Speeches / Keynote Address/ Speech to Foundation Trustees to Public School District. [2]

The audience: Education Board, Foundation Trustees, Regional Superintendent, Executive Director of the county's public schools foundation, and various other important people to my school district.

Note: I am 18, senior in Highschool. read this as if I will be saying it, the "..." and bolds are for my pauses and emphasis. Not everything will be perfect in grammar, I already know this, but evident mistakes during speech you guys can correct, and if it is too colloquial in few places... then please fix as well.

-the &&& are for notes at the bottom....

Here is what I have prepared, If you could answer these questions about it it would be great.

-Is it worth the length?
-Rate it 1 - 10 in getting my point across (can you identify my point?) -however it is subjective to how you interpret it, but there is a correct answer...

-The subtle humor... is it visible along with my "voice" in the writing?
-How do you think they will receive this speech after all the edits.

This is a very special occasion for me. I am standing here as a proud product of Gwinnett County Public School System, in front of you all.... practically the drivers of this large machine. I have been in GCPS since kindergarden, and since then, I have practically been tackled by one opportunity after another. Each of which has played a pivotal role in shaping me into the type of man that stands here before you now. My educational environment did not only stimulate productivity in a fun, innovative way, but also strived to accelerate learning by tapping into the many resources of our current network age. The focus and gifted programs, Gwinnett County Online Campus..., Advance Smart Boards technology..., Distant Georgia Tech Calculus classes, and my personal favorite: Gwinnett Regional Science Fair, all stand as proof of how advance my educational environment has been.

Yet there is a bigger picture to this organization. It is not only important to me individually or my future, but also important society's health in general. Every learning institution is a construction site for future brains to be put at work in advancing the human population to greater heights, weather it be Politically, Scientifically, or through Arts and Literature. Each student is as significant... as important ...as his/her potential to do something productive. I may not know all your names or have ever met you before, but I know first hand... exactly how important all of you are, the covert men and women overseeing and administering our education system, providing Georgia with brilliant minds in the making....

"Good morning".... important people...

When it comes down to the fundamentals of society, education is nearly as primitive and vital as farming. Farmers harvest seasonal crops to feed the world while teacher's harvest student's passions to better our world. And it is this passion of individuals that makes great progress over time. In May, 2009, I was in Reno, Nevada, participating at Intel's International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), where I had the opportunity to stand on stage in front of whom I believe to be some of the most brilliant minds in the world. The one word to describe them all would be passion, their evident fervent zeal for what they did best...science. They were fully aware of their surroundings and most of all fully aware of their potential. &&&&1

. Mr. Lander's help and input was greatly appreciated no doubt... but it's his encouragement that I will NEVER forget. His encouragement is what extinguished my frustration during the challenging long nine month inquiry. &&&&2 My project essentially centered on observations on the Combination of Ultrasound and Antibiotics and their Effectiveness on Bacteria Viability. Though the primary application of his research pertains to sanitation procedures of surface deep wounds in the medical field, it is also potentially applicable to general antimicrobial practices in fluid mediums with water soluble antibiotics.

It got me second place at ISEF under microbiology... and yet... the 2nd place international recognition wasn't the most significant award I walked away with; it was a change in perspective. By interacting with Nobel Laureates, befriending peers from China, Russia, and Germany, I am now more hopeful for my generation's future than ever. I now see this vast interconnected world we live in ... with a slightly more ambitious perspective...

To expand on this notion a bit further, I would now like to share with you, &&&&3 subsequent series of events in history, that have lead to the innovations of technology and currently make up our current day dilemmas. These advancements have exploded our human race, overall to a higher number ...and standard of living with drastic costs and benefits. Simultaneously... carefully try to analyze who really is responsible for such cataclysmic change.

