1. Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.
Most children acquire the same eye color or a similar shaped nose from their parents, but I’ve inherited much more: a passion for learning and an insatiable curiosity which has served me well throughout my academic career. My father, an electrical engineer, taught me to explore the world with inquisitive eyes, constantly seeking to learn more, to understand more. I watched him for hours as he worked on elevator schematics at home, wondering what all the various symbols and lines meant. I was fascinated by technology and wanted to know how and why things worked the way they did.
“How does this toaster work?” “What’s inside this VCR?” I was never satisfied with the simplified answers that my parents gave to these questions. So I discovered many answers for myself by exploring and experimenting.
My playground was a jumble of old circuit boards, spare electric wire, and an assortment of broken appliances. I spent hours disassembling and tinkering with the amazing treasures I found lying around our garage. My mother, a first grade teacher, noticed my intellectual curiosity and encouraged my childhood explorations. She gave me piles of mind-opening children’s books, which I willingly read. Books like “What Makes Popcorn Pop, and Other Questions about the World around Us” allowed me to discover the irresistible appeal of imaginative questions and their fascinating answers.
I was given a remarkable amount of freedom at a young age. When I was 8, my parents bought an old computer for $25 from a local yard sale with the intention of letting me loose on it. I was thrilled. Motivated by curiosity, I delved into it at once and learned how to use each and every feature of the computer’s antiquated MS-DOS operating system. With my father’s help and an old programming book by my side, I even created simple videogames for my younger brother to play.
My parents taught me to be independent and self-motivated by providing me opportunities to learn by trial and error. I recall an episode where my parents bought a new microwave when I was just 10 years old. As they unpacked the microwave, I caught sight of the owner’s manual and asked to see it. After reading the 40-page text front-to-back, I learned one very important thing: how to use a feature called “child lock,” or as I saw it, “parent lock.” By pressing a special sequence of buttons on the microwave, I disabled it, thus protecting my parents from the dangers of using the appliance without my supervision. Until this day, the first thing I do after buying a new gadget is read the entire manual, in search of nifty features.
My intellectual curiosity is the result of a unique combination of early influences and childhood experiences which have fueled my passion for learning inside and outside of the classroom -- learning from everything I do. I hope to continue applying this curiosity to all aspects of my life, exploring the world through the eyes of my childhood persona. By refusing to accept the obvious explanation, refusing to settle for a superficial understanding, and refusing to endure the status quo, great American innovators like my role model Benjamin Franklin created new knowledge, new technologies, and new innovations. I strive to do the same. It’s part of who I am, and what drives me to become successful and happy.
“How does this toaster work?” “What’s inside this VCR?” I was never satisfied with the simplified answers that my parents gave to these questions. So I discovered many answers for myself by exploring and experimenting.
My playground was a jumble of old circuit boards, spare electric wire, and an assortment of broken appliances. I spent hours disassembling and tinkering with the amazing treasures I found lying around our garage. My mother, a first grade teacher, noticed my intellectual curiosity and encouraged my childhood explorations. She gave me piles of mind-opening children’s books, which I willingly read. Books like “What Makes Popcorn Pop, and Other Questions about the World around Us” allowed me to discover the irresistible appeal of imaginative questions and their fascinating answers.
I was given a remarkable amount of freedom at a young age. When I was 8, my parents bought an old computer for $25 from a local yard sale with the intention of letting me loose on it. I was thrilled. Motivated by curiosity, I delved into it at once and learned how to use each and every feature of the computer’s antiquated MS-DOS operating system. With my father’s help and an old programming book by my side, I even created simple videogames for my younger brother to play.
My parents taught me to be independent and self-motivated by providing me opportunities to learn by trial and error. I recall an episode where my parents bought a new microwave when I was just 10 years old. As they unpacked the microwave, I caught sight of the owner’s manual and asked to see it. After reading the 40-page text front-to-back, I learned one very important thing: how to use a feature called “child lock,” or as I saw it, “parent lock.” By pressing a special sequence of buttons on the microwave, I disabled it, thus protecting my parents from the dangers of using the appliance without my supervision. Until this day, the first thing I do after buying a new gadget is read the entire manual, in search of nifty features.
