Losing a loved one is always difficult, no matter how stoic or hardened one may seem to be. When I was thirteen, I lost someone very dear to me, but unlike most people, I was able to receive her back into my life. My mother left my life for an extended period of time due to a lack of trust and respect in my parents’ relationship. This event necessitated not only a growth in my maturity but also of my...

The priest approached me with a bag of chocolates. Was this a bribe? I accepted them, gave him my salutation, and contemplated his question: “Will you become an altar server?” His name was Fr. Francis Carabello. My dad started going to his church during lunch, because it was very close to his job. Due to rising gas prices, my family could no longer make the commute to our previous church that was 18 miles away, so we decided to make this...

At two years of age while watching “The Beauty and the Beast,” I sounded out the onomatopoeic sounds of the falling dishes, while the words flashed on the screen, “Crash, clash, clang.” My mother grew up in Puerto Rico and learned English as a second language as an adult. She knew the value of audiovisual exposure from an early age in learning a language. From an early age, my parents instilled in me the importance of learning by providing a...

My essays ultimately ended up being over-edited. I lost much of my voice in them and ended...

After college, I plan to attend graduate school. After I have received...

I chose Yale because it was the best school that was free. When I was a child, I promised my family that I...

I was a...