“Don’t call it a comeback. I’ve been here for years.” – LL Cool J.
This quote is relevant to my life because of how I came back from being unnoticed and not being myself. Before 6th grade, I used to hide in the back row and not talk during class to try and be ‘cool’ to make friends. Ironically, hiding my real personality was what was holding be back from building these relationships. When I finally came to school and gradually starting acting like myself, everyone was surprised and wondered what happened. I told them that I was just lurking around before waiting the right time to show how I really am rather than being someone trying to be like everyone else. I made sure that they knew that I did not change but that I am back.
“Take Advantage to Go Forward”
This five-word phrase best describes the mindset that I am going into high school with. I am well aware of how fortunate I would be to attend Choate which is a school that has opportunity running through its veins. Great people. Great facilities. Great atmosphere. All of these things can create a wonderful high school experience if you make the most of them. One needs to interact with his peers and teachers at a school like Choate to receive the maximum benefits. These benefits could include relationships that could last a lifetime or even just understanding the world we all live in a little bit better. With all the clubs and electives students at Choate can choose from, I would be making a mistake if they did not try new things to shake myself out of my comfort zone. Especially when you have a community as supportive as the one at Choate, high school is a perfect opportunity to thrive as a student and a person but only if you make the most of your four years.
Reconnecting.
My family is from two totally different places. My mom is from the Czech Republic, and my dad is from Toledo, Ohio. When I was younger, none of my friends knew what the Czech Republic was. It wasn’t one of the popular European countries to be from, like England or France. Because of that, I leaned into my milder midwestern heritage and left my Czech roots behind I lost something, not connecting myself to my Czech roots. Both of my Czech grandparents are dead, and I never really got to talk to them. I visit my American grandparents twice a year, if not more, and I can have real conversations with them all the time. By distancing myself from my Czech family, and not learning their language or making more of an effort to call because of it, I let a part of my heritage slowly slip away from me. If I had one more day in the year, I would spend it on learning Czech and trying to build a bridge between my family and my uncles and aunts in the Czech Republic. I hope I get the chance.
Choate excites me because it is a place where you will receive a well-rounded education but will give the opportunity to dive deeper in to subject that you personally are interested in. While I am currently interested in debating and computer science, trying new things could expose me to things that I want to pursuit in depth as well. Choate students are ambitious and motivated. They learn to take advantage of the resources available to them, which include state-of-the-art facilities like the Icahn Center and Paul Mellon Center, and seek out opportunites to grow as student and people. Choate students learn to be self-aware. By the end of their years at Choate, they have a better sense of who they are and where they still can improve themselves. My father by a Choate alumni, Anthony Malkin, to help his former Choate roommate with a real estate issue. I found it astonishing that these two roommates still have such a strong bond decades after they graduated. Being a student at Choate means part of group of freshman that will learn how to take the next step in becoming the leaders in their respective areas of interest.
Essay
My heart was pounding out of its chest. The teacher had just announced that there would be a class discussion. I hated these discussions. The problem was not that I did not have any ideas. The issue was that I had no outlet to let my ideas be known. Whenever it was my turn to speak, my eyes would change to a lost gaze and I would completely lose my idea that was in my head. In 7th grade, my school required every student to make speech in front of the entire upper school as part of a competition. I had no trouble choosing a topic, a simple speech about what the card game, Magic: The Gathering, means to me was what I decided on. I was hoping to inspire my peers━to take advantage of every word, every letter because need every inch in life. The margin for error is to small. Every success and every mistake must be learned from to move forward.
I practiced furiously the week before in hope to make an impact on my classmates. The teacher looked at me with hopeful eyes and told me it was my turn to go. The moment had come. I stood up and inched up to the podium. I began to speak. My tongue felt like sandpaper on the top of mouth as I conveyed my message. My heart beating hard. As I said my last line, I could hardly believe it was over. I was filled with joy and pride. Though it seems like a small step, this experience gave me confidence I needed to share and listen during discussions. It opened a door that allows me to explore and understand who I am in greater depth. Though I did not manage to get an votes for winner of the competition, I had never thrived more than I did on that stage on wanted to explore that side of me in greater depth. I joined my school’s Model Congress club, Debate Club, and school newspaper to speak or write about my ideas of how to change our world for the better and, more importantly, listen to others’ ideas. At Model Congress, I was enthusiastic to take part in debates on government-subsidized loans but I never forgot where it started, that speech on donuts. I began to improve my craft of using rhetoric. While speaking, I could feel my audience spirit rising with mine. I could see the listeners leaning in for every consonant of what I was saying. My words filled the air and my voice made the room seem small. It felt great to know people were listening, to know that people cared what I was saying.
