Of Roses, Wildflowers and the Importance of Choice. I was born to be a rose. Indeed, French children are placed in a neutral pH environment, pruned and tutored from their earliest days to grow straight and blossom to a perfect standard. My mother, however, is American, and has always said that children in the United States are treated more like wildflowers. You never know what to expect from a wildflower, she says, but when it blooms, you accept it for...

Spoke of family history at Duke, personal education path since birth that was totally flipped around when I visited Duke, the FOCUS program

Spoke of how the diversity in my neighbourhood, within my family and in my own identity has shaped me today.

I found after getting admitted ED to Duke that loads of studens simply didn't know as much about the school as I do. The key isn't to comment on the gorgeous...