My intellectual curiosity is the result of a unique combination of early influences and childhood experiences which have fueled my passion for learning inside and outside of the classroom -- learning from everything I do. I hope to continue applying this curiosity to all aspects of my life, exploring the world through the eyes of my childhood persona. By refusing to accept the obvious explanation, refusing to settle for a superficial understanding, and refusing to endure the status quo, great American innovators like my role model Benjamin Franklin created new knowledge, new technologies, and new innovations. I strive to do the same. It’s part of who I am, and what drives me to become successful and happy.
2. Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?
Dreams are shaped by ideals and families shape the beliefs we grasp so strongly. Someday I want to save and change lives through a medical career. Because my family has taught me that change can be positive and radical in altering lives, I hope to hold that ability someday. I seek the power to improve my life as well as the lives of those around me. And most of all because of those who have raised me I dedicate a path of personal improvement and the formation of a dedicated individual who promotes good character.
My father was a doctor in Argentina, but when we immigrated to the United States his chance to shape a brighter future was inhibited by his limited mastery of the English language. My greatest yearning is to keep his dreams alive and to be someone like my father who raised my brother and me after divorcing my mother. I watched my father's future fall apart, I watched his zeal and ambition be held back, I watched and could do nothing. Now I dream of reviving those dreams he once dreamt. With the fire that fuels me I want to become as great and as inspiring as my father is to me.
I aspire to building a brighter future for my family, as well as myself, because I was clay and theirs were the artist's hands. My father taught me the gratification of hard work, and because of that I respect him whole-heartedly even if he isn't as wealthy as other men. My brother taught me the lesson of change, because he has become a better person right before my eyes. And the rest of my passing influences have taught me to care for those in need and to see the world through the eyes of others.
Also I strive to build a self that I can be proud of and others can look up to. The hope to be a decent individual flows within me, the hope to be a person that is caring, hardworking, inspiring, and influential. I want to be someone who tries to change the world and succeeds in changing someone's world. Because of my family I once attended church and what I learned was the Golden Rule. Today I shape my actions around it and believe in honesty wholeheartedly. People change, it's to be expected, but I hope that when I change it is only for the better.
I have much to owe to my family and I will repay all they have given me through all I accomplish and who I become.The shattered dreams of my father will be pieced together in my inexperienced hands. The future that I dream of will solidify into reality as I step closer with the faith of those who love me, and I will not relent in this mission as long as they are here to inspire me and urge me on. The me that exists today isthe one they helped to shape, and the me that comes forth in the future is the me that I owe to my family: the light that guides my path in the stormy seas of the world.
My father was a doctor in Argentina, but when we immigrated to the United States his chance to shape a brighter future was inhibited by his limited mastery of the English language. My greatest yearning is to keep his dreams alive and to be someone like my father who raised my brother and me after divorcing my mother. I watched my father's future fall apart, I watched his zeal and ambition be held back, I watched and could do nothing. Now I dream of reviving those dreams he once dreamt. With the fire that fuels me I want to become as great and as inspiring as my father is to me.
I aspire to building a brighter future for my family, as well as myself, because I was clay and theirs were the artist's hands. My father taught me the gratification of hard work, and because of that I respect him whole-heartedly even if he isn't as wealthy as other men. My brother taught me the lesson of change, because he has become a better person right before my eyes. And the rest of my passing influences have taught me to care for those in need and to see the world through the eyes of others.
Also I strive to build a self that I can be proud of and others can look up to. The hope to be a decent individual flows within me, the hope to be a person that is caring, hardworking, inspiring, and influential. I want to be someone who tries to change the world and succeeds in changing someone's world. Because of my family I once attended church and what I learned was the Golden Rule. Today I shape my actions around it and believe in honesty wholeheartedly. People change, it's to be expected, but I hope that when I change it is only for the better.
I have much to owe to my family and I will repay all they have given me through all I accomplish and who I become.The shattered dreams of my father will be pieced together in my inexperienced hands. The future that I dream of will solidify into reality as I step closer with the faith of those who love me, and I will not relent in this mission as long as they are here to inspire me and urge me on. The me that exists today isthe one they helped to shape, and the me that comes forth in the future is the me that I owe to my family: the light that guides my path in the stormy seas of the world.
3. Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?
I am an Internet entrepreneur. Since age 12, I have coded and designed websites -- for my school, the local community, and as a personal hobby and pastime. In fact, I started my own Internet business in 2004 and was hired as a webmaster by Intel Corporation this past summer. I also volunteer my free time to run the website of the largest community service club at my high school, Key Club. My interest in Internet technology started out as a mere curiosity and casual pursuit, but has steadily evolved into a central part of who I am today.
