"These shapes look like coral, so I imagine this scene is an ocean," one woman said, motioning toward an abstract tile painting boldly facing up at her, housed within its plexiglass shelter. "I see those clusters as flowers, and the tinge of yellow as sunlight, so this green seems to be land," another one offered, squinting at the artwork's delicate textures, her gaze unwilling to wander to the other paintings within the exhibit. Gathering into a tightly-knit group, the women...

Growing up alongside a twin brother, I noticed double standards everywhere. I saw them at Indian gatherings when my brother got away with wearing jeans and a plain shirt while I had to spend hours getting ready. I experienced them every time we had friends over when I had to be the perfect host, my parents and the guests conveniently oblivious to how my brother relaxed in his room, unbothered by gender-based obligation. I felt helpless each time they burdened...

I've been painting since I was five, but I only began seeing art as something creative in high school. For years, my experience with art was monotonous. I went to classes at Falak Arts, a local art studio, and there, while I did learn the fundamentals, I participated in the same competitions, painting from the same prompts. Only after leaving classes once quarantine began could I create art for pleasure, no longer tethered to what others wanted me to paint. ...

Based on my theory on decision-making, even a purely rational mind that exists on top of primal fears will always justify inaction because of all the risks associated with taking action. While fear used to rule my willingness to try new things, by eroding fear through exposure, I’ve developed a fear-conquering mentality that permeates every facet of my life. As a guitarist, while fear of judgment drove me away from posting videos online for so long, once I posted...

Each morning, I spend my 30-minute car rides to school having wide-ranging conversations with my dad. Discussing anything from the caste-based biases within our family friend circle to our critiques on Jordan Peterson's points on power, the one constant we consistently gravitate toward is human behavior. With our ritual, psychology has become the lens through which I perceive the world. Once I recognized this, wanting to explore psychology experientially, I started a social media marketing business called Lotus Designs, seeing...

When I was little, aspiring to be like the multi-talented Da Vinci inspired my life's goal: to be a Renaissance woman. Almost fatedly, USC emphasizes this Renaissance ideal through its culture of interdisciplinary exploration, making it the academic haven for me. At USC, I hope to double major in Psychology and International Relations (Global Business). Because psychology is the lens through which I perceive the world, this combination would allow me to examine the micro-psychological makeup of consumers while analyzing...

While countless online self-help or love life questionnaires ask us whether we make decisions based on our “head” or “heart,” I see human decision-making processes differently. I believe our primal emotions predetermine our thoughts, deep-rooted impulses molding the mindset we start with in the first place, subconsciously infiltrating our sense of logic, and cementing biases into our minds that rationale cannot override. As an agnostic Hindu, I’ve found evidence for this theory of mine in two vastly distinct spheres...

"These shapes look like coral, so I imagine this scene is an ocean," one woman said, motioning toward an abstract tile painting boldly facing up at her, housed within its plexiglass shelter. "I see those clusters as flowers, and the yellow focal point as sunlight, so I think this green might be land," another one offered, squinting at the artwork's delicate textures, her gaze unwilling to wander to the other paintings within the exhibit. Gathering into a tightly-knit group, the...

Psychology is the lens through which I perceive the world. I practice habitual introspection, reading body language and micro-expressions to cultivate this deep-rooted interest, which seamlessly evolved into a natural curiosity for marketing, as it encompasses framing narratives to cater to the psychology of various demographics. Through various marketing internships, I have practiced campaign creation and creating emotions-based storylines for product drops while catering to specific audiences. These experiences solidified my interest, transforming psychology into an actionable career path. During...

UT's world-class education and leverage within the business world would empower me to uplift others. Within the Psychology Department, I find courses such as Cognitive Psychology, Social Psychology, Perception, and Social Cognition captivating, especially with the opportunity to research visual grouping, eye movements, and attention within the Center for Perceptual Systems. With this foundation, I would have a solid understanding of human psychological makeup, a quality necessary to understand individual consumers within the marketing realm in the future. Through minors...