In the 18th century, Benjamin Franklin first opened the door to electricity's commercial applications with his research. The incandescent lightbulb soon thereafter evolved with Edison's attempts to produce light commercially by practical means. Light gave John Logie Baird's television contrast, and television stations luminosity to perform. Naturally, human competition gave birth to something even better: the LED, a substitute to the light bulb. These little innovations are now found in computers, projectors, even in the screens of our iPods. However, the iPod took one one-hundredth of the time to market an audience of 50 million than the time it took Franklin to harness electricity and Edison invent the lightbulb. To market an audience of 50 million, the radio took 38 years, the television 13 years, the internet 4 years, iPod 3 years, and Facebook ...merely 2 years.

The reason for our exponential growth is due to the small percentage of people in our population that dare to think differently. They promote our growth by accruing our "human knowledge" database... Science is continually expanding.

With well over 1 million books published worldwide every year, it is estimated that 4 exabytes, that's 4.0*10^19 amount of unique information, is being generated annually. The rate at which technological information doubles is every 2 years now. This phenomenon is not limited to technology, it's even infecting language! Take the New York Times, for example. With a combination of 540,000 words in the English language --that's 5x as many during Shakespeare's era-- one week's worth of the New York Times contains more information than a person was likely to come across in a lifetime during Benjamin Franklin's time period.

How is it with so many solutions well documented and applied, that we are still projected to face cataclysmic problems in our near future? Population control, environmental pollutants, and resource shortages. Why? Because there is still work to be done. That being said, it is evident that work is currently in progress -exemplified by our education system which empowers such brilliant minds. My generation currently is being prepared for jobs that aren't even available, using technologies that haven't been invented, in order to solve problems we don't even know exist yet. The current top 10 in-demand jobs did no exist 6 years ago in 2004, and the top 10 in-demand jobs in 2020 likely have yet to surface. Forecasted environmental issues like the "green house effect" are a prime examples. There is no occupation which "buys green house gases," nor any mechanic out there to "repair" this issue. These problems are laying foundations for industries to come. Industries in which the generation in school today will more than likely be pioneering in.

Yet the damage we have caused to the environment is not our only crisis. It is our growing population which stress our limited resources. During the course of my speech more than 67 babies will be born in the Unites States, 274 babies in China, and 395 babies in India, each of whom will most likely consume some endangered natural resource or another. Some one has to address this problem, but it's in the current generations hands to fix the statistics.

So what does this all mean?
The answer is simple. We are living in exponential times. Times in which every day is history in the making. Times in which the slightest spark of innovation, discovery, or research ignites a tilde wave of applications. Times in which the slightest change triggers the surge of employment in economies across the globe, and helps sustain the human population-- &&&& 5 securing generations to come in the current 6.7 billion strong. But the truth of the matter is, it all boils down to basic education... which then leads to research... which then leads to advancements ...sometimes with dire repercussions. We've all heard the common quote "with great power, comes great responsibility." And that responsibility lies with the teachers in the classrooms. But there is a shared amount of liability when it comes to education, because with great education, comes greater responsibility. With everything interconnected, with portals to opportunities well within reach, it is every ambitious student's responsibility to take the initiative to reach out and grasp them. &&&&6 And to facilitate ambition, it is our humble education system's responsibility, because in respect with today's circumstances, standards and expectations have never been higher for any other generation in history, nor has any generation been graced with such a great education facilities. Education is not merely teaching facts of history to students, it's also conditioning perspectives, instilling values, and building morals... the simple, fundamental things to an expanding communities within an exploding population. &&&&7 note

I want to thank you all, for this opportunity. I am lucky in give a speech verses blogging about it on Wordpress or have publishing it on Facebook. (sigh) Convergence is everywhere, it's easier than ever to reach out to a large audience, but harder than ever to really connect with them. Therefore it is has been an honor of mine to be standing here in front of such a large group of powerful people, sharing my thoughts and perspectives.

Thank you.

NOTES:

1: I need help transitioning from this thought to the next talking about how my teacher identified my potential and helped me stay motivated. Something short and sweet.