When I first signed onto the net at age 10, I felt a curiosity and passion unlike anything I had felt before. The net was my new toy and I wanted to know what made it tick. Thus began my quest for answers. I learned HTML, the basic building blocks of every website. Next, I taught myself JavaScript, Cascading Style Sheets . . . and the list goes on.
By age 14, I considered myself a seasoned web design veteran. That year, I started an Internet business called FreeTheFlash Entertainment. The website, (http://www.freetheflash.com), is a multimedia entertainment portal that collects user-submitted videos, flash animations, and games from all over the net. Originally created to host my own creative work (short movies I made with my friends, funny home videos, etc.), the website has grown exponentially and now serves the entire online community. In the process of starting and maintaining this website I’ve learned leadership, communication, and business skills that literally define who I am today. I’ve learned that innovation and new ideas are crucial in creating anything successful and worthwhile in today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape.
I’m proud of my web development talent because it allows me to share my creativity with the world, while providing others a vehicle to share their creativity as well. In the last year alone, my website reached over 620,000 visitors who viewed over 3 million webpages. I’ve even made a deal with an advertising company.
My dream is to push the envelope of Internet technology past its existing boundaries and limitations. I’m not afraid to break tradition; to do things better than they’ve been done before. I like the idea of creating something that has value to those who use it. There is still a lot to be learned about software and the Internet, and I plan to be on the forefront of new developments. I have a strong background in leadership as well as exposure to the high-tech industry and I desire to continue my higher education in the fields of electrical engineering and computer science.
When I first signed onto the net at age 10, I felt a curiosity and passion unlike anything I had felt before. The net was my new toy and I wanted to know what made it tick. Thus began my quest for answers. I learned HTML, the basic building blocks of every website. Next, I taught myself JavaScript, Cascading Style Sheets . . . and the list goes on.
By age 14, I considered myself a seasoned web design veteran. That year, I started an Internet business called FreeTheFlash Entertainment. The website, (http://www.freetheflash.com), is a multimedia entertainment portal that collects user-submitted videos, flash animations, and games from all over the net. Originally created to host my own creative work (short movies I made with my friends, funny home videos, etc.), the website has grown exponentially and now serves the entire online community. In the process of starting and maintaining this website I’ve learned leadership, communication, and business skills that literally define who I am today. I’ve learned that innovation and new ideas are crucial in creating anything successful and worthwhile in today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape.
I’m proud of my web development talent because it allows me to share my creativity with the world, while providing others a vehicle to share their creativity as well. In the last year alone, my website reached over 620,000 visitors who viewed over 3 million webpages. I’ve even made a deal with an advertising company.
My dream is to push the envelope of Internet technology past its existing boundaries and limitations. I’m not afraid to break tradition; to do things better than they’ve been done before. I like the idea of creating something that has value to those who use it. There is still a lot to be learned about software and the Internet, and I plan to be on the forefront of new developments. I have a strong background in leadership as well as exposure to the high-tech industry and I desire to continue my higher education in the fields of electrical engineering and computer science.
4. Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?
Mirrors exist to show our outer appearance but nothing beyond that. Only our actions, words, and ideas could possibly represent the personal qualities that matter. The true worth of a person is revealed in those glimpses of light in the midst of adversity and darkness. Those traits that are highly admired are also learned and acquired in those dark moments. More than any other trait, the one I hold most precious isthe quality of honesty.
Honesty is to tell the truth, to believe the truth, and to act the truth when the opportunity arises. But most importantly integrity matters when it is difficult to act nobly. I learned to be honest by admitting that I did not know what the truth was or by choosing to appear ignorant rather than condemning. When I was young I always was quick to judge and blame, but soon I learned that my assumptions without proof were the same as lies. By hurting others in those dark moments of doubt and injustice, I learned to tell the truth as I saw it and not as I wanted it to be.
The best part of honesty is that ifyou see yourself as you truly are then you can shape who you will become. I believe that I am honest with myself because I assess my actions objectively and strive to change accordingly. Pride swells within me because I believe the most sought after quality in most individuals is honesty. Since I strive to bring change I believe that the change needs a starting point, and I volunteer myself as an advocate for integrity.
