My eyes were quickly moving from wall to wall passing over my closest friend sitting across the deceivingly long table. The artificial air conditioning between us seemed to create a barrier stopping the typical flow of words normally shared between us on car rides to Stinson Beach or across the table at our weekend family dinners. Sleep had eluded me the night before as I kept going over and over the impending conversation in my head. In the moment though,...

One of the things that I enjoy most is bringing people together. Over my time in high school I have utilized this is many different ways. Whether it is starting an after-school band or creating cross-departmental team to build a business curriculum, I can always bring this to the table. One action that makes me the happiest is when my friends come together for “family dinners.” While it may be hard to imagine a group of high schoolers coming together...

Before teaching my first lesson at Soundwaves: Marin City Youth Music Academy, I could feel the nerves poking at my stomach. I desperately wanted to inspire my students the way that my teachers inspired me when I first started taking lessons. Ever since starting piano in the second grade, followed by cello in the third grade, music has been a source of positivity in my life. In addition to developing my skills both my piano and cello instructors encouraged me...

When I started working for the Elix Incubator in October of 2016, we had five employees, no projects, and were working out of our living rooms. Twelve months later I have helped this social incubator become a registered LLC in Delaware, obtain permanent office space, raise over $42,000, and start ventures for over twenty high school groups from the United States, Costa Rica and Thailand. Elix is a group of self motivated high schoolers that wanted to pursue entrepreneurial dreams but were...

These past two years I have devoted a lot of my time and academic efforts to the AP Capstone program at Redwood. The two year program focuses on teaching research methods and ultimately leads up to an individual research paper completed during senior year. For my senior project, I am focusing on the salmon fishing communities in the Bay Area. This past winter and spring, there was an upwelling in the Northern Pacific Ocean that brought loads of the nutrients...

Every Saturday morning I share my love of the piano with young kids from an underserved community. Over the past year, my Soundwaves students have grown from fumbling through C scales and awkward lessons to playing complex two-handed pieces and energetic lessons. Aside from having a new appreciation for my own music teachers I’ve realized the importance of continuing my own musical pursuits. I have been inspired to take my own participation in the Marin Youth Symphony more seriously....

In the summer before 8th grade, I was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes. I had been going to the bathroom almost eight times a night so my mom thought I had a urinary tract infection and took me to the doctor (I later found out that UTIs are only common in sexually active elderly men... really mom?). Four days and twenty hours of doctor appointments later, my parents and I found ourselves at home with loads of equipment. After two...

When I was presented with the opportunity to start a business incubator and helped companies beyond the realms of math and science I realized what I could find if I looked beyond what I was initially drawn to. The Open Curriculum offered to Brown students provides an ideal platform to accomplish my goals. The unique ability to plan a schedule without having to worry about filling core or distribution requirements would be invaluable to someone demonstrating a known interest who...

Making the haul back from Santa Rosa, I could almost hear the tight phantom thump and licks of Eric Clapton’s guitar coming from the two ginormous speakers seatbelted into the back seat of the Subaru. I had just picked up a pair of Beovox s75 speakers off a craigslist advertisement. Discontinued in 1980, this Bang and Olufsen line was well known for their ability to kick out a tremendous but accurate sound had disappeared over time. Knowing that I had...

Over the past year and a half, I have dedicated a large portion of my time to starting and building the Elix Incubator. With a group of five other Redwood students, we have created an international social incubator, helping teenagers make their communities better all over the world. As the Chief Product Officer, I managed a team of nine project managers and technical engineers. Working with Elix was the first time I had been asked to manage people in a...

In high school, I enjoyed the freedom to pursue loads of different activities outside of my academics. The time spent playing with the Marin Youth Symphony, volunteering in the ICU at Marin General, working with teen run socially conscious businesses, and coaching a recreational soccer team hold some of my favorite memories in high school. When I visited the Northwestern campus over my spring break, I was pleasantly surprised to find that all the students I talked to were involved...

When I started working for Elix in October of 2016, we had five employees, no projects, and were working out of our living rooms. Twelve months later I have helped this social incubator become a registered LLC in Delaware, obtain permanent office space, raise over $42,000, and start ventures for over twenty high school groups from the United States, Costa Rica and Thailand. As Chief Product Officer, I manage a team of five project managers and six tech engineers. I’m responsible...

