In the 8th grade, I became obsessed with Rubik’s cubes. My enthusiasm spread, and, before long, many of my classmates were bringing cubes of their own to school. My science project that year involved teaching a variety of solving methodologies and assessing their respective efficiencies. Such intensive practice came at a cost. My wrists began experiencing twinges of pain. I ignored these signals, as they were small sacrifices for my progress. The symptoms of pain from carpal tunnel continued...

January wasn't over yet, but my robotics team's New Year's Resolution had failed. We had a poor attendance record, and even middle school teams avoided working with us. I joined the team determined to change this. The first step was leading by example so that the freshmen would come to practice. To get the robot ready to compete, I worked two or three hours each day, six days a week. To help my teammates with note booking, I would leave...

Others oftentimes categorize me as a math or science person. This perception is not entirely accurate. From a young age, I've enjoyed singing and playing music. However, my voice mostly confined itself to the shower stall and other isolated areas. When I entered high school, I discovered that musicians could share their work online, under the guise of anonymity. This was especially common in Japan, where my favorite artist's face was an enigma. I dreamed of sharing my own music...

In the 8th grade, I became obsessed with Rubik's cubes. My enthusiasm spread, and, before long, many of my classmates were bringing cubes of their own to school. My science project that year involved teaching a variety of solving methodologies and assessing their respective efficiencies. Such intensive practice came at a cost. My wrists began experiencing twinges of pain. I ignored these signals, as they were small sacrifices for my progress. The intensity of the pain continued to escalate, and...

My grandmother is not only my caretaker, but also my first teacher. Although she doesn't speak English, and never went to high school, her steady encouragement has fostered my interest in mathematics. Before I had entered elementary school, I was proficient in multiplication, and maintained a running total of all the numbers I had ever seen. Unfortunately, I plateaued and became complacent. I believed that school covered all the essentials, so learning things ahead of time would be pointless. During...