The Golden Rule taught me that in order to expect honesty from others it is required for me to be true to myself and those around me. My real character shows through my beliefs and actions and the smiles of the people that I've met along the way. Honesty has allowed me to create a future based on my past, without the repeat button being held down. Only the few who learn from their past are not doomed to repeat it. And I hope to never relapse to my days of pointing fingers because there was need for a scapegoat to ease my paranoia.
Honesty is the essence of personal responsibility. And as a human being I am responsible for the future I shape because even one single individual can shape the world, like a single seed unleashes the existence of a tree that can nurture fellow saplings or even inhibit their growth through excessive shade. I look within the mirror and see myself. Each one of us has the potential, a seed within, and only we can decide what kind of trees we will become.
Honesty is to tell the truth, to believe the truth, and to act the truth when the opportunity arises. But most importantly integrity matters when it is difficult to act nobly. I learned to be honest by admitting that I did not know what the truth was or by choosing to appear ignorant rather than condemning. When I was young I always was quick to judge and blame, but soon I learned that my assumptions without proof were the same as lies. By hurting others in those dark moments of doubt and injustice, I learned to tell the truth as I saw it and not as I wanted it to be.
The best part of honesty is that ifyou see yourself as you truly are then you can shape who you will become. I believe that I am honest with myself because I assess my actions objectively and strive to change accordingly. Pride swells within me because I believe the most sought after quality in most individuals is honesty. Since I strive to bring change I believe that the change needs a starting point, and I volunteer myself as an advocate for integrity.
The Golden Rule taught me that in order to expect honesty from others it is required for me to be true to myself and those around me. My real character shows through my beliefs and actions and the smiles of the people that I've met along the way. Honesty has allowed me to create a future based on my past, without the repeat button being held down. Only the few who learn from their past are not doomed to repeat it. And I hope to never relapse to my days of pointing fingers because there was need for a scapegoat to ease my paranoia.
Honesty is the essence of personal responsibility. And as a human being I am responsible for the future I shape because even one single individual can shape the world, like a single seed unleashes the existence of a tree that can nurture fellow saplings or even inhibit their growth through excessive shade. I look within the mirror and see myself. Each one of us has the potential, a seed within, and only we can decide what kind of trees we will become.
5. Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.
I'm a fifth generation Californian who's picked up a few of the habits of the region, among them surfing and computer programming. What does this mean? Having a foot in both worlds gives me a sense of balance and perspective. Beyond that, surfing has influenced my software coding and future interests in ways I never expected. I try to code like a surfer, with bravado and panache.
Now, some may ask, "Programming with panache? Isn't that an oxymoron? Since when did programmers, i.e. nerdy Poindexter-guys, have any flair?" But the surprising majority of coders do! Surfing or no, computer scientists are engaging and passionate people – really, they are poets of logic who write words that have the value of a thousand pictures. In our world view, each line of code is not only a cog in a vast and elegant machine but a dynamic, flowing brush stroke in a painting that never dries. A program must not only efficiently solve the problem at hand, but to be truly optimal, its structure must be cleanly expandable to accommodate future challenges. And this finely crafted, adaptable solution is (to all who work to comprehend it) as beautiful as it is intriguing, and worth every moment of brainwork and sleep it costs to find it.
This culture of dedication, aestheticism, and internal adventure characterizes the first world from which I come. The second world is surfing. It demands a similar level of intense focus, but its excitement and appeal are more immediate and visceral. Dropping into a 7-foot barreling wave is like riding a standup liquid rollercoaster that you control (or if you fall, it's like being a cockroach in a trash compactor). But it is for more than just the sheer thrill of the ride that I paddle out into the lineup whenever I can. Surfing both requires and induces a contemplative state of mind. As you sit among the outside swells, the shore winking in and out of sight in the muffling grayness of the morning mist, the steadfast constructs of society become transient and your thoughts branch out unfettered. If you've hit a wall with a programming problem, it often melts away in the water.
Furthermore, being immersed (quite literally) in nature provides inspiration. My project for the Intel Science Talent Search involved developing a microchip that could very quickly find the shortest route between two points. Where did the algorithm underlying it come from? I realized that the patterns made by the rivulets of water running down my surfboard mirrored those traversed by parallel signals in a delay network. Not only was the resulting algorithm much faster than the traditional approach, but this thought process led me to derive an efficient solution to an even more difficult computational problem.
