As we bounced along the rutted dirt road in a 1968 Land Rover, I stared out the window, watching rows of cardboard houses and grass huts go by. Women with huge loads balanced on their heads made their way to a communal well, while bare-footed children in tattered clothes played in the dirt. Far off the beaten track of most tourists, Karatu, Tanzania was a rural, poverty-stricken village. We pulled up to the parking lot of the FAME medical clinic, where...

I never fail to be amazed by the incredible accomplishments, intelligence, and overwhelming humility of the people with whom I live and study. Stanford attracts people from all over the world with a wide range of backgrounds and hobbies, creating endless possibilities for exciting and stimulating conversation. I live next door to the world jump rope champion who wants to study aerospace engineering and...