Few have heard about Camp Kesem, the camp where kids are treated like princes and princesses. Even fewer are “lucky” enough to attend: kids impacted by a parent's cancer. I was one of those "lucky" kids. “ICE CREAM!” Sitting at a picnic table, I watched as a wave of little kids surrounded the Camp Kesem counselor, rainbow sprinkles cascading onto the freshly cut grass. I also wanted to feel this pure joy...but I was old enough to know exactly...

I was whisked into astrophysics after traversing the absurd universe with Arthur Dent in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. As I met Vogons, pan-dimensional beings, and Betelgeusians, I wondered if aliens truly did exist. My curiosity led me to Area-51 conspiracy theories and alien abductions, but as I confronted reality through BBC exoplanet documentaries, I realized aliens were more likely microbes than green humanoids. Yet, I continued to search: in AP Physics, at the Virginia Aerospace Science and...

Growing up, my parents wanted me to learn coding -- but I refused for five years, thinking it was “too dry” and “extremely isolating”. Everything changed when I attended AI4ALL’s artificial intelligence program and saw students eagerly collaborating on computers and drawing on whiteboards. My contempt towards programming turned to love. I still regret rejecting the field out of ignorance, but I realized that my belief stemmed from a lack of engaging computer science opportunities. Overcoming my own...

I used to cry during in-class presentations. But as I watched classmates speak confidently, I saw the need for my own personal growth and petitioned for a debate club at my middle school, driving myself to debate at hundreds of practices and matches to battle my fear. When I moved to our new community, I was disappointed to find it devoid of any middle school debate programs. Debate made me a stronger risk-taker, leader, perseverer, self-advocate...and I wanted the...

When I was younger, I didn’t do more than asked: never washing the dishes unless my parents asked me to. It never mattered -- until my dad was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. Worry and frustration crushed me when I saw his ashen face after chemotherapy. Though the doctor tried to console us by saying he still had a 20% chance of survival, I feared he would likely not make it. With my dad fatigued and my mom busy...

Textbooks crowd the table where I eat, Sal Khan’s voice whispers to me as I sleep – my busy schedule runs on constant productivity. But with pottery, the chaos ceases. Hundreds of possibilities fly through my mind as I examine the clay block at my workspace, carefully pressing my fingers into the substance. Pottery is where I can experiment with spontaneous ideas and inspirations, taking risks, sometimes failing. I show my friends my cracked Peppa Pig sculpture, warped potter’s...