“Cold” and “metal” are not two words normally associated with contentment or comfort. However, the cold is unavoidable in San Francisco, due to a persistent cover of fog enveloping the city most of the time. Metal, in this case, is also unavoidable, because if fire escapes were made of wood, one could argue that they would not serve quite the same purpose. And metal fire escapes set in San Francisco are going to be undeniably cold. Still, sitting on the...

In my nine years at Convent of the Sacred Heart Elementary School the students lived by five goals. Goal Three states, “Schools of the Sacred Heart commit themselves to educate to a social awareness which impels to action.” This compelled me to explore various community service opportunities, and influenced my decision to attend St. Ignatius College Preparatory, which stresses the Jesuit ideal of “men and women with and for others.” During high school, my passions for golf and service intertwined....