If you had a full hour to meet with a government representative or community leader, what one issue or concern would you raise and why?
If given an hour to speak to a government representative, I would raise the issue of sex trafficking and how it needs to be stopped. I would encourage the government representative to support groups such as the Polaris Project in their efforts to abolish modern-day slavery, especially when it involves young children. Children are defenseless against prostituting themselves because they are too young to realize it is wrong. People who are forced into sexual slavery have developed an idea that no one will help them because efforts to stop sex trafficking have been not been aggressive enough, due to lack of funding and lack of awareness. Because sex trafficking is such a taboo topic, many government officials are hesitant to mention it as an issue against which they will fight. I would urge this government representative to fight sex trafficking and defend Innocence, which sexual trafficking destroys in those affected.
Please describe a daily routine or tradition of yours that may seem ordinary to others but holds special meaning for you. Why is this practice significant to you?
I have always valued the power of words. I have seen how words have the power of mending hearts and easing pain. They also have the power to destroy and corrupt. Words are fragile-so fragile that I take care in choosing the words I write as I fill page after page of my Moleskine notebook with those that express my innermost passions and my most genuine hopes and fears.
Not a day goes by when I do not journal. Writing is something very special to me, something essential to my life. When I write, I feel as if I enter a sort of breathing room: an open space in which anything is permissible and where all things are possible. Journaling is important to me because it helps me to be honest with myself. I am no longer self-conscious in my breathing room. As I look back on the journals I accumulated over the years, I see how my hopes and fears have evolved. Journaling allows me to see how I have evolved as a person, gradually, page by page.
How were you made aware of Barnard College? How do you feel Barnard College can help you achieve your personal and educational goals?
I first discovered Barnard College through my older sister. Often when she stayed late at school, I would go into her room and sift through her piles of college viewbooks. Barnard captured my attention after a brochure mentioned the "Nine Ways of Knowing," which appealed to me because I wanted to be flexible in my course selections, exploring a wide array of fields without being confined to a rigid "core" curriculum.
I have always been a free, unconventional thinker. I like to surround myself with people who are intellectually engaging, people who can simultaneously challenge and respect my opinions. I have been raised to be a strong, independent woman, one who always defends herself and her beliefs. While I like being independent, I also like the encouragement Barnard offers as a community. College will be a crucial time in my development, and I want to be influenced, supported, and surrounded by strong Barnard women who share my quest for intellectual understanding.
If given an hour to speak to a government representative, I would raise the issue of sex trafficking and how it needs to be stopped. I would encourage the government representative to support groups such as the Polaris Project in their efforts to abolish modern-day slavery, especially when it involves young children. Children are defenseless against prostituting themselves because they are too young to realize it is wrong. People who are forced into sexual slavery have developed an idea that no one will help them because efforts to stop sex trafficking have been not been aggressive enough, due to lack of funding and lack of awareness. Because sex trafficking is such a taboo topic, many government officials are hesitant to mention it as an issue against which they will fight. I would urge this government representative to fight sex trafficking and defend Innocence, which sexual trafficking destroys in those affected.
Please describe a daily routine or tradition of yours that may seem ordinary to others but holds special meaning for you. Why is this practice significant to you?
I have always valued the power of words. I have seen how words have the power of mending hearts and easing pain. They also have the power to destroy and corrupt. Words are fragile-so fragile that I take care in choosing the words I write as I fill page after page of my Moleskine notebook with those that express my innermost passions and my most genuine hopes and fears.
Not a day goes by when I do not journal. Writing is something very special to me, something essential to my life. When I write, I feel as if I enter a sort of breathing room: an open space in which anything is permissible and where all things are possible. Journaling is important to me because it helps me to be honest with myself. I am no longer self-conscious in my breathing room. As I look back on the journals I accumulated over the years, I see how my hopes and fears have evolved. Journaling allows me to see how I have evolved as a person, gradually, page by page.
How were you made aware of Barnard College? How do you feel Barnard College can help you achieve your personal and educational goals?
I first discovered Barnard College through my older sister. Often when she stayed late at school, I would go into her room and sift through her piles of college viewbooks. Barnard captured my attention after a brochure mentioned the "Nine Ways of Knowing," which appealed to me because I wanted to be flexible in my course selections, exploring a wide array of fields without being confined to a rigid "core" curriculum.
I have always been a free, unconventional thinker. I like to surround myself with people who are intellectually engaging, people who can simultaneously challenge and respect my opinions. I have been raised to be a strong, independent woman, one who always defends herself and her beliefs. While I like being independent, I also like the encouragement Barnard offers as a community. College will be a crucial time in my development, and I want to be influenced, supported, and surrounded by strong Barnard women who share my quest for intellectual understanding.