What do you get when you combine a hypodermic needle, international code, clay, an early mainframe computer, and the national budget? In a sense, you get me. All of these things are connected because they are each related to the jobs of the women in my family, all of whom have influenced who I am. My mom is a neuroscientist, my grammy worked for the NSA as a decoder, my nana is an artist, my great aunt was an early computer scientist, and my aunt is a budget analyst for the US Department of the Interior. Throughout my life I have listened to their stories and I have watched them devote countless hours to their fields. I have always wanted to be as driven and successful as these women.
I have also always wanted to be my own person. Every kid gets asked “what do you want to be when you grow up?” For me, the answer has always been the same: a lawyer. I used to not know exactly why, but as I’ve gotten older, that answer has come into focus. I am interested in how people reason through things, I am determined, and I want to be in the conversation. I like to stand up for (and with) people who don’t always have a voice.
Maybe unsurprisingly, history classes are important to me because we discuss past events and current politics. I ask questions and I challenge ideas. For example, last November my APUSH teacher asked “what are the problems with America?” People said things like poverty, education, the environment. No one really disagreed about anything until one student raised his hand and said, “abortion: thousands of Americans are slaughtered every day.” Knowing me well enough, the class turned in my direction and maybe some people could see that before even being called on I was preparing to respond. Internally, I was thinking over the statistics, stories, and challenges that I knew regarding women's reproductive rights. As I spoke, pretty quickly the teacher noticed that this might be more than just an in-class discussion. Instead of letting the argument unfold, he scheduled a formal debate. I began to prepare. More than just wanting to win, I felt responsible for making a compelling case. I dug in. I studied the arguments, I poured over the research and I practiced articulating my ideas.
As the debate approached, people asked if I was ready and if they could be part of the audience. Other students skipped their own classes to attend. On the day of the debate, I took my seat in the front of the room and watched the rows fill with students. The room became far too crowded for its 25-seat capacity; some had to stand against the back wall. I was excited, but also had to push through a bit of nervousness. As the discussion unfolded, I gained confidence and became more assertive, bolstered by the strength of my argument and the depth of my research. In the end the audience voted for the winner and it was me. I won, overwhelmingly! I wanted this outcome, but it wasn’t like winning a game. It felt like my reasoning and research had convinced people, and had changed some minds. It made me feel like my voice could, and maybe did, make a difference.
I care about important issues—one of them being women's rights and equality. I have always looked up to women who use their minds and who aim to make life better for others, whether that was when I was a little kid and my favorite Disney character was Merida, or now, still being inspired by my mother. I want to continue the generations of women in my family that do something meaningful, and are proud that what they do makes a difference. Anonymous
The first remark really drew us in: We were curious to find out how all of those seemingly unrelated things were connected! This set-up was also a fascinating way to share how the women in the student’s family provided the drive and values that would come into play in a debate and a possible career. Throughout the essay we learned how confident and passionate the student is about the issues they care about, and ultimately how they placed more importance on standing up for their beliefs than winning. That showed us the writer would be a good fit at Conn, where we strive to be a community in which all members feel comfortable, respect each other's differences and seek common ground.