His glittered hand reaches for mine, and I swiftly yank my arm back to avoid contact. Hurt momentarily clouds his eyes, but his excitement soon returns once he rejoins the chaos of the parade. As the surrounding clamor of drag queens and rainbow motorcycles drifts into my periphery, a desperate isolation overcomes me. This march is my community’s grandest welcome party—the epitome of acceptance—yet why do I feel like an excluded spectator? Shouldn’t my rainbow flag...

I am a staunch opponent of the belief "Stick to your passions early." At best, this advice is idealistic, and at worst, it limits exploration. When I first volunteered as a science instructor at a local elementary school, this dogma was rampant, rigidifying curriculum and intimidating students. As cofounder and Director of Outreach of the non-profit organization Stemnova, I sought to eliminate the walls that suffocated STEM education. By our second year, I grew ambitious. I was determined to take...

Like an unscratchable itch, the Finite Heartbeat Theory tugs constantly at my curiosities. Its hypothesis is simple - we have a predetermined number of heartbeats. When my half-pseudoscientist, half-biology teacher first exclaimed this to our class years ago, my seventh-grade self believed it wholeheartedly. By ninth grade, I feared the heart. With Grandpa passing away from a heart attack and my teacher's words still echoing in my head, I viewed the heart as a ticking time bomb. From my apprehension,...

Since childhood, I have always been fascinated with the Wubble Bubble. It was simple yet entertaining - its tinted surface humorously distorting my friend's whispers as they floated through the ball to my ear. While my Wubble Bubble now remains deflated in my garage, my fascination with bubbles is still very much afloat. Fortunately - or unfortunately as I have come to recognize - I don't have to look far to find one. In fact, I live in one. In...

The first time I ever heard a recording of my debate speech, it was torture. It was less what I said, but more how I said it. My voice, both nasal and high-pitched, was excruciating to the ear, and immediately, what I once overlooked bolted to the forefront of my insecurities. In high school, with everyone changing, my distinct voice brought along with it belittling stereotypes: each "What's up with you high voice?" and "Your voice is gay" cornered me...

To kill or not to kill is a question that has taunted me since June. Where my inner biologist yearned to dissect all the mice in the world (for science, of course), my inner ethicist questioned my sacrifices’ purposes. After all, these were living creatures in my hands: what set them so apart from me that justified their role as test subjects? From perusing Peter Singer’s Animal Liberation to attending cardiology conferences, answering the same concern from various lenses...

Sustainability. A gardener myself, I’m already enamored by Dartmouth’s camaraderie with nature. Whether it be bee-keeping with classmates or relaxing in the organic farm alone, each facet of campus is a chance to humble myself, to reaffirm my appreciation for Earth. This self-effacing curiosity pervades Dartmouth’s D-Plan. If I’m going to be studying tropical-biology, I’m joining a foreign-study program to gather real samples in Caribbean reefs. If I want to grasp science’s role in...

Jane was commended for being a survivor. Clad in invisible armor, defiant against injustice—that’s how we imagined her as her story of sexual assault circulated. We deemed her a hero, nearing superhuman, but—as Jane would confide in me later—not once did our hasty label reflect her struggles honestly. To her, survivor implied that the worst was over, sidelining her depression for a more palatable story of overcoming. Our words weren’t ill-intentioned, but certainly, they were...

My love for collective adventures leads me to Duke. I’ve traversed Yosemite, scuba-dived with family, but none of these experiences even compare to the excitement of tenting with friends, braving the cold for a taste of athletic thrill. Between games, I’m eager to explore Duke’s various social niches. The International Cooking Club shines in particular: I’m giddy to embrace my surrounding diversity and share my own Taiwanese recipes. This love for community extends into academics. As...

Jane was commended for being a survivor. Clad in invisible armor and defiant against injustice—that’s how we imagined her as her story of sexual assault circulated. We deemed her a hero, nearing superhuman, but—as Jane would confide in me later—not once did our hasty label reflect her struggles honestly. To her, survivor implied that the worst was over. It sidelined her depression for a more palatable story of overcoming. Our words weren’t ill-intentioned, but certainly,...

Advancing clinical virology and achieving queer equality are equal passions of mine. I once defined these ambitions as disparate aspects of myself, but through volunteering with Bay Area Women Against Rape, I found purpose in their synergy. My department specifically studied LGBTQ+ violence, and that’s how I met Eric. Initially, I only knew that he was “very sick,” but through interviews and emails, I pieced together his HIV diagnosis. His illness told two stories: one biological, one societal. As...