I am the only one in my family who watched my sister run away. It happened on a cold December night, and she previously had a heated argument with my parents about her future and her dating habits. It was inevitable she would leave, but it was I, the ten-year-old frightened girl lying down in her bed, who looked out the window and saw it happen. I cried myself to sleep that night. Since then, everything fell apart. My sister,...

Yes, Columbia University is beautiful, world-renown, and located in one of the best cities in the world. These are all very valuable and true, but what I value the most are the stories. Before Columbia, the school’s name was King’s College. Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, two of our founding fathers, attended King’s College. Their names are etched into this country’s history and the minds of all Americans, not only due to Hamilton’s recent popularity...

In third grade, my school gave the students an opportunity to play an instrument for the orchestra. Today, I thank my eight-year old self for deciding to pick up the violin. This single moment eight years ago sparked my love for the violin, guitar, and my own voice. Music has become my safe haven; whenever I feel overwhelmed or under pressure, I simply pick up an instrument or my earphones and I am suddenly at ease. Despite my passion for...

I am a woman who tends to challenge herself. Regardless of where I am, I constantly find ways to test my limits. At Six Flags this summer, not only did I decide to ride the infamous rollercoaster, Kingda Ka, but I also sat in the front row. Last year, I would have frightened myself just by glancing at the tallest rollercoaster in the world! Not only in public, but even in the comfort of my own home do I step...

Literature is one of the best ways to express oneself while journeying into the life of another. While reading The Things They Carried, I followed the lives of men who fought against not only the Vietnamese but their own identities, and I reflected on the things I carry each day. When we read Wit by Margaret Edson aloud as a class, I imagined myself in Vivian, Jason, and Susie’s place and realized the importance of compassion and empathy in...