Some families decorate cookies for Santa Claus; others hang stockings over the fireplace. Our tradition is to build a gingerbread house with our mother every Christmas. During one recent holiday, we pieced together our creation, which my mother completed by creating a gingerbread family that transformed the pretty, but vacant, house into a cozy home. To our dismay, the house collapsed soon after, and my mother’s tears of frustration spilled onto the broken pieces. This emotional outburst might seem...

After learning about Cognitive Science, I emailed dozens of professors at the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University, hoping to learn more about the intriguing field of study. After weeks of anticipation, I saw a single unread email in my inbox from Dr. Yi Ting Huang from the Language and Cognition Laboratory at the University of Maryland. My heart raced as my eyes eagerly scanned the message and widened when I saw an application for a research assistant position...

“I am the master of my fate / I am the captain of my soul.” This quote from one of my favorite poems, “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley, reminds me of Brown’s emphasis on intellectual freedom. Brown’s liberal educational philosophy will allow me to thrive as an independent learner because I will be able to pursue my multiple interests and take unique courses such as “Consciousness” and “Investing in Social Change.” Brown is the best place for me to...

Jigsaw puzzles were one of my favorite childhood activities. I recall strategically searching for the right pieces and being mesmerized by the seamless combination of individual parts into a larger, more cohesive work of art. When I think about my academic interests, I am reminded of my early fascination with the relationship between the microscopic and macroscopic: Cognitive Science bridges the gap between Psychology’s microscopic focus on the mind’s inner-workings and the global commonality of language. And in...

I first heard of Rice University when I began researching colleges, but it wasn’t until my friend Mike started attending the school this past semester that I became acquainted with its unique personality. Every time I logged into Facebook, my timeline would be flooded with photos of him surrounded by his peers, upcoming events on campus, and posts on his wall written by his new friends. I began to wonder what it was about Rice that allowed Mike to...

When I think about my Korean background, my mind wanders to my maternal grandfather, who passed away long before I was born. Though he has been gone for decades, his presence lingers: in the distinct shape of my eyes, the stacks of black-and-white photographs that my mother cherishes, and my grandmother’s decades of heartache. Just as my grandfather exists as a distant, yet looming presence, so has my sense of Korean identity. Unlike many of my Asian American counterparts,...

When I flipped through the menu at Cheeburger Cheeburger and saw the “Pounder,” I immediately envisioned myself polishing off the 20-ounce burger and having my photo hung at the restaurant’s entrance, along with the other customers who had accomplished the impressive feat. When the waitress took my order, my friends were in disbelief, but I knowingly smiled. The “Pounder” glistened with grease, soaking in its juicy, cholesterol-saturated glory. I devoured the first few bites, but as the burger receded...

Intellectual curiosity often begins with a small spark that fuels a chain reaction. For me, that spark was SungMin, a new girl from Korea in my sophomore year chemistry class. She was sitting alone, so I sat next to her and began a conversation. In a heavy accent, SungMin told me about life in Korea. I’m Korean American, but my heritage had always been foreign to me. Perhaps I was attracted to her because she understood something I never...

Dear Future Roommate, When we meet for the first time, you’ll probably hear me before you see me, not because I’m small and easily hidden in a crowd (although at 5’1, I’m quite petite), but because of my laughter, which I’ve been told sounds like an amplified version of the laugh tracks from 90’s sitcoms. Apparently, I’m expected to win senior superlative for Best Laugh. I believe that favorites can reveal a lot about a person,...

Jigsaw puzzles were my favorite childhood activity because I liked fitting the pieces together and admiring the final work of art. This fascination with both the microscopic and macroscopic has never left me: Cognitive Science bridges the gap between psychology’s microscopic focus on the mind’s inner-workings and the macroscopic, human commonality of language. Witnessing my mother’s mental illness inspired me to study psychology. Learning Spanish and Korean made me curious about how psychology and language interact. During...

My family moved to Howard County, Maryland from my birthplace, Philadelphia, in 2000. “HoCo” is a suburban utopia (or dystopia?), known for its affluence and excellent schools. My high school has a reputation for its ultra-competitive atmosphere in which every student’s SAT score is common knowledge and a 4.0 GPA is the average. Despite this potentially toxic environment, I was driven by my curiosity about human achievement, from Freudian psychoanalytic theories to the Mongolian dynasty in 13th century Eurasia. My academic...

In AP Language class, I sat between Amanda, a passionate feminist and voice for race relations, and Sonya, an avid gay rights supporter. Over time, we shared countless thought-provoking conversations about modern social issues. Learning about race relations inspired me to research police brutality and to present a project on cultural appropriation. This friendship sparked my interest in social activism and has taught me to be bold in questioning, reshaping, and developing my beliefs. In accordance with this year’s...