So what does all this mean for my future? Had I never surfed, I likely still would love to program. But because I do surf, I additionally harbor a fascination with alternative computing paradigms inspired by nature, and I seek to continue to research them. As information theorist Seth Lloyd comments, the universe itself is fundamentally a giant quantum computer – every instant, it resolves staggeringly difficult computational problems. I would like to do my part to help harness this awesome power for the benefit of humanity.
Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?
"I'm available all summer." "I'm interested." "I'm in!" "I would love to do this, Jacob. I'm ready to go!"
With these enthusiastic words, a cadre of brilliant high school computer scientists pledged their support of an "interesting idea" I had proposed: I was going to hire them. It was the beginning of the summer following my sophomore year and the third anniversary of my first professional Web development job. Some irksome circumstances had arisen. Not only had my freelance work expanded to the point where I had more clients than time, but my talented and capable friends, in their quest for work, had largely been stuck bagging groceries at the local Safeway.
Reflecting back upon the beginnings of my own professional career, I saw an opportunity… In middle school, I taught myself Web programming by reading every manual and tutorial I could find and reverse-engineering websites, sometimes improving upon the original code. By aggregating information from disparate sources (and enjoying myself in the process), I quickly became fluent in a number of major Web technologies, and more importantly, I learned how to rapidly learn. Shortly, I found myself hired to develop a website for a biotech startup company, Biomatrica, and my Web development business expanded from there.
In high school, I met motivated computer science students who had deep specialized knowledge but not the complete technical and business skillset necessary to enter the professional world. This gave me an idea. They wanted to learn what I had learned and I implicitly possessed a curriculum to teach it: I simply had to retrace the steps of my own self-education, minus the stumbling blocks. So, sophomore year, I co-founded the Torrey Pines Programming Club, a venue in which I could both teach this material and learn from others. By June, our members were fluent in JavaScript, PHP, AJAX, XHTML, and CSS – some of the most important Web languages.
Fortuitously, it was just about this time that my business needed extra help. That's when I sent out the e-mail to which people responded: "I'm in!" Things progressed quickly. I matched programmers to projects and developed a modular, server-side framework that would allow everybody's applications to cleanly interface with one another. Over the following months, we delivered several high-end websites and applications to our clients at excellent prices. We continue to build sites together today, but this utilitarian end is not what makes me proud. It's that these people are now using the knowledge we built together to find their own paths to further success! Some have gone on to be hired by other clients, and some have started their own entrepreneurial websites. What is most meaningful to me, I realize, is that my actions have empowered others in ways that are leaving a positive impression on the world.
Now, some may ask, "Programming with panache? Isn't that an oxymoron? Since when did programmers, i.e. nerdy Poindexter-guys, have any flair?" But the surprising majority of coders do! Surfing or no, computer scientists are engaging and passionate people – really, they are poets of logic who write words that have the value of a thousand pictures. In our world view, each line of code is not only a cog in a vast and elegant machine but a dynamic, flowing brush stroke in a painting that never dries. A program must not only efficiently solve the problem at hand, but to be truly optimal, its structure must be cleanly expandable to accommodate future challenges. And this finely crafted, adaptable solution is (to all who work to comprehend it) as beautiful as it is intriguing, and worth every moment of brainwork and sleep it costs to find it.
This culture of dedication, aestheticism, and internal adventure characterizes the first world from which I come. The second world is surfing. It demands a similar level of intense focus, but its excitement and appeal are more immediate and visceral. Dropping into a 7-foot barreling wave is like riding a standup liquid rollercoaster that you control (or if you fall, it's like being a cockroach in a trash compactor). But it is for more than just the sheer thrill of the ride that I paddle out into the lineup whenever I can. Surfing both requires and induces a contemplative state of mind. As you sit among the outside swells, the shore winking in and out of sight in the muffling grayness of the morning mist, the steadfast constructs of society become transient and your thoughts branch out unfettered. If you've hit a wall with a programming problem, it often melts away in the water.
Furthermore, being immersed (quite literally) in nature provides inspiration. My project for the Intel Science Talent Search involved developing a microchip that could very quickly find the shortest route between two points. Where did the algorithm underlying it come from? I realized that the patterns made by the rivulets of water running down my surfboard mirrored those traversed by parallel signals in a delay network. Not only was the resulting algorithm much faster than the traditional approach, but this thought process led me to derive an efficient solution to an even more difficult computational problem.
