I stood next to a wall, wanting to do a body wave, but failing to do so in front of my siblings. My sister laughed as she attempted to do her body wave using the wall, “Julie, I know a way! Bump your head first on the wall, then your chin, your chest, stomach, and lastly your knee.” I was amused at the sight of my sister perfecting a body wave using the wall, getting faster and smoother as she...

MICE: The bedding feels soft, the chow is soft and mushy, the water is lukewarm, and my sisters and brothers are playing with the water output by stuffing bedding in there to keep a constant flow of water coming. I tell them, “Stop that, we are all going to drown,” but my social and playful siblings do not listen. I hear the experimenter come in; “So this is how we house our mice and wean the young ones.” There is...

In my sophomore year at Gwinnett School of Math Science and Technology, my AP Biology class discussed the topic of neurotransmitters, synapses, and axons in brain cells. Before I could fully understand and develop interest in this field, the lecture ended because the curriculum did not focus much on the cerebrum and its neural mechanisms. After this class session, I did not have immediate second thoughts and lingering interest in this field until I read my twelfth-grade summer reading book...

Physics: My hands perspired as Mr. Burmester, my AP physics teacher, shuffled the name cards of doom. I prayed to God, “Please don’t let my name be called. Please don’t let my name be called.” But the next words that came out of Mr. Burmester’s mouth were “Julie, tell us the time in seconds when the two trains will meet together at the same place.” I froze in terror because I had hoped one of my other...

“Dad, why do leaders eat last?” I asked my dad out of confusion because I had just watched a Simon Sinek video during a leadership seminar. The only leader that I considered to have control over people was my dad because he was the head of my family, and my siblings and I had to do whatever came out of his mouth. Sinek said that the people without authority make a way for the alphas to eat first (just like...

I had never attended a boot camp before, definitely not a leadership boot camp. I was lured with a trap; my mom enticed me with the promise to buy sizzling meat at Honey Pig. The moment I walked in the door with a banner hanging from it that said “Welcome to the Civic Leadership Program for Youth (CLPY),” I felt a rush of fear and anxiety flood into my system. All the faces seemed unfamiliar, and the atmosphere was daunting....

During my first meaningful conversation with my grandfather, he gave me a life lesson I was not mature enough to understand. “Abundance plus comfort brings discontent and complaints.” Two months later, this saying became relevant in my life and became the reason we moved to Georgia. When my family immigrated to America, I realized that we were middle class, because unlike my friends’ moms, my mom cleaned up after my siblings and me, cooked meals for the family, and paid...

I am a science and research geek and an unexpected bold and energetic type. I have found the research lab to be a place where my high school lectures, techniques learned in textbooks, and knowledge gained from reading dauntingly long articles become relevant and applicable. Duke offers intensive research, courses, and mentors through programs such as the Undergraduate Neuroscience Program; Duke hosts symposiums and emphasizes the importance of neuroscience during Brain Awareness Week. Since I have worked in a research...

During my first meaningful conversation with my grandfather, he gave me a life lesson I was not mature enough to understand. "Abundance plus comfort brings discontent and complaints." Two months later, this saying became relevant in my life. When my family immigrated to America, I realized that we were middle class, because unlike my friends' moms, my mom cleaned up after my siblings and me, and cooked meals for the family. My dad had a stable job as a realtor,...

My college offers many...

My internship at Georgia Gwinnett...

I emailed my colleges and asked if there were...

Williams college was the perfect match for me. Although the campus is small and the student body compact, the professors interact...

Look for research and intern opportunities that you are very...