Undergraduate / "to be a filmmaker" - Supplement for Stanford, Intellectual Vitality [3]

Stanford students are widely known to possess a sense of intellectual vitality. Tell us about an idea or an experience you have had that you find intellectually engaging.

During my freshman year, my home life imploded. The family I'd once held so dear had fallen apart in a matter of days, and there was nothing I could do about it. Family dinners vanished, and I found myself spending a lot of time alone with my thoughts. I was bombarded with emotions that my yet young brain could not comprehend, emotions for which I had no outlet. I was confused. Then I saw Garden State. As I watched Andrew Largeman, disillusioned and numbed by the collapse of his family, struggle to lead a normal life, I felt as if my own story were unfolding before me. The script captured a man without direction: his actions were robotic, his words passionless. I was staring into my future. But as the story wore on, Large came to grips with his life and realized that sulking wasn't going to change anything. He needed to take initiative. This philosophy resonated with me: I knew I needed to make amends before my life became the one on the screen. However, the movie itself helped me realize something else, something much broader. I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker. Moreover, I want to tell stories that provoke people into examining their lives. I want to jar people from their comfort zones. I want to do for other people what Garden State did for me. And even if I can only change one person, I'll have made a difference I can be proud of.

Let me know how it is!