I felt like Aladdin after his first encounter with the genie as I stared down at the heaps of shiny coins in the large fountain. I reached into my pocket and searched for a coin among the rubber bands and paperclips.       Victorious, I held up a coin and tried to think of a wish. This fountain seemed more special than all the other fountains in the world, there in front of the City of Hope Hospital near Los Angeles.       “I...

Coming from a small elementary school to a large public school, I was quite confused to find that one’s popularity now relied on the number of “Silly Bandz”, rubber bands with different shapes. Eager to make friends, I jumped onto the bandwagon and wore newly bought Silly Bandz to school next day, only to find that the fad was over. Similarly, throughout the year I engaged with multiple short-lived fads. Bemused, I decided to find out what was driving...

As a Biology tutor, I help students gain a strong understanding of Biology. Although I try to do everything in my power to help my students academically, sometimes I cannot do so, choosing to follow my own moral code. Recently I tutored a student who performed poorly in Biology due to his own lack of motivation. After a few weeks of my fruitless tutoring, I received a call from his parents, who believed that his poor grades were a result...

Like a cannonball, I launch myself out of my doorway and sprint down the sidewalk. However unconventional, running is my time for enjoyment and peace. When I run, I feel powerful and free to conquer any challenge that I encounter. As I run faster, I can feel my worries subside and I lose myself in my own daydreams. In these, I can have fun being a super agent or a scientist on the verge of discovering the cure for cancer....

As an avid writer in the scientific fields, I know the importance of words. Every word should be carefully chosen and plays an important piece to convey the message of the content to the reader. As a manipulator of words, I understand very well the importance of the parts that make up the whole. This characteristic serves me well especially as a scientific researcher and an inventor. I could not have created a novel headphone notification system without understanding how...