In the seventh grade I was offered gang protection. My San Francisco middle school was smack in the middle of the territory of one gang but also attended by children of other area gang members. As I walked down the hall one day, pass in hand, I noticed a lone figure farther down the way, struggling under a pile of sheet music, probably suffering through a detention. Hoping to prolong my absence from Pre-Algebra, I offered to help carry his...

At the beginning of my first visit to Wellesley I was given a campus map. As I examined my map I noticed that Tupelo Point shaped Lake Waban into the profile of a young woman, perhaps poetically looking off into her bright future. I’ll admit, looking at the map while walking amongst hundreds of smart young women and becoming excited over the eighty percent of students who go on to graduate school (56) may have altered my perception of the...

Swarthmore spoke to me through the webpages of its Classics Department. I found a small community of passionate scholars within the College, students who will not accept anything less than the most challenging of texts and paces. Swarthmore is not for students who are unwilling to throw themselves into challenges, and neither is translating Homer. These students are not only passionate in the classroom -- their love of ancient civilizations spills into their extracurricular lives. I believe I would be...

Something I am constantly intrigued by is the displacement of women in history. Evidence suggests that it is women who were the forefathers, or rather, foremothers, of civilization as we know it. While the men hunted and did the work that required strength, women created basketmaking, weaving, agriculture, horticulture, and pottery, to name a few. Women continued to advance civilization, even though they were impeded by a lack of opportunities, such as school, research, funding, or even the ability to...

I expect my time at Bryn Mawr will be shaped by my academic pursuits in Classics and archeology, and by sharing my passion for learning with the rest of the community. Bryn Mawr is not for women who are unwilling to throw themselves into challenges, and neither is translating Homer. Within the Classics department I have found a small community of passionate and vibrant women, scholars who will not accept anything less than the most challenging of texts and paces....