So what does all this mean for my future? Had I never surfed, I likely still would love to program. But because I do surf, I additionally harbor a fascination with alternative computing paradigms inspired by nature, and I seek to continue to research them. As information theorist Seth Lloyd comments, the universe itself is fundamentally a giant quantum computer – every instant, it resolves staggeringly difficult computational problems. I would like to do my part to help harness this awesome power for the benefit of humanity.
Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?
"I'm available all summer." "I'm interested." "I'm in!" "I would love to do this, Jacob. I'm ready to go!"
With these enthusiastic words, a cadre of brilliant high school computer scientists pledged their support of an "interesting idea" I had proposed: I was going to hire them. It was the beginning of the summer following my sophomore year and the third anniversary of my first professional Web development job. Some irksome circumstances had arisen. Not only had my freelance work expanded to the point where I had more clients than time, but my talented and capable friends, in their quest for work, had largely been stuck bagging groceries at the local Safeway.
Reflecting back upon the beginnings of my own professional career, I saw an opportunity… In middle school, I taught myself Web programming by reading every manual and tutorial I could find and reverse-engineering websites, sometimes improving upon the original code. By aggregating information from disparate sources (and enjoying myself in the process), I quickly became fluent in a number of major Web technologies, and more importantly, I learned how to rapidly learn. Shortly, I found myself hired to develop a website for a biotech startup company, Biomatrica, and my Web development business expanded from there.
In high school, I met motivated computer science students who had deep specialized knowledge but not the complete technical and business skillset necessary to enter the professional world. This gave me an idea. They wanted to learn what I had learned and I implicitly possessed a curriculum to teach it: I simply had to retrace the steps of my own self-education, minus the stumbling blocks. So, sophomore year, I co-founded the Torrey Pines Programming Club, a venue in which I could both teach this material and learn from others. By June, our members were fluent in JavaScript, PHP, AJAX, XHTML, and CSS – some of the most important Web languages.
Fortuitously, it was just about this time that my business needed extra help. That's when I sent out the e-mail to which people responded: "I'm in!" Things progressed quickly. I matched programmers to projects and developed a modular, server-side framework that would allow everybody's applications to cleanly interface with one another. Over the following months, we delivered several high-end websites and applications to our clients at excellent prices. We continue to build sites together today, but this utilitarian end is not what makes me proud. It's that these people are now using the knowledge we built together to find their own paths to further success! Some have gone on to be hired by other clients, and some have started their own entrepreneurial websites. What is most meaningful to me, I realize, is that my actions have empowered others in ways that are leaving a positive impression on the world.
6. A break well spent
“Thank God for Starbucks,” I mutter under my breath when I spot the all too familiar siren inspired logo as we walk into the hotel lobby. With my mocha in hand, I set about exploring the Marriott Copley Square, home of United Synagogue Youth's International Convention 2012. Slowly but surely, the caffeine kicks in, lessening some of the exhaustion I feel after the redeye from Sacramento. Kids from across North America begin trickling in, and my friends and I are posted in the mezzanine directly above the lobby, monitoring all new arrivals, looking specifically for the friends we made at last year's convention. Just as I finish the coffee, I feel my best friend Lauren's elbow in my ribs. “Look!” she yells, causing our hideout to be discovered. “They're here!”
After weaving our way through throbbing crowds, we join in the time-honored IC tradition of screaming and hugging each other. It is both surreal and sublime to be surrounded by so much love. Everywhere I look, there are smiling kids, eager to learn your life story. The next day the USYers are released upon the malls conjoining our hotel. After I introduce my East Coast friends to the wonders of Pinkberry, we meet up with other people they know from New Jersey. Not wanting the situation to be awkward, I introduce myself to a nice-looking boy named Jason. "You're Lexi? I've heard great things about you," he says. "You're kind of famous around here, you know." In that moment, with that compliment bouncing around in my head, I know that USY IC is the best way I could have chosen to spend my winter break.
The convention marches on, with workshops, inedible food, and incredible opportunities. We are taught how to advocate for ourselves and for others, and how to lead effectively. On the last full day of convention, the entire delegation sets out to march to Copley Square. There we stage a public protest against gun violence, and a survivor of the Virginia Tech shooting speaks. We make ourselves heard, and the public notices, with many people joining in or applauding as they walk by. It is an incredibly inspiring feeling. Even if it is only just for a day, we are heard, acknowledged, and respected After a crazy dance and very little sleep, it is time to leave. And as I am walking away, after about a hundred hugs and a few tears, I realize I am leaving as a changed person.
