Building a National Charity After a Devastating Diagnosis I felt like a reckless driver in a high-speed police chase; lights were blinking, sirens and alarms were sounding, and I had no idea what was going on. However, I was only a high school freshman coming out of anesthesia at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, attached to machines that were beeping and flashing. I had just been put through painful tests of my stomach including a colonoscopy. What I was about...

Origins of my Volunteer Spirit Everyone is inspired by someone; for me the person who served as my inspiration is not even here. At age twelve, news of the Haiti earthquake hit close to home when I read that a local woman, Christine Gianacaci, was killed there while helping school children and feeding the poor. She was my inspiration to create a family carnival, which I believed was a perfect way to generate happiness for kids while raising money for...

My private counselor gave me excellent advice about college visits: make an appointment to see the department chair...

Rice University: tough interview by an elderly librarian alum who asked me many obscure questions about books, which...

My college counselor's recommendation letter was really poor, she basically re-wrote...

I was not waitlisted or deferred, but this advice pertains: An important connection that I made was the head of...

Having a chronic disease, and...