Empowerly

Student profile

Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom. 

Looking into her eyes, I saw the pain that was stopping her from telling me the complete story. [name] struggled to let the words out, stumbling over every other word. After a long pause, she managed to tell me why she knew so much about cancer.

“Because I have it…” she began slowly.

I met [name] this past summer at a Cancer Workshop held by the [name] Institute of Biomedical Research at [university]. On the first day of classes, I noticed that [name] knew the answers to all the questions that our professor asked us--ranging from the causes to the treatments of cancer. I was fascinated and bewildered by her expertise at such a young age.

I wasn’t always fascinated by cancer; rather I was afraid of it. My grandmother suffered from ovarian cancer, my grandfather from lung cancer, and the list goes on. The concept of cancer looms over my family. During my childhood, I thought cancer simply meant death.  As I grew older, I became aware of the complexity of cancer, as I realized that research and medicine can help  patients overcome cancer. This made me hopeful as the idea of helping patients became attainable. Thus, my interest for life sciences sparked. I took AP Biology in eleventh grade, but I was still in ardent search for knowledge of cancer, which led to the Rosetta Institute. I joined a Molecular Biology of Cancer workshop and began to learn more about the causes and treatments of cancer while being able to interact with a professor. This was my first time interacting with a specialist in the field of research, let alone learning from one. I was engrossed by being surrounded by students and professors that shared my passion for biology. I was able to seek advice from other future researchers, connecting with them through our common goals. 

In the future, I intend on advancing my education in research and contributing to the cause of helping those like Claire, my grandparents, and many more that have been afflicted with tragic diseases overcome them and lead healthy lives.

What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?

The pitter-patter of her steps daunted me as she ran from corner to corner. This 7-year-old girl was causing ruckus in an otherwise peaceful environment, agitating her peers. My presence was like an invitation for her to dismiss the rules of the classroom. She refused to dance while encouraging the others to do the same. Disappointed, I began convincing myself that my journey as a dance teacher was over. 

The studio was too small to accommodate 10 indefatigable 6 to 8-year-olds. As a new dance teacher, I was overwhelmed with my responsibility. During my first lesson, I was clueless as to how to talk to these children, let alone teach them. Feeling honored to have this opportunity, I accelerated my teacher’s lesson by solidifying their fundamentals.

Since I was 10, dance was my greatest hobby and skill.  Performing in  numerous competitions and benefit shows, I strived to pass on my skill and knowledge to others someday. When presented with the opportunity to do so, I faced the difficulty of not being taken seriously because of my young age.

After contemplating my return to teaching, I persevered with determination. I attempted to reason with the student, explaining that  she could benefit from the personalized lessons. She paid no heed, so I presented an incentive that was effective. For every half hour she spent dancing and not disrupting other students, she would get 5 minutes of break time to use however she wanted. My love for dance only grew with this hurdle.

What started as my passion for dance blossomed into a passion for teaching. I learned to simplify complex dance steps into transparent movements, to not only display the steps, but also connect with my students, and build their passion from a young age.

I have been teaching for over a year now, and constantly face new challenges that yield greater understanding.  I have grown in many aspects from this experience as I have learned how to interact with children of different ages, keep them engaged, and communicate with them efficiently and effectively. 

Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.  

I stood near the doorway, high-fiving each potential member as they walked into the classroom. Desks were pushed to the outer edge of the room, allowing free movement for our first meeting of the year. Students had eager smiles plastered on their faces showing their enthusiasm which was something I wasn’t used to as the Junior Interact President.

I was pleased to see many familiar faces, the ones I had met last year at meetings I held at the local middle school, greeting me coyly. The program I ran served as a pipeline to the high school level of Interact. 

Interact, the largest service club on campus, is home to 500 members. We provide opportunities to volunteer at places like homeless shelters as well as family events.  Through international projects such as “Me The Human,” we focus on helping Syrian refugees rebuild their lives. An extension of this club, Junior Interact, was created to encourage our neighboring middle school students to get involved in the community. These students were able to volunteer at several events, such as the Fall Festival, that raised money for “Me The Human”.

Last year, I was met with my most difficult experience as Junior Interact President. Whenever I mentioned volunteering, I received several discouraging groans from my members. However, I was not disheartened. I set out to change the mindset of these students by making community service a more relevant topic to their lives. In our meetings, I led student-driven discussions about issues in our society, making the club more engaging. As a result, the members continued participating in this organization. I eventually established a Junior Interact club of 23 students, of which many continued into the high school level of Interact.

I was able to provide these students a home when they entered high school. These students, having already have met many other members through this support system, were comfortable with each other and were enthusiastic to contribute to the community. It prides me to see that these students are the first to sign up for any Interact volunteer events.

Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.

All the pieces started coming together. My body found rhythm on its own; there was no need for music as I fell into the groove of choreographing.

It hasn’t always been this natural to me. When I was 5 I started Kuchipudi, a form of Indian classical dance, but was disinterested. However, by age 10, I grew more interested after  learning more complex pieces, allowing self-expression through abhinaya: the drama aspect of Kuchipudi. However, with complexity also came frustration. It was easy for me to fall into the rut of thinking I was incapable of improvement. Despite practicing for hours, I was still among the worst of my peers.

Although it was difficult to continue after years of disappointment, dance taught me an invaluable skill: perseverance. At age 12, I started to appreciate the value of dance. It not only taught me my culture and religion, but it also taught me how to pick myself up and try different things if I fail. This led to my improvement in dance as I started finding different ways to progress. I have been able to apply this skill to not only dance, but to every other aspect in my life as well. In dance when I didn’t understand movements, I would find  new ways to approach the movements and seek help from my peers. I learned that turning to others for help was not a sign of weakness, but rather a sign of maturity. By applying this skill to schoolwork, I can overcome failure by finding new ways to succeed.

Nowadays, I seek individuality through dance. I started choreographing short pieces, integrating modernism into my traditional dance, allowing myself to stray from the strict disciplines of my teacher and to express myself through my greatest hobby. I seek to connect with my audience beyond religion through modernism. Dance is both my greatest challenge and treasured teacher. I am constantly learning new ways to express myself by dancing everyday.