As a little girl, I was terrified of practically everything. And I mean this in the most literal sense. Around every corner was a different monster: nightmares, ghosts, even the tooth fairy lying in wait to steal my teeth. Despite all this, my parents called me their “little star”, an embodiment of their beliefs that I was capable of anything. I thought they were crazy. With time, new fears replaced old ones. Fear of the unknown, of the spotlight, of...

On the day of my graph transformations test, I could vividly hear my heartbeat following a strict, piercing rhythm. It sped up as I turned in my test, and again when the sheet came back filled with red corrections. I collapsed into my bed that night, turning to the only solace I had in these moments of disheartenment: a Disney movie marathon. Coaxed by the darkness, my eyes slowly began to droop, eventually concentrating solely on the blurry outlines of...

Joining my school's cheerleading team was a decision made with apprehension. With the build of a fragile bird, I feared 1) falling and 2) breaking. Yet the first time I tried a stunt, I felt secure. I trusted my teammates. This trust was soon shattered during our first attempts at twist baskets. I flailed through the air, receiving a concussion that prevented me from stunting for a month. In time, I noticed that due to my fall, a lack of faith had...

Captivated by the creative freedom of art and design, growing up, I never associated math and science with anything other than restrictions or theoretics. Hindered by this fixed-mindset in STEM classes, I constantly found myself questioning the purpose behind lessons and unsolved problem sets. I consequently sought opportunities to broaden my perspective, and one day I submitted an application to a professor for a spot in his human-computer-interaction internship. Under his tutelage, I was assigned a project to develop a...

A time-traveler is a pretty fancy title for someone who gets to bring past experiences to life, but hey, I’ll take it. As someone who sees my city’s history museum as a piggy bank of memories, I've dedicated years of volunteering with the objective of helping others preserve time and beauty. Devastated by her grandfather’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, a local woman in her quest to preserve his childhood before his own memory loss could erase it...

I experienced the rigor of high school first. The older sister, I was forced to walk the planks of high school’s murky waters without any guidance or forewarning. I felt completely lost. When it came to my sister Jeslyn’s turn, I was determined to help orient her. Offering myself as a moderator during her disputes with our parents, I became her support system, the one she turned to for comfort and advice. And when all the pressure got...

As a student, techie, designer, and fashionista, I am someone who thrives on constant creation and problem-solving. I love computing for its complexities and challenges. I love fashion and the arts for their gifts of self-expression. Together, they stimulate the innovator within. Enter Georgia Tech. Here, amongst its buzzing atmospheres of innovation, is where I hope to meld my analytical left brain tendencies with my colorful right brain ambitions. From stitching conductive wires to designing interfaces, I believe that a...

I’m an artist in the works. Many people do not consider an artistic mindset an inherent aspect of disciplines such as engineering and computer science, but I disagree. As beautiful as it is intriguing, the ones and zeros at my fingertips become more than mere lines of code, but rather, flowing brushstrokes on an artwork that never dries. And no longer limited to a sketchpad, engineering has become the inventive craft that showcases the circuitries underlying my design’s...

Many people do not consider an artistic mindset an inherent aspect of disciplines such as statistics and computer science, but I disagree. From stitching conductive wires to designing interfaces, these are fields that provide me with the freedom to express myself as an artist, deepen my unshakeable passion for constant learning and exploration, and stimulate the innovator within. My dreams as an artist are already in the works. Amongst a school that not only recognizes but supports STEAM’s intersections,...

Up until the age of six, I spent equal amounts of time between an unknown locale in China under my grandmother’s care and my familiar home in California. Growing up, I felt excluded from both cultures because I comprised aspects of the other that didn’t fit in. Accustomed to forks and knives, I was scolded by my relatives for holding my chopsticks like “a white person.” Bringing stinky tofu, my favorite dish, to my fourth-grade potluck, any shrivel...

Many people do not consider an artistic mindset an inherent aspect of disciplines such as information science, mathematics and computer science, but I disagree. As a fashionista, techie, mathematician, and designer, I have found passion in these subjects because of the freedom they provide to express myself as an artist. As beautiful as it is intriguing, when I program, the ones and zeros at my fingertips become more than mere lines of code, but rather, flowing brush strokes on a...

As a techie, fashionista, and freethinker, I love STEM for its complexities and challenges and fashion and design for its gifts of self-expression. Each stroke of paint, line of code, and discovery has summed up the experiences that I can only communicate through creation, stimulating the creator within. Frequently described as a unique blend between an arts and science school, Boston University is where I seek to meld my analytical left brain ambitions with my colorful right brain tendencies. A...