This past summer, working as a social media marketing intern at Denimrush Experience forever altered how I perceive leadership. While my teammates, who were freshly graduated college marketing majors, and I held the same position, my eagerness to contribute and speak up shifted the dynamic. I became the one who delegated tasks after our tri-weekly zoom calls, offered to share her screen and present the work, and compromised, asking others what they wanted to do first and offering to fill...

My self-proclaimed life’s goal when I was little was to be a Renaissance woman, following Da Vinci’s lead. I wanted to be talented beyond belief, a leader in art, music, philosophy, and innovation, and a multihyphenate at its core. Yet analyzing the career trajectory of successful pioneers like my Denimrush Experience internship boss Aparna Avasarla, my vision has shifted. After gathering experience in interior design, hospitality, artificial intelligence, apparel, and entrepreneurship, she started an experiential merchandising brand, leveraging...

I overcome fear of the unknown with exposure by embracing my philosophy on “learned spontaneity,” venturing into new cities alone to buy boba despite my hesitance and pitching my social media marketing brand to local coffee shops to imitate Jia Jiang’s 100 Days of Rejection. I paint surrealistic paintings of rotted wood from my backyard and mossy rock walls from Arkansas hiking trails in the purest form of romanticizing nature, a happiness I indulge in over the summers when I...

With intellectual advancement to the forefront of its culture, LMU embodies an interdisciplinary philosophy that perfectly aligns with my philosophy on success: that, to be like the most admirable individuals, I must forge an original path within one interdisciplinary niche. Emboldened by exploration, LMU's values make it the educational sanctuary I hope to grow and succeed within. An LMU education excites me for its inherent focus on intellectual exploration and philosophical emphasis on the human condition. Notably, through Core courses...

Chapman embodies an interdisciplinary philosophy that perfectly aligns with my philosophy on success: forging an original path within one interdisciplinary niche. As an institution that nurtures intellectual exploration, Chapman’s values make it the educational sanctuary I hope to grow within. As someone with a passion for branding, I realize the weight core values hold in the makeup of an institution. Coming from a private school with four cornerstones of our own, I have seen the influence of such ideals...

Suitcases rushing every which way on conveyor belts, people hurriedly chasing after their belongings, and total strangers doing the heavy lifting for others, unbothered by obligation, age, gender, or ideology, practicing generosity out of genuine goodwill and convenience rather than calculated action. At baggage claims, hesitancy falls away, the urgency of needing to grab someone's bag for them before it escapes from reach connecting even the most disconnected of people. In these spaces of consolidated altruism, I feel gratitude, touched...

Psychology is the lens through which I perceive the world. I practice habitual introspection, reading body language and microexpressions to cultivate this deep-rooted interest, which seamlessly evolved into a natural curiosity for marketing, as it encompasses framing narratives to cater to the psychology of various demographics. Through various marketing internships, I practiced campaign creation and creating emotions-based storylines for product drops while catering to specific audiences. These experiences solidified my interest, transforming psychology into an actionable career path. For example,...

While I love psychology, this passion manifests in applying psychology to the realm of business in the form of marketing. After Debate exposed me to how social currents and ideological divisions categorize and polarize different demographics, I realized that marketing fosters the rise and fall of business empires and world powers around the globe, with propagandistic social controversy toying with human tribalism and divisive ideology. In this way, majoring in “Public Relations, Advertising, and Entertainment Marketing” would allow me the...

I object to the notion of ignorance as bliss. Although categorizing my humanity into distinct behaviors through psychology may seem discomforting, the euphoria of understanding preoccupies my mind, setting me on a lifelong quest to discover the nuances of the human condition. Omnipresent and universally applicable, psychology is the lens through which I perceive the world: every marketing experience becomes a window into consumer psychology, and each of my thoughts fuels self-made theories that enrich my understanding, like my theory...

The coffee shop's charming greenery and relaxed conversation-filled ambience did little to soothe my nerves as I replayed the upcoming minutes in pre-emptive embarrassment. After informing the barista that I wanted to speak with the manager, I waited, foresight clouded by a gloom of unpredictability. Soon, the manager approached me, and I asked her the fateful question: "Would 'George's Coffee' be interested in Lotus Designs’ social media marketing services?" While intense worry initially eroded my hopes for gaining another client...

