Undergraduate / Optimism, curiosity and inquisitiveness.; STANFORD/ intellectual vitality [2]

Hey guys!! i want you guys to tell me ALL your thoughts!!

Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development.

I'd like to think that even though I am a teenager, I have kept some of the most important things from my childhood: optimism, curiosity and inquisitiveness. Intellect can be defined as 'capability of the mind'. So can I as a student, make my mind more capable of obtaining and manipulating knowledge to my advantage? I believe that in having the relentless desire to be inquisitive, infallible knowledge can be obtained. Equipped with unyielding optimism, I believe through curiosity and inquisitiveness I have been able to not only possess intellectual vitality, I have also been able to increase it on a daily basis. Indeed there are many times where I have been apprehensive to ask certain questions because I was afraid I might be heckled or cause a heated debate that would carry on even outside of the classroom. However, I always remember that curiosity didn't in fact kill the cat; it turned it into some of the greatest minds that have ever lived! I was always taught to never be afraid to expose my ignorance because 'he who asks questions is a fool for five minutes, he who does not ask questions remains a fool forever'. This Chinese proverb has been paramount to my intellectual development by challenging me to sacrifice pride for boundless knowledge.

It is simply fascinating that through childlike curiosity, humans have achieved incomprehensible feats such as walking on the moon, and discovering the human anatomy. It is scary to think of where we would be without the resilience of those who are not afraid to express their ardent curiosity. I can doubtlessly say that every day is a quest to answer the question I previously posted, striving to improve not only my intellectual development but also my personal development.

Curiosity jumps starts personal brilliance! I have found that my curiosity has enabled me to improve the quality of my education experiences thus far. I feel that I have been able to learn more because I have the ultimate desire to know more.

Virtually all of Stanford's undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate - and us - know you better.

Dear roommate,

I am driven, not just because I want to be the best cultural anthropologist that has ever walked the earth but also because I want to challenge and inspire those that have never known hope and faith. It is so amazing to think that just a little while ago I thought they were just childish expressions. But if you were to ask me today what keeps me motivated and alive, I'll probably smile confidently and say that it is the 'audacity to hope'. I believe that one of the greatest gifts God has given man is hope itself. The ability to look beyond whatever circumstances that may surround you and see light even when it seems as though there is no way out. My hope and faith in my journey to achieve my dreams is a limitless entity that cannot be bound. I have lived for the entirety of my life in one of the poorest and crime ridden communities in England, where failure seemed like an endless cycle in which I saw people, even my friends get caught up in. It is absolutely ludicrous that people from the outside and even the inside of my community believe that I will inevitably become apart of that cycle of failed ambitions. But I truly believe that my ambitions can never and will never be contained within a 'cycle'. I will become an anomaly in my community. I believe that as Jesus said if I believe without a doubt in my heart that I can succeed in all my endeavors, I will indeed succeed. I hope that in the time we spend together as roommates we positively influence not only each other's academic experiences but also our personal lives.

I absolutely love the FUGEES by the way; I recite their lyrics on a daily basis! I ask nothing of you but to believe in my dreams and in turn I will believe in yours. With outright determination and relentlessness, we can indeed be whatever we dare to dream to be, no matter what is trying to hold us back; the sun will surely shine in our lives.

P.s you better get a gym membership because I make a mean mac 'n' cheese!

What matters to you and why?
Values. These are the guides to our behavior and I believe that we must let them take root in our minds, blossom in our hearts and flourish in our actions until they become a natural part of our thinking being, and doing. I believe that we need to embed them and give them practical expressions in all aspects of our daily lives. They need to become habits, positively effecting habits, which translate into virtues. Values matter to me because they help shape and influence the world around us. Values help us as human's to realize and fulfill our full potentials. To me, values make humanity in itself intrinsically beautiful; they are indeed the glue that holds our society together. They have become a part of my culture and identity and affect my beliefs and attitudes. My secret love for 60's and 70's music is an example of where my values have strangely had an influence. I absolutely love Aretha Franklin's 'Respect' and Sister sledge's 'We are family'. As cheesy as they seem I have learnt to appreciate them because they epitomize some of the values I was brought up with; having respect for the people around me and having unconditional love for my family. As basic as they are, it is hard to even put into words how much my family values have helped me develop into the ambitious young lady that I am today.

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space below (1000 character maximum).

In the summer of 2012 I had the amazing opportunity to become a Paralympic Games maker at the London 2012 Paralympic games. It was so exciting that I got to meet some of the greatest paralympian's that the world has ever seen. Not only did I have the honor to assist the athletes in carrying their kit off the track, I experienced absolute euphoria from the roars from the crowd of 80,000 in the Olympic stadium. It was extremely heart warming to meet athletes who had gone through so much adversity in their lives and still managed to give their absolute and utter best efforts to their sport. I was inspired on a daily basis by the athletes who risked their health and safety everyday to achieve their dreams and make their nations proud. Being a games maker has probably been the best experience of my life thus far. I was shocked but honored to find that the prime minister had written me a letter thanking me for my services to the country and also to the athletes.