After a warm summer break, I came back to school as an eighth grader. On the subway back from school, my friend who was in seventh grade was stressing about his upcoming speech, the same one I did a year prior. During the annual discussion the seventh and eighth graders about St. Bernard’s, my school, my friend, Martin, was called on. His face went red as he tried to spit the words out. I saw myself in Martin. I knew I had to do something because knew how much stress this speech was causing him similar to when I did my speech. I taught him everything I knew about ways to make his speeches impactful. Make them about something you care about, breathe deep, talk slowly, and do not panic. While this advice might have helped, he was the one who had to do it. The most important thing I told him was that once he did it, making speeches would only get easier. He practiced with me everyday the week before the day of his speech. While I was not in the room, I could tell it was well. He carried himself with a new confidence while I was talking and joined me in Model Congress. It was a reminder to me that we can shape mountains with our mind and use our experiences to help others. With this new confidence, I became an avid participate in class and simply someone who likes to talk and listen. The transition was smooth. It was like the shoes were always and I finally filled them. If we seek as a community to change the world, we could not possibly do so without having the conviction and drive to let our ideas out to wander and sit in other people’s minds. I found my confidence in this speech, a small leap of faith that has made an ocean of difference.
Deerfield Academy
Short Answers
“There’s a world of opportunity out there, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT.”
This phrase that came out of my grandfather’s mouth blew me aback. When he asked what I had done since we talked last, I would shrug and say “nothing much.” He was tired of this response which when my grandfather uttered these life-changing words. I now looked at the world through a different lens. I was not blindly dawdling through the world anymore but rather seeing the different ways I could use the things around me to my advantage. I found that simply getting to know my classmates around was one of the best ways to learn different people’s perspectives. I used to sit through my classes looking at the clock and waiting for the class to end. Now, I view learning as a way to visualize, in great depth, my place in a global society and what I can do to improve the world we all live in. Additionally, with all the resources available to you at a place like Deerfield you would be making a mistake not using they great facilities Deerfield has to offer like the black box theater. With all the clubs and electives student at Deerfield can choose from, one would be making a mistake if they did not try something new to shake them outside their comfort zone. Especially when you have a community as supportive as the one at Deerfield, being yourself and letting you and your passions grow is the perfect opportunity to thrive as a student and a person during high school.
The Lawrenceville School
Short Answers
A book I enjoyed and hope all have the chance to read is To Kill a Mockingbird. An integral part of American history and literature, To Kill a Mockingbird is enjoyed by many because it teaches the reader about race relations in the 1930s and help decipher why the political and social climate is the way it is today. It is interesting to see that a black man with superior character and values to a a certain white man was treated with such disdain and only responded respectfully and truthfully. This book outlined how wrong it was judged someone simply by ethnicity and character. To Kill a Mockingbird shaped the values we have a national community by showing how wrong that integrity and honor were not valued over race in the anecdote of the 1930s presented by Harper Lee. Though Lee’s ideals were frowned upon by a great portion of the people residing in the Southern States, she published the book because she knew it were responsibilities for all who were willing to hear them. The book acted a positive catalyst in steps toward becoming a great country, though flawed, and the values we cherish today like true equal treatment for everyone. The book is still widely used today is high school curriculums across the country. The lessons taught in the novel continue to shape the country’s views on racism in America.
One of the things that I pride myself upon as a student is challenging myself as much as possible through taking all the hardest classes and being fully immersed and engaged during my classes and trying to take the maximum advantage of the resources given to me.. Specifically, last year was my first year taking a new language which was Spanish. I struggled for the first semester largely due to the fact that my teacher taught his classes predominantly in Spanish. Some of my classmates who had prior experience with speaking Spanish excelled in this environment while some, like myself, were having a hard time keeping up. I felt like I had begun a race without eating for the week before. You could try to finish the race but you knew that you could not finish. As I was aware of the definition of insanity, I knew I had make a change if I want to succeed to in this class. With nowhere else to turn I decided to go to the teacher. I had always believed that it is nobody else’s duty to figure out your problems but yourself but I was desperate. My teacher was very understanding and explained several concepts that had previously been perplexing to me and laid out a plan of things I should review to score well on the upcoming test. I achieved a grade I was very satisfied with and had a realization. Though figuring things by yourself is not always bad, leaning back on people who are happy to support and want you to succeed can pay great dividends.
Learning how to thrive and keep my authentic personality in different environments is a concept I have learned over time. I began to realize that I had not built any strong relationships throughout my elementary and middle school experience and had to make a change. I have had many experiences that I would love to share and talking to people and learning what interests them and why is intriguing. The only problem was that I did not know how to build these relationships. Being lost, I masqueraded my real personality with this facade of what I thought the world wanted of me. I was not content with the way my life was going and knew I had to make a change so like a butterfly from a cocoon, I brought myself, unapologetically, out to the world. I began to show empathy for others and talk about them about their goals and just about what is going on in there life. People started to gravitate towards me and even wanted to talk to me. In return for this change, I received a gift more valuable than anything that could be sold at a pawn shop which is a broadened perspective due to all the stories and experiences people shared with me. I began to develop my own personal interests due to this experience. The seed of individuality grew into me becoming someone who had a passion for speech and debate and ready to grow for years to come.
