'the people I love in Colombia' - Stanford -- What matters to you and why?

Prompt: What matters to you and why?

Forget neutrinos. Laughter is that familiar, universal sound that can travel one-thousand six hundred and sixty-nine miles faster than light can. Breaking the speed of light, while uniting people only divided geographically, laughter is the physical constant in my life. Laughter is omnipresent amongst my family, and it is the common denominator which keeps us close, regardless of physical distance.

Even through rough times, when I'm with my parents, brothers, and cousin for family events in Rome, the infectious sound of laughter is present in the room. Jokes, witty retorts, and clever remarks are the stimuli that precede the laugh. Thousands of miles away, in my grandparent's home in Colombia where my extended family is together, the same positive, humorous, and witty outlook on life stimulates the presence of laughter. When I'm sharing a laugh with my family, I don't feel a distance from the people I love in Colombia. The environment may differ, but the atmosphere is the same. Laughter mirrors and promotes unity, both amongst my close relatives and my extended family, and nothing is more important to than family.

I'm able to take the lighthearted, positive, and vibrant atmosphere my family creates to all facets of my life. They say laughter is the best medicine, and I'm perpetually doped up. It keeps me happy when I'm sad, relaxed when I'm stressed, and close when I'm far.

Any suggestions, criticism, or corrections are welcome!

I think you've got a good topic by talking about laughter and family.
Then, some advice:
1. You mentioned rough times , but i think it may be better if you state the situation more clearly with one sentence or two. i nearly neglected it when i first read your essay.

2.The essay is full your thoughts, which sounds a bit philosophical. But i think you may add more detailed descriptions or conversations between family members so that your essay may appeare more lively.

3. I did not catch that "speed of laughter" part. maybe its my fault that i've never heard of it. :-)

I also like your idea on laughter, :)
however, i did not understand this part --> 'can travel one-thousand six hundred and sixty-nine miles faster than light can. Breaking the speed of light,'

other than that, i do enjoy your essay!

Well, the basic idea is that laughter is able to instantly bring me close to my family in Colombia. It's a way of bridging the cultural and physical gap, and laughter is able to do it distantly. The mileage is the actual mileage between the city I live in and the city my family lives in Colombia. It was my way of trying to be clever, but it's really hard to do it without explaining, and then that kind of ruins the idea. Haha.

Wow, I just love the "forget neutrinos" part. It was absolutely amazing!