2:Do I need help transitioning here too when i start talking about my project?

3: Right word? subsequent?

5: Do i need this sent?

6: Need the word "And" ?

7: Need a concluding sentence that ties this paragrgraph together. Maybe something like how my education has been great and how i plan to be responsible.

Undergraduate / My selection of Major and Why. JHU's essay, Also Cornell's essay. [4]

JHU PROMT: (my notes at the bottom)
Johns Hopkins offers 50 majors across the schools of Arts and Sciences and Engineering. On this supplement, we ask you to identify one or two that you might like to pursue here. Why did you choose the way you did?

I confess of being a habitual explorer. My addiction seeds my indiscriminating curiosity, to which I irresistibly pursue a further investigation. Frequently, my analysis yield to a discovery which further stimulates my instrument of exploration -my brain. The most tantalizing element of Biology is its diverse quantity in brain food. Biology is merely nature at work, and nature does not "work" without its chemical or physical components. Hence, I choose such a pure science undergraduate major out of love for the art of inspecting nature. I am specifically interested in Biophysics as an undergraduate major due to its broad spectrum in Biology with a heavy emphasis in chemistry and physics.

Every Monday, at 8 PM Easter Standard Time, I am inspired by the aura of a six time nominated Golden Globe award fictional character who is based on Sherlock Holmes and Socrates. Some deem Gregory House as a misanthrope, but I crown him as a greedy genius, driven by his inquisitiveness for the bizarre. Nature itself is bizarre, which is engaging because common has hundreds of explanations, but bizarre has hardly any. That is why enigmas are so fascinating to people of logic.

Consider the history of Bacteriophage for example. Known as "bacteria eaters," Bacteriophage are bizarre oddities in the microscopic world. From the macroscopic view point, Alfred Hershey observed a known virus -consisting of only DNA and a protein coat- attach itself to a bacterial cell which soon after exploded to spill more viruses. At a time when DNA was under skepticism of encoding genetic material, it had to be identified which particular aspect of the simple virus induced such a deformity, the DNA or the protein. Nuclear chemistry suggested using radioactive labeling, in which biochemistry dictated incorporating specifically Phosphorous-32 in DNA and Sulfur-35 in protein -the reason being each lack the other element in their composition respectively. After interaction, the attacked bacteria were agitated through an innovative blender - which later inspired the kitchen appliance- then segregated through a porcelain filter and into a centrifuge. Physics states high angular momentum separates the virus and bacteria into layers due to differences in density. Radioactive readings on remnants of bacteria and viruses confirmed DNA's role in replication due to Phosphorous-32 presence in bacteria. It is interesting to see how macroscopic observations can deduce microscopic phenomenon with combined efforts of all branches of science.

It is even more so inspiring to read in that day in age, the innovative logic it took to suggest something so profound. One must think differently. For instance, when I conducted my independent research on ultrasound's effect on diffusion of antibiotics on bacteria, I realized to further prove my hypothesis, I needed a different perspective. It took visual analysis on bacterial colonies to deduce ultrasound was indeed having a significant impact on bacteria colonies. It took electrochemistry to conjure an apparatus to compare diffusion rates between a protein membrane, with and without ultrasound radiation. It took biochemistry to deduce the interaction of antibiotics with proteins which explained the visual observations on bacteria colonies. Yet, despite specific electrochemistry, biochemistry, and biology aspects, the fundamental question was mainly in the realms of biophysics: Brownian Motion. Like the Russian scientist, my complex question had a simple answer: yes, ultrasound does indicate impact on diffusion of water soluble antibiotics.

While some undergraduates may have the Messiah complex-in which they aim to save the world, I, like Gregory House and Alfred Hershey, seem to have the Rubik's complex-we aim to solve the puzzle. I believe when a question presents itself, it calls for an answer. With Biophysics, I plan to disseminate my brain to the unsolved mysteries of nature to quench my curiosity in my field of passion.

end

For JHU the major I picked was: Biophysics

Cornell's Promt: How have your interests and related experiences influenced your selection of major?