I enjoy bringing people together. During high school, I have utilized this in many different ways. Whether it is starting an after-school band or creating a cross-departmental team to build a business curriculum, I can always bring this skill to the table. One action that makes me the happiest is when my friends come together for “family dinners.” While it may be hard to imagine a group of high schoolers coming together to sit down at a formal home cooked...

For as long as I remember, I’ve wanted to be a doctor. Maybe it was because in the game of LIFE the doctor was obviously the best career card, but as I’ve moved through my own game, other aspects of a medical career have become apparent. Most notably, the convergence of the known and unknown is extremely appealing. Studying medicine offers a known path to discovering the unknown. It is important to have this assurance so I can...

The initial draw to Rice University came from its reputation of having a rigorous curriculum and an extremely strong science department. In high school, I have actively participated in the AP Capstone curriculum and introduced high level research into my academic journey. This has been an important part of my high school experience that I hope to bring with me to college. At Rice, I hope to take advantage of the undergraduate research funding and available professors that make research...

Working with all the different startups with the Elix Incubator focused a lot of my attention to the Silicon Valley area. Wanting to stay a part of the startup community I began researching universities that both had the resources to support student ventures and were geographically advantageous to other business opportunities. Santa Clara University immediately became an obvious choice for a entrepreneurial student. Santa Clara University is in the unique position to support its students in all aspects of business...

What inspires me most about Santa Clara’s mission is its desire to create a sustainable world. Located in such an epicenter of business and community, Santa Clara is in the unique position to influence the how the world grows. Sustainability is extremely important to my personal strategic vision and values. All of the companies that I am currently assisting with the Elix Incubator have sustainability as a top priority. Not only are these businesses economically sustainable, but they also...

Walking out of my third AP class of the day headed to my fourth, I was stunned at how excited I felt. Starting my junior year I had known that I was planning on taking a difficult class load, 4 APs and 1 honors was a lot. I found that I was finishing each of my AP classes not burned out or tired, but refreshed. While this was the case for all of my advanced classes, I was most blown away by...

Hi Roommate, Acid jazz plays quietly in the background. Everyone is standing around the island snacking on a cheese board I prepared earlier in the day. Conversation flows freely from our summer plans to Logic’s new album as I put the finishing touches on dinner. Tonight’s menu is smoked prosciutto wrapped pork roast with pea and prosciutto risotto, one of my favorites because tonight we are celebrating the end of AP testing. This is a tradition unique to...

Conversation about sports, the election, and family flowed from person to person. I sat there slowly eating a cracker utterly amazed by the people around me. The orthopedic surgery team had just spent the last 4 hours fixing an ACL tendon, repairing an achilles tendon, and fixing a rotator cuff. These people have devoted their careers to improving the quality of life for their community and I had the privilege of witnessing talents and compassion as an intern. For as long...

In high school, I value maintaining a diverse group of activities. Whether it is assisting nurses in the ICU, coaching a U12 soccer team, or playing in the Marin Youth Symphony, I enjoy being able explore so many different interests. When taking the next step in my life, Swarthmore has the unique resources to help me continue exploring my passions. Swarthmore’s Honors Program sets it apart. If I have the opportunity to attend Swarthmore, I plan on pursuing the...

Looking forward, one of the most appealing things about college is the freedom to design a personalized curriculum that defines both who I am and where I want to go. The University of Chicago is in a unique position to make this happen. The Core curriculum offered at UChicago finds an ideal balance between encouraging students to explore a diverse range of courses while also giving them the ability to specialize in a certain area. I really appreciate that instead...

The scientific opportunities presented to USC undergraduates are exceptional. If accepted into USC I plan to apply to the Freshman Science Honors program. This program’s access to smaller science classes is very important to me. One of my favorite classes at Redwood was my AP Seminar class. This class had a size of only 12 students. I developed a close relationship with both my teacher and the other students in my class. Being able to participate in an environment similar...

Over the past year, I have deeply invested my time in the Elix Incubator. This has both helped me give back to my community and beyond while nurturing an entrepreneurial spirit. When I started working for Elix in October of 2016, we had five employees, no projects, and were working out of our living rooms. Twelve months later I have helped this social incubator become a registered LLC in Delaware, raise over $42,000, and start ventures for over twenty high school groups...