As I sit, staring into the abyss of the Boston skyline, I feel as though I am living an out-of-body experience. So small in such a big world, I believe that I am undeserving of the cards that life has dealt me. My eyes quietly scan the faces of my cohort sitting near me, their utterly blank looks speaking more than their words ever could. I suspect that my expression mirrors theirs. We are in complete awe of what we...

I live a crazy life with three younger sisters. Making it more complex is my youngest sister, Isabella. Isabella has congenital heart disease and calcification of the heart, sending her heart into failure. She is currently experiencing the last stage of failure before being placed on the heart transplant list. With her barrage of medical complexities, she is constantly in and out of the hospital. My mother stays with Isabella at the hospital. My father, who works a full-time job,...

My best friend is my youngest sister Isabella. She is the funniest and most creative person that I have ever known. After having done foster care for five years, Isabella was brought to our family, eventually to be adopted a couple of years later. I cannot imagine my life without her, but unfortunately, life doesn’t always go the way that we imagine. Isabella has been diagnosed with Congenital Heart Disease as well as a barrage of genetic conditions, and...

I have participated in two engineering/STEM summer immersion programs at campuses across the nation, both of which have nurtured my love and appreciation for engineering. Before my sophomore year, I had no clue what I wanted to study. I had heard of engineering, but I thought that it was all about manufacturing and building, which is not one of my skills. After I attended the two programs, ESP at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and MITES, at MIT, I realized...

At the piano, letting my emotions flow from myself to the keys of the piano through the music, is something that I have found a pure love for. I have been playing piano since I was four, and have not since stopped a day in my life. My piano has become my safe haven. From the stresses of school to challenges at home with three younger sisters, playing piano has been one of the most constant reliefs. In all seasons...