For Cornell: The major I picked was "Biological Sciences" If I substitute Biological Sciences and add the sent along the lines of: in short i am laying the foundation for my intended future in medicine." might make this essay work too., because I want to use this same essay for cornell, but the limit for Cornell is 500 words, so I want to reduce this essay by 150 words. (please help me how I can reduce this essay and where, I am pretty confident the story on Alfred needs to be reduced, need help on how, like combining sent etc. and Either expand on my independent research and conclusion, and another input on Gregory House. Should I use him or not, I kind of feel I am forcing House into this.)

Undergraduate / my father, Who has Influenced me. Princeton's Essay. [5]

Here is my Essay. My notes are at the bottom.
Limit: about 500 words
Prompt: Tell us about a person who has influenced you in a significant way.

It is amazing how much one can change with just a little help from a person. This influential person did not point out how to change my life, nor did he impose the change upon me. He simply inspired me, and for that, I admire him. His introverted presence in my teenage years has established a stronghold for my future which has led me to become independent. His advice is directly related to his history and experiences, and it has been with this which he has taught me discipline throughout my life. It is an honor to have such a father.

My father and I share the same birth place, but totally different upbringings. His childhood was dominated by my grandfather's poverty which nearly inhibited his formal education. If it was not for his prioritized ambition, his fate would be similar to his four brothers: fastened to the lower middle class tier in a third world country. He educated himself up the social ladder across the Pacific and into America. His persistence is awe-inspiring, but more so is his retention. He literally taught me everything he knew, and that is what I idolize about him.

To my father, grades are everything. I still recollect the expensive summer grade books he bought in hope I would learn the next grade's material before hand, the long hours during weekends we sat on hard wood floors practicing mathematics, and watching our favorite nature shows on Discovery. The greatest influence was his bitter, unyielding tutoring. I always resisted it, and despised it, but now I am grateful. Through fifty problems a day, he taught me algebra, physics, patience, and zeal. My priceless time with my father has laid my academic foundation and to my passions of science and mathematics.

As I grew older, he became less involved with my education. With this independence I have started to peruse other curiosities, such as creating music, enrolling in science fair, and founding an environmental club. Though he has never bluntly rejected any pursuing interests of mine, he has however always instigated the simple question of "Will this help you go where you want in life?" This simple question has changed my perspective. With every choice I make I feel guilt and the pressure of my father's expectations. I feel confused, because I do not always know the answer to that question. However, I feel certain that if I put dedication into my commitments, like my father did, success is bound to happen in some form or another. I do not have to struggle myself out of poverty, rather I have to struggle my way into my niche in life.

I see myself independent in college, still working long nights and dwelling into what provokes my interests. My curiosity will never cease, nor will the dedication that inspired me. My father has set me up and helped me realize what I am supposed to be: independent and motivated.

I can't say this is one of my best essays, but I Really would like comments on where i should improve my content, where and if i need to be more specific, and flow of the essay. Thank you.

Oh also any input on how I may add a conclusion of only aorund 30 or so words.

I still feel I need suggestions on the first sentence and the last sentence. A small conclusion, maybe any suggestions (as specific as you guys can) on how to add to the conclusion and reduce the body paragraph if need be. The word count is about 500 words.

Thank you.

