“I just need to get this out.” I have been imagining this moment in my mind for weeks, planning out each syllable. I clench my sweaty palms into fists as the final two words swell inside of me, spilling out faster than I can understand them. “I’m gay.” The words cut the tension like a machete. All of the air seems to rush out of my body as I look up to see my parents smiling, supporting me. That...

The prompt was "What can NYU offer you, and what can you offer NYU?"

When I first tell people in my hometown my interest in attending New York University, I am usually met with confusion. “You want to live in New York City?” they ask, “With all that noise and chaos?” What some see as chaos, I see as opportunity. New York University’s award-winning faculty members are at the top of their fields, and their breadth of knowledge will help to fulfill my unending desire to explore, question, and learn. In addition to...