Sometime I see life like cities lights. When you stare for too long and too hard the lights blue. They become these distraught, unorganized, and out-of-place sparkles. Nothing seems to make sense or fit together. That is how I felt for most of my life. I went from having housemaids in Vietnam to sleeping in a basement when we came to America. I never understood why my family, especially my mother decided to leave the gorgeous life we had and...

I have always been one to really decide the courses I take and what I am interested in. Brown seems like the perfect university where students can have a lot more say about their education than other colleges. In high school, the curriculum is so rigid and tough because your counselor ultimately decides what classes you end up in. I feel college should be the chance for me to expand my academic and social interest. I want a less strict...

Coming from the Bay Area, I was a perfect example of the sheltered-liberal paradox. Although as open-minded and accepting as one could be, I was totally ignorant to the mentalities of Americans across the nation. While growing up, I was socialized to become this liberal and Democratic citizen. And, like most people here, I was in a huge bubble. I believed every other person had similar views to mine. I had to find out that was not true through experiencing...

As the founder of the Gay-Straight Alliance at Oakland Technical High School, I became involved in changing the school climate and level of awareness. From being the Student Body president to the Prom King, it meant a lot to me learning that true leadership is through influence, not authority. As a member of the GSA Network's Youth Council, I helped to organize the YES conference in San Francisco for two year, which was attended by hundreds of...