Undergraduate / Am I Doing this Right? Additional Information Essay to Harvard College. [6]

Okay, well this is a daring essay to be sent to Harvard College and I need input not necessarily on the essay's writing, but it's effect on my chances of being a viable candidate. All of my application on the common app is very serious and decked with science and math awards, regional and international. I feel It only shows how ambitious I am rather than how fun and "all round" I am as well. My main commonapp essay is present on this site too "what I bring to the college mix" prompt, pretty serious and intellectual on "my perspective" of things. Here however I am given a chance to really show my self... I think. So with my background, would this essay have the desired effect I am hoping for? The prompt from Harvard College on CommonApp is:

Occasionally, students feel that college application forms do not provide a sufficient opportunity to convey important information about themselves or their accomplishments. If there is something you would like us to know, please inform us below. If you wish to include an additional essay, you may do so. --- It goes on to list possible topics such as - Unusual circumstances in your life

- Travel or living experiences in other countries... but I didn't really choose any of their suggestions when thinking of submitting this. Here is my essay:

There come instances in my life where I feel compelled to document some bizarre scenarios that I come across. Though I do not upkeep a diary or a personal journal as such, I do, however, enjoy writing a short story or two to express my perspective of the event. I feel it is a valuable stress reliever and most of all a fun elastic band of a sort, to see how far I can stretch reality to an unconceivable point. A short story I would like to share is of an unfortunate experience I personally had to deal with. Though this experience is wholly dramatized, its purpose is pure innocent humor - if described so politely. I can only hope this sample of my personal work does not taint my application's image, but rather exploits my abstract, artistic side. Please take no offense to the following material, it is nearly all fictional.

Laugh with Brute, not at Brute: Mayank Tahilramani

The Silver stainless door stands like every other elevator door in the building. Little do I know that later it will entrap me into enduring an experience that will stain my olfactory cells into submission. It took place at Jim's funeral with an atmosphere of lament and strict adherence to silence. This devilish deed occurred on exiting the building, in a short priceless elevator trip. It strips a holy nun as far as to state she is unclean, leaves me recklessly abused, and projects Ms. Cathy into full confusion. Although later, I found out that it, indeed, did fix Ralph's serious sinus issues. Before describing how the elevator scene plays out, one must know a background on the scientific aspect of the scenario, however.

At 7:10 a.m. in the morning, scientists state our gastric juices are churning in our intestines along with bacteria that process and extract nutrients in our food. When bacteria break down organic material, they release methane, hydrogen, and various other highly flammable and most socially offensive gases.

"Sad day Ralph." Ralph and Jim became best friends ever in their youth. Ralph gave a feeble attempt to nod. We all know when Ralph gets overly depressed, it clouds his sense of reason. I directed him towards the elevator. As the door screeches open, an impartial wall of black coats and long faces pack the 8ft by 10ft elevator. I could personally identify all of them. Ms. Cathy, Ms. Lammen, Mr. Brute, and young Aaron, all heartbroken, stood at the elevator. Ms Cathy was the mother of Jim while Ms. Lammen resides as a nun at the local monastery.

In the elevator, the chains untwined with a slow continuous humble creak promptly after Ralph, closest to the door, pressed "F1". The aggressive decrease in elevation evidently proves too much to tolerate for someone. He rips an equivalent of an H‐bomb. I cannot distinguish what rivals the other better, the fake sneeze, "ACHOO," or the vibrations of his gluteus maximus, Instantaneously and simultaneously the atmosphere of the immediate surrounding area intensifies by multiples of 100 and so literally thickens as well. At once, the evading gas escapes faster than the speed of light and thereby distinguishes Mr. Brute as the culprit as a chain reaction follows back to him. Ms. Cathy sharply turned to give a "how dare you" look to Albert Brute. Her wrinkled face contorts to tight lips with a pointed nose and more wet tears follow. The tears, however, come not from sorrow. Ms Lammen's reaction, however, appropriately depicted facial expressions of the Japanese during attacks on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II. The world stood near its last breath according to her facial expressions. The holy sister, not able to bear the stench any longer, shakes her head vigorously as if praying for his forgiveness.