Once home, I notice a shift in my perspectives and my actions. I find myself smiling at strangers instead of avoiding eye contact. Rather than dismissing my teacher's new creative lesson plans, I engage in them, and benefit greatly from it. I put my heart fully into everything I decide to do, and when I find my heart isn't in it, I either make a decision to go all in or stop entirely. Whenever I feel down or aggravated, all I have to do is look at pictures from International Convention and reconnect to that week in Boston. You get what you give, and I got much more than I ever could have asked for from this experience.
After weaving our way through throbbing crowds, we join in the time-honored IC tradition of screaming and hugging each other. It is both surreal and sublime to be surrounded by so much love. Everywhere I look, there are smiling kids, eager to learn your life story. The next day the USYers are released upon the malls conjoining our hotel. After I introduce my East Coast friends to the wonders of Pinkberry, we meet up with other people they know from New Jersey. Not wanting the situation to be awkward, I introduce myself to a nice-looking boy named Jason. "You're Lexi? I've heard great things about you," he says. "You're kind of famous around here, you know." In that moment, with that compliment bouncing around in my head, I know that USY IC is the best way I could have chosen to spend my winter break.
The convention marches on, with workshops, inedible food, and incredible opportunities. We are taught how to advocate for ourselves and for others, and how to lead effectively. On the last full day of convention, the entire delegation sets out to march to Copley Square. There we stage a public protest against gun violence, and a survivor of the Virginia Tech shooting speaks. We make ourselves heard, and the public notices, with many people joining in or applauding as they walk by. It is an incredibly inspiring feeling. Even if it is only just for a day, we are heard, acknowledged, and respected After a crazy dance and very little sleep, it is time to leave. And as I am walking away, after about a hundred hugs and a few tears, I realize I am leaving as a changed person.
Once home, I notice a shift in my perspectives and my actions. I find myself smiling at strangers instead of avoiding eye contact. Rather than dismissing my teacher's new creative lesson plans, I engage in them, and benefit greatly from it. I put my heart fully into everything I decide to do, and when I find my heart isn't in it, I either make a decision to go all in or stop entirely. Whenever I feel down or aggravated, all I have to do is look at pictures from International Convention and reconnect to that week in Boston. You get what you give, and I got much more than I ever could have asked for from this experience.
7. What is your intended major? Discuss how your interest in the subject developed and describe any experience you have had in the field — such as volunteer work, internships and employment, participation in student organizations and activities — and what you have gained from your involvement.
Major: Art History
I am an artist; a strange blossom of creativity sticking out awkwardly from a long lineage of electrical and later electronic engineers, like a lonely flower on a big, rigid cactus plant. Behind me, I have eight consistent years of rigorous education in the practice of Fine Arts with a private tutor, throughout which I have embraced a wide variety of styles ranging from the measured precision of the High Renaissance to the free, lively strokes of the Impressionists. My tutor always emphasized the origins of these techniques introducing me to monumental artists at a young age in the most interactive way possible. In explaining the works of Renoir she would pull apart the layers of paint down to the initial sketches, and with my own brushes I would build his paintings back up, layer by layer, just as he did decades ago; this filled me with the most incredible feeling, as if my own hands became portals to the past, and I could watch the creation of a painting that now became an irreplaceable part of history. Over the eight years, this approach to mastering painting shaped my deepest interest in the History of Art, making the pursuit of new knowledge in this inexhaustible field my passion.
My pursuits became increasingly pronounced as I gained independence: since I was fourteen, I started regularly visiting the Pushkin State Museum in Moscow, frequented museums in San Francisco, visited the Louvre, Uffizi and Dresden Galleries, and much more. Constantly sketching, I rapidly advanced in fine arts, but was left with a beautiful soup of wonder and awe, peppered with loosely connected names and dates in terms of Art History.
It was not until my freshman year in college that this ambiguous fascination turned into something solid and powerful. My first formal Art History courses made me glow and burn with fascination; I watched in awe as years of loved, familiar paintings suddenly snapped into a solid structure, metal rods rose out of antiquity to support all later movements, mentors linked with students and fell into their appropriate levels of this structure, each connection sparked and got welded together in my mind. The light, dreamlike veil of mystique that surrounded my idea of art evaporated in a matter of weeks, and I was suddenly awoken to see the gravity and grandeur of the things I have known for years.
