Coding as a Caucasian female remains about as common as a cat without its meow; unrecognized and rare to find. Yet, my story as an aspiring computer scientist prevails as anything instead of the black and white of binary. From the moment I began the year known as the “terrible twos,” computer games such as Reader Rabbit’s Preschool learning adventure kept me occupied while my parents could do adult things such as “working” and “cleaning.” Little did they know...

This was my most impressive essay out of the many I gave to my English teacher when we had our first assignment senior year: to start writing our college admissions essays.

Work, to get references in real workplaces- even if it's in a retail or franchise setting. Volunteer,...