Lawrenceville excites me because it is close to my family and because of how it teaches its students how to be part of a community. Lawrenceville students are ambitious and self-aware of the fact they are play a part in both their local and global communities. They seek out opportunities and use the tools that they are given, like the Bunn Library or the Juliet Lyell Staunton Clark Music Center, to achieve their goals and explore themselves. They come as student with an idea of what they want to do and leave with a passion for their craft and a well-rounded education in all other subjects. Lawrenceville is a place where students become uniquely aware, through engaging Harkness classes, who they are and leave with a better understanding of who they are through classroom discussion. They find what their role is in their small classroom discussion and then find their place in the greater world. Lawrenceville students find their footing and the confidence to learn how they can learn to achieve their goals and how they can serve the world beyond Lawrenceville.
Essay
I was my turn to take the stage. The director of our 5th grade play, Mr. Clavel, asked each person to make a five minute performance on the stage with the goal being to make our classmates laugh. I had absolutely no idea what to do. Not knowing what to do, I rose to the stage and began to rant about everything I hated about airplane food. To my surprise, people enjoyed it so I continued and said whatever came to mind. As I words kept flowing from my mouth like a waterfall, I watched as my audience chuckled and felt moved to laughter by my voice. I felt like the loudest person in the world. The recollection five-minute stunt has grown into the mission of a lifetime. It is the same goal that all authors and speakers work strive to accomplish: the aspiration to have an impact on others with your words and ideas.
This undying spirit carries me up on to the stage to address all who are willing to hear. Seeing an opportunity, I joined Model Congress and immediately fell in love with it. I felt at home while debating and giving speeches. Elected as president of student council in sixth grade, I addressed the class but felt right home promoting change among my peers. What matters in speaking is every astounded expression and pensive glare– signs of the real goal, my thoughts influencing theirs.
Another way to influence is through my writing. For example, for the past eight years I always passed the same street vendor everyday. I took the initiative to talk to the man. The man, Ray White, is scraping by, selling his wares, to give his children the great childhood they deserve. He is on a mission to retire happily in North Carolina and is motivated everyday by it. I was inspired and knew that whatever I wanted to do, I had to be active in pursuing it. Knowing this story had to be heard by all, I shared the interview in the newspaper. In the following days, teachers and peers alike told me on the stairwell how powerful a story they thought it was. It gave me great satisfaction knowing that, similar to preschool, I found something worth sharing to the rest of our planet.
This spirit is best applied to education on the whole. Learning is finding the next great things to show the world―the next show-and-tell. Outside of school, I read articles and listen to TEDx Talks online, searching for the gas that will fuel my next projects. Realizing my ideas and education will affect others, my motivation to learn is undying. Though the content of my projects hopefully reach beyond simply talking for five minutues, the mission has not changed. Look to discover. Share with all. Aim to impact.
The Hotchkiss School
Fill-in-the-blanks
- I am not embarassed to admit that I really enjoy listening to my sister’s acapella group and want to audition for one myself
- My friends would say that I am passionate, confident, ambitious, considerate, and funny (still working on that one)
- If you have great opportunities, make the most of them and use your experiences to help others
- Just a guy looking to achieve his goals and have fun doing it.
- Hotchkiss is where I have the opportunity to pursuit academics and athletics at a high level while staying within a reasonable distance from NYC
Short Answers
As someone who is interested in pursuing computer science in high school, I know that there are many schools in my hometown, New York City, that may not have access to computer science in the same way. I want to use the skills I would learn at Hotchkiss to volunteer at a local school through an organization called CSNYC that helps to bring high-quality computer science education to public schools in New York City. My sister spent her pre-high school years in the public school system and when I went to the school to visit it became clear that they did not have the same tools and resources in the classroom our independent school had. One of the most obvious differences is the lack of resources as it relates to the technology departments with only a few computers for student use. Early education and exposure to certain subjects can plant a seed for someone to continue to study the subject for years to come. Yet, if the school does not give its students access to computers they might lack the skills needed to be connected to our world which revolves more and more around technology every day. It is important to use the skills you learn at a great high school like Hotchkiss to help those who might not be given the same opportunities, and I would love to share my passion for computer science with younger children.
Lost. Confused. Incurious. These words described what was feeling as I dawdled through my first months of sixth grade. During an assembly, I heard someone a couple years older than me announce that they will be holding a debate and that it would be after school if you would like to watch. The idea of a debate peaked my intrest so I decided to attend. ‘Should violent video games be legal?’ was the topic that the two sides debated. After hearing the two sides debate, I formed my own opinion on the subject. I was very interested by how both sides was able to convince me and alter my way of thinking through his rhetoric. I knew I wanted to convince people in the same fashion. I began to watch debates on Youtube and become involved in various clubs surrounding the subject like Debate Club, Model Congress, and the school Newspaper. I had finally found my niche and know that I want to keep building off this passion in the future.
2019-1-16-1547601725