It's utterly heartbreaking to see my mom struggle with the English language despite being fluent, not out of an absence of knowledge or intellect but because of insecurities with her accent and wishing for a "better executive presence." But when we discuss assimilation, my dad says he feels sorry for my brother and me instead, because we never had the experience of growing up with multiple generations of family in one home. We could never dream of walking into our...

Fostering open discourse and embracing student ingenuity through institutional support, CMC exposes students to worldly ideas and interdisciplinary avenues to intellectual exploration, making it the academic sanctuary I hope to grow within for the next four years. Bringing in thought-provoking, sometimes-controversial speakers with viewpoints and advocacies across the ideological spectrum, CMC's Athenaeum hosts intimate table group discussions to stimulate conversation, materializing subtle disharmony into transformative social discourse. Students also have the resources of the CARE Center to build crucial skills...

From my theory on decision-making rooted in Hinduism's Body-Mind-Intellect chart to my natural exploration into themes like the evolution of New Age Religions and the Russian Intelligentsia, I am enamored by the subtle potency of mystical and radical ideologies. But this is not because I always align with what such views advocate; it is because these ideologies permeate whole societies, shaping the worldviews of the masses. Through the "Mystics, Prophets, and Social Change'' Freshman Humanities Seminar at CMC, I hope...

I'd initially only visited Wesley-Rankin Community Center to collect stories for the North Texas Giving Day campaign I was assigned to work on as Wesley-Rankin's marketing intern. But once I met the individuals at the heart of the center's programs, my perspective fundamentally shifted. Within Casa Feliz, Wesley-Rankin's senior center, I connected with Slyvia, a reminiscent senior citizen who explained that she came to Wesley-Rankin every morning because "it's nice to have someplace to go." On Wesley-Rankin's playground, I met...

Inspired by my marketing experience and introspective mindset, I see the optimal approach to innovation as a two-pronged mechanism of branding and systems thinking. Given that in 2021, 5.4 million businesses were created, there is no shortage of ideas or people willing to venture into entrepreneurship. Yet, this ever-increasing statistic crowds out broad causes from receiving the specialized attention they need. When countless businesses direct services toward an ambiguous demographic, that demographic likely receives surface-level support since many companies attempt to create...

To “serve the common good” is to promote the welfare of others through acts of selflessness. This ideal does not solely exist in blatantly generous action or people-pleasing sacrifice: it lives in every kind word and show of support because fostering a collectivistic culture also works to support people in need. For example, while my Advanced Art class painted murals at North Dallas Shared Ministries (NDSM) to make visitors feel welcome within the unfamiliar space, we also served the common...

As the newly-established co-CEO of new/gen, an international student-run women's rights advocacy organization, this past summer, it was my job to expand the organization's reach while continuing to serve as a platform for students to advocate for women's rights. While new/gen already had chapters in areas ranging from Pennsylvania to India, I took the change in leadership as an opportunity to rebrand the organization to provide new/gen the solid foundation necessary to expand and gain influence as...

With intellectual exploration at the forefront of its culture, BU's interdisciplinary philosophy makes it the educational sanctuary I hope to grow and succeed within. A BU education excites me for its inherently philosophical yet academically-oriented focus on the human condition within the Core Curriculum. Notably, through Core courses such as "Indian Philosophy," "The Behavioral Biology of Women," and "Cognition and Culture," BU promotes intellectual stamina through persistent inquiry. The Core even hosts a reading list mirroring the books I've gravitated...

C, G, Em, D, the warm chords would ring in an irresistible harmony, the transition from power chords to soft minor sounds echoing around my room. During the pandemic, my love for guitar flourished. I immersed myself within it, my most peaceful moments from late March: how I would lazily strum up my guitar during virtual “passing periods,” playing and singing my favorite songs through Ultimate Guitar’s tabs in mindless joy. Once I realized that Ultimate Guitar was also...

