The quality of Rice's academic life and the Residential College System are heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural traditions each student brings. What personal perspective do you feel that you will contribute to life at Rice? (500 word limit)
In the words of George R. R. Martin, “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” I agree. My perspective has been forged in part by my family and cultural background, but also by the hundreds of fictional worlds I have temporarily inhabited. Together, these two factors have influenced my passion for programming and taught me that even the smallest actions can cause change.
Ever since I read my first book, I have become enthralled by literature and fiction. I am [name] from California, but I have also been Aang of the Air Nomads and Link from Hyrule. I learned about fractions while conjuring pincushions at Hogwarts. I defeated the Formics with Ender and saved the queen of France with D’Artagnan while waiting resignedly at a bus stop, clutching my crumpled green ticket to monotony. These fictional worlds inspired me and continue to do so. They were also catalysts for my interest in programming, as I first became interested in computer science by questioning how video games were made.
Of course, it is not just fiction that has influenced my interests. My father is a hospice physician, which means he works around terminally ill patients. When he responds to a nurse’s phone call, I feel intense empathy for the patient on the other side of the conversation. I’m proud that my dad helps people, and I got the chance to do the same during my internship at the medical software company Equate Health. These values and experiences prompted me to develop my dream further and cemented my desire to provide aid to others as much as I can.
I find it amazing that these two seemingly irreconcilable factors have combined to form my identity. As a child, I would return from playing arcade games with my friends to hear stories of Indian myths from my mother. I look to characters from Hindu legends and DS games alike to find paragons of strength, intelligence, and value that I can attempt to emulate. Impromptu games of Mario Kart or Super Smash Brothers inevitably begin at gatherings for Indian cultural festivals such as Divali or Pongal or Navarathri, and meetings with long forgotten family members quickly devolve into discussions of the latest novels we have read or TV shows we have watched.
As I began coding my own video games and software, the lessons I learned from my culture inspired me to persevere through obstacles and gave me the courage to release my creations to the public.
I find it rewarding to know that I have impacted people in some way, because no matter how small that impact may be, I believe that it can change a person for the better.