The 24-hour flight to the United States felt excruciatingly long to my cramped neck, but now seemed short in retrospect, as each second carried me farther from my familiar homeland of China. My traitorous legs, astutely aware of the unholy hour at which the flight landed, were sound asleep. Neon signs with their outlandish shapes and letters danced before my eyes, their exotic figures weaving dreamlike patterns all around me. I fought to stay awake, but the capering images had...

If it was not for Sherry Lansing, Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures, many of the major motion pictures of the 21st century would be nothing more than fanciful scripts. If it was not for John Opel, former president of IBM, this essay would never find its way into the hands of admission officers. In all facets of our society, Chicago alumnus has set illustrious precedents, and their achievements have truly made a difference in the world. For me, their...

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