From exploring my family friend circles' caste-based biases during daily car conversations with my dad to binging Robert Sapolsky's YouTube Behavioral Psychology lecture series during quarantine as I made intricately-decorated acai bowls, psychology permeates every domain of my worldview. In creating spaces to apply psychology to the business realm, I started Lotus Designs LLC, a social media marketing brand, quickly seeing it as a window into consumer psychology. Marketing became my outlet to connect with different demographics through interning at...

Dear Madhav, I love being twins because, like Acha once said, “after a certain age, [we] started taking care of each other,” even if we didn’t recognize it when we were little. Your presence allowed me to discover my individuality with an inverse reference point– from when we were 7, and I would go to art class, calibrating my artistic intuition through aesthetically-driven Prismacolor hyperrealism, while you went to chess class at the neighbor's house, exploring the game’s strategic...

My self-proclaimed life's goal when I was little was to be a Renaissance woman, following Da Vinci's lead. I wanted to be a person of substance, a multihyphenate at my core: to me, success necessitates multifaceted exploration. Almost fatedly, Penn's interdisciplinary culture aligns with my philosophy, embracing identity-led community-building at its core. As an abstract artist continually unearthing nuances within my art style, spaces like Penn Create excite me, granting me avenues to display my work around Philadelphia. An unapologetic...

From binging Robert Sapolsky's YouTube Behavioral Psychology lectures during quarantine as I made intricately-decorated açai bowls for breakfast to developing theories about decision-making rooted in Hinduism's BMI chart and confirmation bias, psychology permeates every domain of my worldview. In creating spaces to apply psychology to the business realm, I started Lotus Designs, a social media marketing brand, quickly seeing as an experimental window into consumer psychology. Unlike every other university in the country, UPenn allows students to pursue Consumer...

From exploring my family friend circles' caste-based biases through daily car conversations with my dad to binging Robert Sapolsky's YouTube Behavioral Psychology lectures during quarantine as I made intricately-decorated acai bowls to developing theories about decision-making rooted in Hinduism's BMI chart and confirmation bias, psychology permeates every domain of my worldview. In creating spaces to apply psychology to the business realm, I started Lotus Designs, a social media marketing brand, quickly seeing as an experimental window into consumer psychology. As...

After Semifinals at TFA State, two years of Debate felt worthless. Forced to defend American Exceptionalism in front of a crowd, feigning ignorance to how it historically ingrained bigotry into the country's lifeblood and fueled pervasive racism, I felt defeated from the start– a self-fulfilling sentiment that quickly came to fruition. I remained uncomfortable with the side for months afterward, my mind wandering to our loss during sporadic moments of regret– until one of these moments sparked an epiphany. One...

An unassuming breeding ground for kindness, baggage claims often lie forgotten in the rush from the plane to the destination. Yet so much beauty flourishes in that seemingly-mechanical, gray room: there, I am reminded of our human propensity to help others out of goodwill, divisions of age, gender, and ideology lost in the urgency of quickly-moving suitcases and fluid crowd of total strangers. At baggage claims, hesitancy falls away, proximity connecting even the most disconnected people. Noticing our shared capacity...

An unassuming breeding ground for kindness, baggage claims often lie forgotten in the rush from the plane to the destination– yet only there do divisions of age, gender, and ideology dissipate in the urgency of quickly-moving suitcases amidst a fluid mass of strangers. Noticing our shared capacity for connection flourishing in an idyllic rhythm in baggage claims, I feel reminded of our collective humanity. A unique art of creation and transformation, branding is the medium through which I channel a...

Dear future roommate, Reckless perfectionist, transcendentalist, and Hindu-based Agnostic, I take inspiration from mystically-leaning ideologies and my intrinsically-human contradictions; I hope to learn what characteristics, hopes, and motivations drive you too. As for me, my most outwardly-defining trait is my creativity. I've been an artist all my life, only more recently venturing into the abstract. I paint on wood or small canvases, listening to Dan Ariely's Ted Talks on perception and neuroscientists speaking about addiction in the brain as I...

