, on a trip to the town’s Washington Rock, I sat at the edge of the forest and discovered the serenity of the hometown I had yet to explore. Though I have lived in the same house my...

We call ourselves “The Book Club”, though we are the Varsity Girl’s tennis team. We’re named after the scrapbook passed down every year, each generation adding pictures, quotes, and inside jokes. This was the first competitive team I participated in. Beforehand, I entered tennis tournaments, but as an independent singles player. Joining a team taught me to be unselfish. In order to establish a ladder, we competed against each other, fueling resentment between players. However, once the ladder...

At Brown University, I could take full advantage of my intellectual curiosity to explore any subject that interests me, staying passionate in my education through the choice, and the responsibility, that comes with the open curriculum. The open curriculum reflects a main theme of the university: students learn to be independent leaders. The UTRA program would present the unique opportunity to participate in undergraduate research that the students themselves help design, giving them the resources to achieve their goals. Brown...

When volunteering at the Developmental Tennis Program of the Special Olympics of New Jersey, I had the opportunity to use tennis strokes I once learned for personal benefit to teach my students foundational motor skills. The director charged me with creating lesson plans for each week with the goal that, by the end of the program, the children could play a full point. I never anticipated how fulfilling it would be to witness my students’ progress, transforming from children who...

The time I invested into tennis was once for the sole purpose of improving only myself. Interactions with other players would be for selfish reasons, whether they were lessons with my coach concentrated on me, or tournaments with others my age to gauge how I compared. The “singles” mindset made tennis exclusively about me. This changed when I volunteered for the Developmental Tennis program of Special Olympics New Jersey, where I had the opportunity to approach tennis from a communal...

The time I invested into tennis was once for the sole purpose of self-improvement. Interactions with other players were for self-centered reasons, whether they were private lessons focused on my flaws, or tournaments gauging how I compared to others. The “singles” mindset made tennis exclusively about me. I perceived tennis as a sport geared towards individual achievement and prowess, and never saw service and altruism as possible applications of tennis. My narrow-minded perception of tennis changed when I volunteered for...

In Chinese, Shou zhu dai tu directly translates to English as “to wait for a rabbit by a tree stump.” When someone calls another this in Chinese though, he is not describing someone who is actually sitting by a tree stump, looking for a rabbit. To understand its true meaning, both the person using the idiom and the other people in the conversation have to know its origin story: While plowing, a farmer witnessed a hare crash into a tree...

Textbooks, movies, and other media always presented the same perspective on World War II to me. I would see the concentration camps, pivotal victories of the Allied Powers over the Axis powers, and the number of American casualties. These are important, but Grave of the Fireflies exposed me to a new viewpoint: the story of Japanese civilians. I became engaged in the story of Seita, a fourteen-year-old boy, and his little sister Setsuko, and their struggle to survive in a...

When volunteering at Special Olympics of New Jersey, I had the opportunity to use tennis strokes I once learned for personal benefit to teach my students foundational motor skills. As I was the only volunteer who played the sport, the director charged me with creating lesson plans for each week with the goal that, by the end of the program, the children could play a full point. I never anticipated how fulfilling it would be to witness my students’ progress,...