Student profile
GPA: 3.9
SAT/ACT: 1510
Extracurricular activities: Debate team and won 3rd in state tournament, started VEX Robotics team in school, tutoring including starting own tutoring company during pandemic, restaurant job
Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.
WC – 350 words
I remember the moving 'aha' moment when I demonstrated to my peers a universal approach to solve all physics problems.
"All you need are three simple methods," I told them. "Free body diagrams, system boundaries, and force equations, that's it."
"I never thought this could be so easy!" [name of student] exclaimed, with a wide grin on his face.
In my Junior year, my AP Physics teacher appointed me as the lead physics tutor to assist students struggling with the class's rigorous curriculum. Whether students wrestled with basic kinematics brain teasers or complex torque FRQs, I instilled with them the premise that difficult problems can be as simple as the trivial ones. By emphasizing that all physics concepts are derived from the same core principles, I encouraged my students to replace discouragement with optimism, staging them for success in all their academic pursuits.
Apart from helping my peers, tutoring has influenced my personal development. I learned the value in guiding my students, not mindlessly producing a final solution. This approach taught me patience, as every student learns differently. In short, everyone has the potential to succeed.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic threatens this universal potential. Online learning has left thousands of students disenfranchised from a quality, in-person education, as I noticed when I transferred to online tutoring in late March. I observed that many students needed additional time to learn new concepts online. Tutors can energize and engage students, providing extra support to help them understand these concepts. However, there were few affordable online tutors available.
To address this issue, my friends and I launched an online tutoring service called MyTutors to counter the pervasive pitfalls of online education and ensure that students can succeed in these uncertain times. I personally designed a JavaScript-powered web portal, https://mytutorsaz.com, allowing students to find tutoring from the comfort of their home. By nudging students in the right direction, I helped students achieve their dreams: secure both high scores on the AP and the class. I hope my future efforts with MyTutors can provide all students with the opportunity to succeed in these challenging times.
Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or
worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
My story begins with an administrative mistake. When a new admissions counselor wasn't aware that freshmen were restricted from taking AP Java, I jumped at the opportunity and enrolled. I arrived on the first day, eager to delve into the realm of computer science. I was unaware of what I got myself into. Late nights with Sal Khan and 2 AM bedtimes
became my new normal. The course's predominantly conceptual material represented a major departure from the rote memorization found in other classes. I had difficulty with some assignments, but I soon noticed a pattern that would put my struggles to rest.
Whether I simulated Langton's Ant Turing Machine or a point-of-sale cash register, I mostly used the concepts I learned in the first weeks of class, such as conditional statements and iterative loops. I soon understood that even the most sophisticated problems posed one simple question: can I apply the programming principles I learned early on in insightful and innovative ways? In time I answered yes and found power in simplicity. This ignited my love for computer science.
My newfound passion led me to establish a Vex robotics team from the depths of my basement. As the lead programmer, I had the freedom to innovate. Using C++, I would automate the simple tasks such as unloading cube stacks or scoring on towers to ensure consistent performance. However, I learned that solving a problem isn't enough; there's always room for iteration and improvement. Instead of relying on pre-programmed actions to hope my robot acts appropriately, I was able to utilize vision and gyro-sensors to allow our robot to adapt its decisions based on its surroundings. I also integrated calculus-driven PID loops to enhance the robot's driver-less functionality. To teach myself these skills, I relied on what I learned in AP Java - that complexity derives from basic logic.
As I pursue computer science beyond high school, I will remember even for the most convoluted coding conundrums, no solution is out of reach. I will pierce through the mirage of complexity to reveal the simplicity hidden underneath.
What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
A monsoon of tears consumed me when I read the email from our state debate tournament director, cancelling the national qualifier tournament. I binged watched “Avatar” for days on end, as I came to terms with the reality of the Coronavirus pandemic and its impact on my life.
I was devastated by this decision but I realized while I merely lost my extracurricular activities, many lost their lives. I looked to volunteer organizations for guidance, but most responded with silence: they were starved of much needed volunteers.
Where others couldn’t lead, I rose to the occasion. In May, I launched [name], a Coronavirus relief initiative dedicated to educating my state about the spread of the virus and crafting face shields for local schools to protect students and staff.
As I carried through this initiative, I learned that I couldn’t do everything on my own. I needed a strong team to support me on my mission to curb the pandemic. I forged a partnership with my school’s Leo Club to offer service hours to make face shields. I also understood how many people couldn’t leave their homes to volunteer; they had to protect their loved ones from the deadly virus. For this reason, I brought the face shield supplies to the volunteers themselves: vinyl plastic, elastic straps, foam padding, and all. Through this process, we made over 500 face shields to protect elderly homes, homeless shelters, and re-opening schools, all while protecting ourselves.
I realized that I could maximize my impact if I adapted to changing times, so as everything moved online, I moved my initiative to the internet as well. I made a data driven website for this organization using JavaScript, https://projektcorona.com, to further inform my community about the severity of the pandemic.
While many still refuse to follow safety guidelines, [name] can make a difference and change minds. With protection and solid data, my community is safer. I hope that this initiative grounds people to reality and influences them to recognize the severity of the virus, leading us to the day we conquer the pandemic.