Two whistles sliced through the tumult and the band lurched forward. Cymbals, drums, tubas, and the buoyant pop of confetti cannons reverberated through the humid Texan evening as all 216 members of our Troy High marching band thundered through San Antonio for the Fiesta Flambeau, America’s Largest Illuminated Parade. The LED lights we had threaded down our pant legs and across chest straps set our uniforms ablaze against a dusky purple sky. Advancing in unison, I remembered why I joined...

I value most Columbia’s intellectual atmosphere: the Core Curriculum fosters vital discussions and rigorous conversations around questions I view as crucial to my intellectual and personal growth, such as “what is the good life?” and “what does it mean to be ethical?” Through courses like Contemporary Civilization, Literature Humanities, and Music Humanities, I could develop a strong foundation upon which to critically analyze masterpieces of Western philosophical thought, and literary, visual, and musical art, providing me with the thinking...

I hope to major in Creative Writing and English. Although my main essay explored how my mom’s decision to return to China sparked my interest in creative writing, I was also influenced by my older sister, a poet who majored in Creative Writing and English, to try writing. Watching her craft poetry inspired me to articulate my own artistic vision; however, unlike my sister, I write prose. I like telling stories and creating narratives with symbolic weight that help...

I would continue Creative Writing and submitting to competitions – it is through writing about the encounters I have with people at school, the route I take home every day, or my emotions regarding my mother’s departure, that my emotions are magnified, more acute, and easier to understand. I am more attentive to small details, like how the lint on my bedsheet clumps together like snow, or the way car headlights shine erratically through trees, splashing light and shadow upon...

Troy High's Writing Club is defined by self-growth – the weekly workshops that we have reinforce the idea that criticism can only improve your work. Seminars and lectures are student-led and based in various fields in the Humanities – just last week we analyzed the introduction scene to Stephen King’s IT (2017), focusing on the effects of the camera angles and the foreshadowing of later events in the movie. The ideas discussed in Writing Club, that every scene or every moment in...

I am interested in majoring in Creative Writing and English. The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts’ English 223, 323, and 423 would be integral to my growth as an aspiring writer. Working closely with creative-writing faculty, the focus on workshopping appeals to me greatly because of my experiences both doing workshops in my high school Writing Club and from attending the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio (IYWS). At IYWS, I had the opportunity to participate in daily workshops and seminars in a...