I cried while taking my first steps. The cold sand of Point Pleasant beach meddled between my toes, intrusive and unwelcome. I demanded to be held, but my parents stood back, choosing to let me experience this moment alone. Though a graceless taste of independence, my first steps were that and so much more. I felt the Earth on my own for the first time; my love for discovery, unknown to me then, would be unraveled in time. My unwavering...

Embracing science as an ever-evolving field, Boston University encourages exploration outside of the classroom — most notably, outside of the Metcalf Center. In the name of science, Terriers take “Smashing Pumpkins” to levels beyond rock music for their annual BU Pumpkin Drop. Besides the prospect of dropping pumpkins, I want to join the Terrier family, for I am eager for BU’s spirit of inquiry to manifest in my future research on the human brain. Assisting senior residents diagnosed with Alzheimer�...

Pins and thread graced the cover of Dornsife’s The Healing Process, and upon first glance I did not think twice. It was not until I learned that the pins and thread recreated “Yogurt and Granola”, a photograph captured by USC artist Alana Barrett using a camera and microscope, that I began looking closer. “What do we not always see?”, the magazine solicits in its promotion of health through the lens of art. Continuing to read, I then envisioned myself...

As two of four minorities in our grade, Yvonne and I were molded to the word "other". Our stories were not ones most of our peers were willing to learn, but rather an ‘other’ too foreign to make immediate connection. Music was my counterbalance – the release of the noxious words that would have otherwise been mistaken as oxygen. As we shared harmonies, I believed it too was Yvonne’s counterbalance. One of two African-Americans in the class, she experienced ignorance,...

One June afternoon, I became a music teacher. For the culmination of my AP Music Theory class, my final project was to lead a lesson on one specific musical technique. I chose counterpoint: the musical combination of two distinct melodies, independent in rhythm and contour. Together through counterpoint, two voices can coexist in harmony – no matter how unconventional of a pair they make. To begin my lesson, I played my own counterpoint. Taking the first verse and chorus of “This...

In the spring of 2017, I made the transition from overweight to normal weight, losing forty pounds while gaining my confidence in the process. I learned self-care after two years of mindful-eating, running, and cooking— challenges that metamorphosed into passions of mine. Seeing physical change was rewarding, but as I felt more energy day-to-day, I began to feel powerful for the very first time. Realizing my own potential, I then strived to empower my own community. Playing a grand piano, I...