A little further off stands young Aaron, beside her grandma Laura Cathy. Aaron, barely the age of 9, gestures as if personally offended. She practices a tendency to be playful in a sophisticated manner. She eyes Brute inquisitively as if expecting something. Poor little Aaron. Little does she know that expecting an "excuse me" is equivalent of stating, "it was me". In these close quarters, I think to myself, it matters not much. I, luckily the tallest, escape the intruder for a mere half a second more. It was rotten eggs. It was dried vomit. It was a John John. It was an offense for which there was no sufficient punishment. All prove understatements compared to the magnitude of reality. The stench not only interferes with normal functionality of the nose but also disorients the taste buds like the garlic residue that perturbs the tongue. A tease of hydrochloric acid most undoubtedly presents itself robustly. Maybe he religiously consumes fully loaded bean burritos prior to all funerals. The cheese surely seems to be present. Nonetheless, the combination of taste and smell severely questions my ability to stay in conscience while I stood there helplessly near the exit. If Mr. Brute can potentially knock out a fully‐grown adult human, he needs to be thoroughly examined or elaborately congratulated. Not many posses this feat to their disposal.

Lastly, the evading gas strikes Ralph. His reaction, shown like an admirable, tough soldier, appears macho in the light of things. Ralph quickly changes posture from sad, gloomy, teary facial expression to sharp, wide eyed. It was disheartening to see Ralph miserable before, but to see a mourning figure being displaced and interrupted in such a way must be an omen. Ralph almost cried, but again he holds it all in as only a true man can. The elevator screeches once more to stop. It was blissful. It was orgasmic. It was sensational. The breeze of fresh, uncontaminated air gathers in and purges out Mr. Brute's to tell the tale. After exiting the humid, steamy, sinful elevator, we all quickly disperse separate ways. Mr. Brute, however, stays back. He has a unique mix of stupid, constipated look about him.

The End

Is this essay utter nonsense and should NOT be submitted, or funny to the point it would make the reader take a second look at how "unique" I may seem due to this hobby of mine?

Undergraduate / Common App Essay. What I bring to the College "mix." [3]

Well, this is my first thread, and slightly hesitant to post here. But I will give it a shot. Please note I am posting this essay for feedback on content and material not necessarily grammar or mechanics. I have already submitted this essay to colleges but recently found this site. I merely want assurance and truth weather or not this essay ranks to top tier college standards. Thank you very much. The prompt exactly states: "A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you." (CommonApp.org)

I have always had a subconscious craving for knowledge - not the knowledge derived from random memorized facts, but knowledge that comes from experience. Looking back now, I seem to have ended up in some adventure or another that has instilled experience, and amalgamated them into a pool of what I call my perspective. Many of my extracurricular passions are mainly the result of my academic achievements. Yet ironically, many of my academic achievement are due to my extracurricular experiences--which have allowed me to think outside of the box to further grasp my understanding of the subject at hand. Hence, it is safe to say, my academics and extracurricular endeavors go hand in hand to shape my general perspective.

When ingenuity meets passion, I think the only outcome is success. I was able to apply my passion for both science and acoustics by incorporating the physics, chemistry, and biology that I learned in AP and gifted courses throughout high school into one substantial project --purely driven by curiosity. It took two acoustic versions of Dave Matthews Band, one bass thumping Lil Wayne track, and a summer on Ground Floor Post-Anesthesia Care Unit at the local hospital to materialize an idea which captivated my imagination. Would vibrations from sound like those from Dave's symbols or Wayne's bass synth influence concentration gradients of water soluble antibiotics? So with a few trials and errors, I proceeded to observe and document a real life phenomenon: ultrasound's effect on molecular diffusion through bacterial cells. The physics behind acoustics helped me test my biologically relevant hypothesis with chemistry, supporting my conclusions at the molecular level. Turns out, there is indeed a potentially beneficial relationship between ultrasound radiation and diffusion of water soluble antibiotics. By using real life application of what was being taught, I simultaneously further grasped physics and chemistry the year I conducted the research. Having only a high school environment and hardware to my disposal, I was still able to achieve international recognition by Intel for my observations.

