My experiences fill a 1280 by 800 pixel screen. Art board clear, pen tool equipped, I hold my mouse hand steady and begin. Where I've been and what I've done are fonts, patterns, shapes, colors. My experiences paint dots on my computer screen as they freckle my own face, and when I look at my finished Photoshop canvas, I see 1280 by 800 pixels of myself. It's a translation. I stand in my backyard during a summer sunset, the familiar Pacific Northwest breeze on...

As a Montessori kid, I was raised by curiosity. I never saw the other half of education: no power standards, no graded tests—nothing limited my interests. I’m nine, and I find Microsoft Paint. Everything is fascinating—little square patterns and buckets of color—and soon I am pencil tool master. I come home each day from third grade to draw my laptop pictures. I improve my art, and by middle school I’m making drawings in the Adobe...

As a college student, you’re expected to try a serving of everything. Taste this, sip that, and come out on the other side—into the real world—a perfect cosmopolitan. I believe this reality is misrepresented, and I think you do too. The purpose of sample servings is to expand your palate to find your favorites, not to collect tastes and sips of things (that you may not even enjoy) for the sake of variety. Here’s a list...

My six friends in fourth grade at Spring Valley Montessori School called ourselves “The Enchilada.” We were each an ingredient. I was Tortilla. Every day we declared ourselves as The Enchilada when we entered the playground. Growing up as a Montessori kid gave me a lifelong appreciation for initiative. The Enchilada and I created our own school yearbook with makeshift materials. I designed the covers with construction paper and markers. We passed out binders of Microsoft Word profiles of everyone...

When I got back from Paraguay I decided to play soccer for my school. Whether it was because I wanted to shed the pounds I gained in Paraguayan food or because I legitimately thought I was good after playing barefoot against children, I was on an adventurous “I just experienced a new culture” high, so I tried out. I sucked. It was a truly pathetic sort of suck. I could barely run a mile. But because they needed people and...

Money was huge. USC awarded me the Trustee Scholarship, giving me full-tuition for my undergraduate degree and therefore allowing me to graduate in 2019 without debt. Do not overlook the importance of your financial situation! Though debt right now...

An English teacher who knows you well and you also know well. Then, get an adult you have gotten...

The schools I applied to were limited in scope because location was important to me. I wanted schools in California because my birth dad lived there. I lived with my mom my entire life in Washington State, so living near my dad in college was always the plan. If could have, I would have applied to...

My USC Iovine and Young Academy interview lasted about 30 minutes. I was interviewed by a panel of...

The USC Iovine and Young Academy values interdisciplinary interests in the arts, technology, and entrepreneurship. They have a lot of engineer types...