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I first read R.J. Palacio's Wonder in fourth grade, and I remember feeling stunned by its raw portrayal of empathy, character, and companionate love. When I encountered it again at eighteen in my psychology seminar last semester, it ignited a new appreciation of children's literature and its power to shape identity. After one class, I met two of my classmates for coffee. For over two hours, we discussed reading Wonder again as young adults. We compared it to other children's and young adult classics we read amidst middle school drama, built a case for the overlooked importance of adults re-reading children's stories, and wondered whether our worldviews would be so connected without these shared experiences with literature as kids. Read more
Yoko Meshi is a Japanese phrase with a meaning that does not quite translate into an English equivalent. This phrase refers to the unique feeling of stress or discomfort associated with trying to speak another language. I relate to this feeling of discomfort, but this does not stop me from loving language. After taking a multitude of both Chinese and Spanish classes, this phrase hits right to the heart. I know all too well the struggle of persevering through displeasures and hardships to be able to communicate. I hope to progress my communication skills with the University of Michigan guiding me along the way with opportunities to connect with others and their cultures and languages. Read more
As a section editor, I learned that the arrow keys in the right corner of the keyboard were the most pivotal in the editing process. Upon selecting the graphic and tapping the right arrow key, the word "competition" was no longer distorted into "co" "mpeti" "tion" between two lines of text, and the InDesign spread became readable. That was the power a single keystroke, although seemingly insignificant, can make for a spread. When promoted to Managing Editor for my school's newsmagazine, the Highlander, I integrated a keystroke mentality, of small "taps" creating drastic changes into leading a team of 5 editors and 25 staff writers. Read more
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