It was a disheartening night at my family friend’s house. The fiery 18-year-old complained about structural racism; the parents revealed how their dreams of changing the system dissipated over time with tired eyes. I grew hopeless, discovering how impossible it appeared to make a noticeable difference against centuries-deep societal flaws. Yet that experience changed my worldview: even if I couldn’t inspire widespread change, it would be ignorant not to try. The following school year, I joined Debate to...

Tribalism degrades human society, each self-defined boundary confining ideologies, people, and groups into boxes that block intergroup empathy and understanding. However paradoxical, the very tools humans use to understand the world erode the meaning of all we know: categorization fuels oversimplified generalizations and stereotypes that fracture groups and fuel violence.

In 2021, I developed my abstract art style, practiced Debate at the Global Debate Symposium, and started Lotus Designs. In 2022, summer cumulated everything: marketing internships at Denimrush Experience and Wesley-Rankin, debating at NSDA Nationals, rebranding Lotus and new/gen, starting Adage Dancewear, and showcasing my art in local exhibits.

The moment budding sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh first approached gang members from the Lake Park projects in the outskirts of Chicago to learn about their lifestyle– to witness how he, firstly, crossed tribal lines and, secondly, abandoned fear, research conventions, and moral objectivism to observe illicit deals and Machiavellian gang leadership.

To experience entrepreneurship in its purest state, I pitched Lotus Designs' services to a local coffee shop last June. Despite the manager's 'no, thanks,' I felt proud, my resilience trumping rejection. While I now expand Lotus' clientele through referrals, I continue delivering in-person pitches to conquer my fear of failure.

After simulating the lifestyles of women in subsistence marketplaces through an immersive online innovation course, I began experimenting with marketing as a medium to channel empathy into tangible benefits. Through Stanford’s SPARQ, I could calibrate these same problem-solving skills in an elevated manner, applying abstract social psychology to real-world solutions.

On day 1, life was simple: I took on the lifestyle of Renuka, a 38-year-old woman in Kadambur, India, completing her daily chores, working 6 hours of agricultural labor, and collecting firewood for meals. By day 3, the meager money I made selling goods burned out quickly. Meals and essential hygiene goods like soap for my family were inaccessible; I was forced to turn to the local loan shark to survive. By day 7, the simulation kicked me out: I failed to meet Renuka's...

Only one phrase in all of humankind can make any “happy person” sad and any “sad person” happy: This too shall pass. Initially brought to me at a value-based Hindusim class, this quote has long lingered in my mind, teaching me of the fleeting nature of every emotion, issue, material desire, and moment. It grounds me, continually reminding me about the futility of worrying. I can envision this quote adorning Pitzer’s walls in mural form as a sign to...

An unassuming breeding ground for kindness, baggage claims often lie forgotten in the rush from the plane to the destination– yet only there do ideological divisions dissipate in the urgency of quickly-moving suitcases. Noticing our shared capacity for connection flourishing in an idyllic rhythm, I feel reminded of our collective humanity. Occidental's philosophical focus on the human condition and Freshman Year Seminar "The Examined Life" excite me. From exploring my family friend circles' caste-based biases during daily car conversations with...

I have a theory on irrational decision-making: our primal emotions predetermine our thoughts. Deep-rooted impulses mold the mindset we start with in the first place, subconsciously infiltrating our sense of logic and cementing biases into our minds that rationale cannot override. As an Agnostic Hindu, I find evidence for this theory in two vastly distinct spheres of modern thought. First, the Hindu Body-Mind-Intellect chart, which depicts the relationships between the multiple aspects of the “self” that encompass who we are...

From exploring my family friend circles' caste-based biases through daily car conversations with my dad to binging Robert Sapolsky's YouTube Behavioral Psychology lectures during quarantine as I made intricately-decorated açai bowls to developing theories about decision-making rooted in Hinduism's BMI chart and confirmation bias, psychology permeates every domain of my worldview. In creating spaces to apply psychology to the business realm, I started Lotus Designs, a social media marketing brand, quickly seeing marketing as an experimental window into consumer...

