A Backpacker’s Scale Scraps of shale and rust-colored sandstone skittered down the mountainside as my crewmates and I left the summit. I wasn’t paying attention to the sliding pebbles underfoot or the jacket-ripping wind; I nearly fell after forgetting to dig my heel into the slope, distracted by the disappearing view. We had hiked that day to the snow-ringed summit of Baldy Mountain, a peak 12,441 feet above sea level and the highest point on Philmont Scout Ranch. From...

I spent my summer with passionate students from eight nations at the Summer Science Program. I ate seaweed, played Turkish folk songs, and heard stories of corruption in Thailand. The problems were hard and the people were different, but we shared a love of learning. I hope to find this dynamic in college, and SSPers’ general love for Yale convinced me I would. Academically, I was caught when I read Yale Prof. Brudvig’s research in solar energy; I would...

I tiptoed down the stairs, earnestly trying to remember if any of the steps had creaked on the way up. Creeping out out the back door, I stumbled through the twilight to the garage. I tested the side door – unlocked! Inside, I spotted a tool chest and quickly searched it for a hex wrench. Sneaking back upstairs, I sat down in front of the media room’s door and backed out the over-tightened set screw holding the doorknob in place....