I do not, however, believe discovery only happens under strict scrutiny in a research environment. It is sometimes a collaborative effort. As the founder and president of "Green Team," I feel honored to have witnessed first-hand the potential of such collaboration. As a new club to the school, only in its second year, it has rallied more than fifteen members who are actively interested in the club's motives and activities. I strongly believe eco-friendly innovations will continually spring up, and research is naturally going to find breakthroughs, but what growing independent teenagers need is a change in mentality. To promote "green thoughts," I had to set an example. A couple of my enthusiastic friends and I decided to pioneer the collaboration of members from other schools via "Be The Change Day Atlanta." We collaborated with Alpharetta High School's Science National Honors Society to help cultivate land at Atlanta Food Bank. What we expected to be an air conditioned factory setting with packaged goods turned out to be a community plot in the ghettos of Atlanta dominated by red Georgian fire ants, eerie weeds, and rusty equipment. Together, we overcame our initial hesitation of our work and environment to create a viable mini-crop garden for a less fortunate community.

Discovery does not occur without curiosity. Medical science is something I have always found to be enigmatic; it is biology, chemistry, and practicality integrated as one. Hence, to feed my curiosity, I decided to indulge myself in a whole different world. Since the summer following my freshman year of high school, I have volunteered at Northside Hospital. During my first summer, I volunteered at the infusionary center where I had the opportunity to comfort elderly cancer patients. Nonetheless my real exposure to the medical realm -- and to reality -- came from helping in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit. As a volunteer, my job description consisted of comforting patients with warm blankets, transferring patients into their room beds, and aiding technicians. What the job description failed to depict was the work's side effects: reinforced gut in response to witnessing gruesome wound sites, insight into the medical procedures, and an inspiring respect for nature. Some discoveries are realizations, and what I realized then, during these short priceless summers, was that my future lies in the medical realm, and my search for knowledge will never cease just like the experiences I indulge in. Medicine is the best of both worlds: humanitarian work which subdues my scientific curiosities and facilitates growth from the experience it provides. These summers alone laid the foundation for so many of my future ambitions. From finding parallels between MRSA patients with my last year's ultrasound and antibiotic's research to expressing an epiphany on a web-blog on cancer, my summers at Northside Hospital have morphed my motives towards being more philanthropic and open-minded.

Volunteering at Northside Hospital fostered my enthusiasm in becoming a "Jeff Ellis and Associates" certified lifeguard, which literally proved to be a lifesaver to some degree --not just within the pool area. My experience and training as a lifeguard enhanced my abilities with the knowledge to sustain unconscious life and rescue/assess medical emergencies. In one of my annual trips to India, I witnessed an appalling hit-and-run road side accident victimizing a five year-old girl and her grandmother. With a pocket full of foreign currency in a third world country, and a background of medical emergency assessment, I was able to administer first aid during congested New Delhi traffic and purchase quick transport to a nearby clinic. This was more of a surreal event in my life than a proud one. I now see the beloved country in which I was born in a different perspective: dismally flawed. Crippled infrastructure left roadside victims to the mercy of pedestrians, undertrained medical personnel lacked urgency during such an emergency situation, and with such a vast population, a single life seemed merely statistically lost in the one billion strong, rather than individually precious. Such harrowing scenarios can turn a person pessimistic or optimistic. It is with optimism that I acknowledge this experience of mine as proof of the fact: knowledge is convenient only if one is able to apply it. I have begun to quickly realize how every bit of information I come across is essential to whatever life has to throw at me --or an innocent pedestrian.

Every life experience of mine delivers a new perspective, and that above all is what I bring to a tightly knit college community. I feel that the greatest investment of any individual is his or her unique contribution to a community; it is this accrual that compiles interests over time to construct colleges into rich central nodes of progress. With an ambition to be part of a new movement in change, I highly doubt my life experiences will cease to change and continually encourage me as an individual --especially in college. With colleges' research facilities, diverse student populations, and independence, I aim to fully exploit my college experience to aid in establishing a better community, locally and globally, and contribute to the world in some way.