As the aroma of black beans, roasted pork and fried plantains fills the humid Miami air, I take my seat at the table alongside my grandmother and cousins. The smell of cumin, sautéed garlic and onions overpowers my senses. We are ready. It’s time. Game on. The game is Rummikub, a board game played with domino-like tiles. Each player draws 14 tiles to place on a rack. The object is to put down all your tiles by either forming...

In my opinion, what sets Duke apart and makes me so excited about possibly becoming a Blue Devil is the institution’s stress on pursuing multiple majors and minors. In high school, I always struggled selecting courses simply because I wanted to learn about all of them. As a prospective Economics major also interested in pursuing a major in Middle Eastern Studies, I know that I will find the guidance and freedom to make this possible at Duke. The other...

If I had the opportunity to create my own college course, I would create a class that centers around the meat industry, and more specifically, finding ways to both encourage healthy meat alternatives and end the abuse and poor living conditions that so many animals must endure. This course would present students with the many issues surrounding the meat and poultry industries, such as sustainability, animal abuse, and the legality of many of their practices. The reason I would choose...

When I began my junior year, I thought I had my life planned out. I had just taken a summer intensive in engineering at Cal Poly, and I was ready to begin my track toward becoming an engineer. That path began with my establishing our school’s first engineering club, where I helped myself and others learn more about the field through fun and exciting challenges and field explorations. I quickly realized that while certain aspects of the field interested...

As a sophomore already nervous about choosing a major, I began searching for my “passion.” After taking an engineering summer intensive at Cal Poly, I came back to school wanting to learn more. I figured the only way to explore it further was to start our school’s first engineering club. My goal was simple: to teach students about engineering, and in the process, educate myself. I immediately fell in love with the breadth of the field, and became eager...

When I was 12 years old, my family spent a week in Chicago. This was my first time leaving California for anywhere other than Miami or Puerto Rico, and as any pre-teen desperate for independence would do, I decided to pack my own bag with Miami weather in mind, disregarding my parents’ advice. When we arrived in Chicago, it was freezing. We spent the first day visiting Northwestern for my college-bound brother. By the time we arrived back at our hotel,...

The reason I -- along with so many other students -- find NYU, and more specifically the Stern School of Business, so appealing is the never-ending supply of learning experiences NYU has to offer. When I visited NYU earlier this year, I immediately felt a sense of belonging. I knew this was a place where I could truly succeed and become involved at every level. The first avenue of the Stern education that caught my eye was the emphasis on...