I visited the Pushkin State Museum 24 times that summer, filling 3 notebooks with notes, brought back 15 pounds of Art History books from Europe, and began serious independent research including online publications.
Upon my return to America, I felt my mind overflowing with information and, to categorize it, came up with an extensive project which turned my room into a shrine to the world heritage of art. A long timeline ranging from 500 BC to the end of the 20th century encircles three walls of my room. It is segmented into overlapping movements, color coded for different countries, with separate lines stretching along the main timeline to show lives of artists, with small colored reproductions of their major works attached in chronological order. This timeline is thoroughly supplemented with short biographies of influential Philosophers, indications of mentor/student relations link artists, thick black lines of wars, plagues and religious reforms indicate serious shifts in ideals, and consequentially the subject matter of paintings, showing how rising and falling empires, like natural disasters, wipe out the old ways giving life to the new.
The beauty of this project is that it’s forever a work in progress that can be constantly supplemented with new information. The first thing I do upon returning form a museum is print colored reproductions of one or two new pieces I saw, or add an entire new line for an artist I discovered and researched. It is a growing and moving creature, always hungry for new information, urging me to fill the gaps in my knowledge.
I am an artist; a strange blossom of creativity sticking out awkwardly from a long lineage of electrical and later electronic engineers, like a lonely flower on a big, rigid cactus plant. Behind me, I have eight consistent years of rigorous education in the practice of Fine Arts with a private tutor, throughout which I have embraced a wide variety of styles ranging from the measured precision of the High Renaissance to the free, lively strokes of the Impressionists. My tutor always emphasized the origins of these techniques introducing me to monumental artists at a young age in the most interactive way possible. In explaining the works of Renoir she would pull apart the layers of paint down to the initial sketches, and with my own brushes I would build his paintings back up, layer by layer, just as he did decades ago; this filled me with the most incredible feeling, as if my own hands became portals to the past, and I could watch the creation of a painting that now became an irreplaceable part of history. Over the eight years, this approach to mastering painting shaped my deepest interest in the History of Art, making the pursuit of new knowledge in this inexhaustible field my passion.
My pursuits became increasingly pronounced as I gained independence: since I was fourteen, I started regularly visiting the Pushkin State Museum in Moscow, frequented museums in San Francisco, visited the Louvre, Uffizi and Dresden Galleries, and much more. Constantly sketching, I rapidly advanced in fine arts, but was left with a beautiful soup of wonder and awe, peppered with loosely connected names and dates in terms of Art History.
It was not until my freshman year in college that this ambiguous fascination turned into something solid and powerful. My first formal Art History courses made me glow and burn with fascination; I watched in awe as years of loved, familiar paintings suddenly snapped into a solid structure, metal rods rose out of antiquity to support all later movements, mentors linked with students and fell into their appropriate levels of this structure, each connection sparked and got welded together in my mind. The light, dreamlike veil of mystique that surrounded my idea of art evaporated in a matter of weeks, and I was suddenly awoken to see the gravity and grandeur of the things I have known for years.
I visited the Pushkin State Museum 24 times that summer, filling 3 notebooks with notes, brought back 15 pounds of Art History books from Europe, and began serious independent research including online publications.
Upon my return to America, I felt my mind overflowing with information and, to categorize it, came up with an extensive project which turned my room into a shrine to the world heritage of art. A long timeline ranging from 500 BC to the end of the 20th century encircles three walls of my room. It is segmented into overlapping movements, color coded for different countries, with separate lines stretching along the main timeline to show lives of artists, with small colored reproductions of their major works attached in chronological order. This timeline is thoroughly supplemented with short biographies of influential Philosophers, indications of mentor/student relations link artists, thick black lines of wars, plagues and religious reforms indicate serious shifts in ideals, and consequentially the subject matter of paintings, showing how rising and falling empires, like natural disasters, wipe out the old ways giving life to the new.
The beauty of this project is that it’s forever a work in progress that can be constantly supplemented with new information. The first thing I do upon returning form a museum is print colored reproductions of one or two new pieces I saw, or add an entire new line for an artist I discovered and researched. It is a growing and moving creature, always hungry for new information, urging me to fill the gaps in my knowledge.
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