As a psychologically-oriented budding branding-based entrepreneur, Dartmouth is my ideal haven of intellectual exploration. Alongside Psychology courses like Social Affective Motivations in Decision-Making, I would pursue research with Professor Thornton exploring the brain’s capacity to organize social stimuli through person-specific biases and predicting others’ behavior– themes central within the field of consumer psychology. I hope to immerse myself in Pine Park’s lush forestland with The Dartmouth Outing Club, compete alongside Dartmouth Parliamentary Debate, calibrate my entrepreneurial intuition through...

Theory-creator, budding serial creative, Hindu-based Agnostic, aspiring multi-hyphenate. My journey to embracing my individuality began one night three years ago at my family friend’s house. The fiery 18-year-old complained about structural racism; the parents revealed how their dreams of changing the system dissipated over time with tired eyes. I grew hopeless, discovering how impossible it appeared to make a noticeable difference against centuries-deep societal flaws. Yet that experience changed my worldview: even if I couldn’t inspire widespread change,...

An unassuming breeding ground for kindness, baggage claims often lie forgotten in the rush from the plane to the destination– yet only there do divisions of age, gender, and ideology dissipate in the urgency of quickly-moving suitcases amidst a fluid mass of strangers. Noticing our shared capacity for connection flourishing in an idyllic rhythm, I feel connected to others, the altruism of strangers reminding me of our collective humanity. A unique art of creation and transformation, branding is the medium...

From exploring my family friend circles' caste-based biases through daily car conversations with my dad to binging Robert Sapolsky's YouTube Behavioral Psychology lectures as I made intricately-decorated açai bowls during quarantine to developing theories about emotionally-charged decision-making rooted in Hinduism's BMI chart and confirmation bias, my worldview revolves around psychology. In searching for applications of psychology in the business world, I started Lotus Designs, a social media marketing brand, quickly seeing it as an experimental window into consumer psychology....

The coffee shop's charming greenery and relaxed conversation-filled ambiance did little to soothe my nerves, foresight clouded by a gloom of unpredictability. After informing the barista that I wanted to speak with the manager, I waited. Soon, the manager approached me, and I asked her the fateful question: "Would 'George's' be interested in Lotus' social media marketing services?" While intense worry initially eroded my hopes for gaining another client that day, I instead felt pride. By pitching my services to...

After Semifinals at TFA State, two years of Debate felt worthless. Forced to defend American Exceptionalism in front of a crowd, feigning ignorance to how it historically ingrained bigotry into the country's lifeblood and fueled pervasive racism, I felt defeated from the start– a self-fulfilling sentiment that quickly came to fruition. I remained uncomfortable with the side for months afterward, my mind wandering to our loss during sporadic moments of regret. Until one of these moments sparked an epiphany. One...

On day 1, life was simple: I took on the lifestyle of Renuka, a 38-year-old woman in Kadambur, India, completing her daily chores, working 6 hours of agricultural labor, and collecting firewood for meals. By day 3, the meager money I made selling goods burned out quickly; I had to turn to the local loan shark to survive. By day 7, the simulation kicked me out: I failed to meet Renuka's dietary needs. The online course "Sustainable Innovation for Subsistence Marketplaces" preached a bottom-up...

My social media feed is populated with countless graphics of avant-garde design, saturated yet thought-provoking posters resonating with my aesthetically-oriented yet intellectually-leaning mind in perfect cohesion. I want to master Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to create my own posters, both to adorn my room and custom-make for friends.

An unassuming breeding ground for kindness, baggage claims often lie forgotten in the rush from plane to destination– yet there, divisions of ideology, race, and gender dissipate in the urgency of quickly-moving suitcases. Noticing our shared capacity for connection flourishing in an idyllic rhythm connects me to our collective humanity.

An aural depiction of my lifelong journey of optimism-powered self-development, "Shake It Out" by Florence + The Machine hosts raw lyricism on overcoming self-created obstacles and replacing regret with hope. Peace emanates from its power-chord-filled chorus, the song's unapologetic tone mirroring the same confidence I've coached myself to have.