Undergraduate / Born in Miami & grew up in Beijing/ My World [3]

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Describe the world you come from; for example, your family, clubs, school, community, city, or town. How has that world shaped your dreams and aspirations?(*) (200-250 words)

My birth certificate says I was born in Miami, Florida. But how then did I grow up in Beijing, China? Well, at the time, my parents were constantly moving among different hospital which hired them as short-term employees and to ensure a more stable childhood, they sent me to live with my grandparents in Beijing for my first 5 years.

I vividly recall the sweet delicacy I enjoyed in China. April, 1999. It had just received a 100% on the pre-school final exam on single digit addition. Adrenaline flooded my veins and serotonin inundated my neurotransmitter. Getting a perfect score meant I could dine that night on those granular, sweet, and euphoric substances inside pink Sweet'N Low packages. Yes, my favorite "candy" back in China was an artificial sweetener. In a country where most families treasure every penny, Sweet'N Low was the affordable sweet. Now compare that to the luscious delights available in the US: Skittles, Snickers, and M&M's and it's apparent that many in other, more destitute, countries cannot afford the commodities Americans take for granted.

I hope, with my education at MIT, to decrease this disparity of access. Although I might not engineer a cheaper bar of Twix, I can certainly help those in China thoroughly indulge in the wonders of modern computing as they down their coveted package of pink powder. Along with the group at the Department of EECS, I hope to engineer an affordable PC with at least 4 GB of RAM and a 2.93 GHz processor that even the humble blue-collar worker in China can afford and operate. This is my dream.

Undergraduate / Exercising/MIT's EECS /Initiativeness/; MIT Short Responses [4]

1. We know you lead a busy life, full of activities, many of which are required of you. Tell us about something you do for the pleasure of it. (*)(100 words or fewer)

Exercising presents an opportunity to break yesterday's records and set new standards of excellence. It's a time to challenge myself to be better than I was yesterday. Whether it's doing one more push-up or simply taking five more strides to reach the mile, exercising empowers me to constantly transform myself, for the better, by pushing my potential. When I exercise with family and friends, not only are the workouts physically stimulating, in a good sense, but they also serve as a time to relax and catch up. Thus to me, the "burn" in my biceps is not a burn of anguish, but rather a burn of pleasure.

2. Although you may not yet know what you want to major in, which department or program at MIT appeals to you and why? (*) (100 words or fewer)

Only one school conjures up MOSFETs which promise to replace silicon transistors and Meshworm which promises to be indispensible in prosthetic design. Indeed, MIT's EECS invariably engages in pragmatic research with realistic application in solving today's problems. EECS furthermore invests in research in collaboration with other prominent universities and empowers its students to interact with engineers from around the world. Now mix these prodigious opportunities with my natural affinity for applied engineering and the result is a high school senior who can't see himself attending any school other than MIT's EECS. It's the blend of diversity, practicality, and identity of EECS that tugs on the strings of my college heart.

3. What attribute of your personality are you most proud of, and how has it impacted your life so far? This could be your creativity, effective leadership, sense of humor, integrity, or anything else you'd like to tell us about. (*) (200-250 words)

I am most proud of my initiative.
During my junior year, I became aware of some peers who craved to join the school tennis varsity team; but either due to not being physically apt enough or due to financial limitations in buying tennis equipment, they were rejected. Denying someone the right to enjoy something they loved simply because he/she didn't qualify was far too unjust and I decided to start my own program, the "Tennis for All Club" in which everyone could relish the sport regardless of fitness or finance. I vowed to provide racquets for those in need by working a summer job at my dad's real estate company. By the end of my laborious summer of 2012, I finally procured $400 which allowed me to purchase 10 Head racquets. During the first meeting, where 20 students came, I once again took initiative by asking the new members if they'd like some tips/hints on developing proper tennis playing technique from me. Many, to my pleasure, were eager for my assistance.

My initiative led me to create this club, which in turn has endowed me with 20 more friends. These companions not only share my love for the sport but also, by jokingly criticizing my sometimes uncanny tennis play style, make me a better player. What my members and I have is mutualism incarnate: I provide the equipment and atmosphere and they provide the intangibles such as passion and camaraderie. Without a doubt, my initiative has blessed me with 20 new strangers who I now call my most intimate companions. "Tennis for All"? No, "Tennis and Lifelong Friends for All".

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