[Student Profile]
[Prompt & Essay]
Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
Twins.
Two halves of a whole, two peas of a pod, and two birds of a feather. At least, that’s what I’ve heard.
In reality, my twin brother and I are polar opposites. Me, the eccentric, outgoing butterfly always ready to speak my mind, and my twin, the unfledged butterfly unable to effectively express himself. My twin, the one trapped in the cocoon that has imprisoned him from birth: his autism.
Although at the age of four I didn't understand why we were so different, I noticed how differently people treated us. At first, I was confused. We shared everything, ranging from birthday cakes to our bedroom, so why were expectations for us so different? Why did adults ask me if he was hungry or lost instead of him? I was taught that it was my responsibility to teach my brother to fly, but my wings had yet to develop and I myself didn’t know how.
However, I slowly learned to care for my twin. It became an instinct I never questioned as I guided him through life, simplifying novels, teaching him grammar, and cooking him after-school snacks.
By the time I turned eight my confusion at our differences turned into a curiosity to learn what made him different. Using my trusty friend Google, I blindly typed in things about him that I didn’t see in most other third graders: difficulty reading and comprehending, blank stares into the distance, an inability to tie shoes or catch balls, inappropriate social interactions, and more. After days of intensive research, one answer showed clear: Asperger's Syndrome. When I later confronted my parents, they begrudgingly admitted that I was correct.
As a hot-headed third grader, my first reaction was anger. Anger at my parents for never explaining the biological reason that he was different, yet expecting me, still breaking out of my cocoon, to teach my twin, unable to make a dent in his, how to fly. Anger at the world for ensuring from birth that my brother's cocoon was exponentially harder than most others to break out of. Anger at genetics for giving him a neurodivergence out of his control.
My frustration invoked in me a passion to further understand mental illnesses. My curiosity to discover why his mind was wired differently sparked my interest in bridging science and technology to potentially alleviate mental illnesses, or symptoms of them, so I can help people like my brother surmount their cocoons.
As I grew older, I broadened my understanding of mental illnesses. Alzheimer’s Disease captivated me. Though my brother’s autism prevents him from escaping his cocoon and communicating with others, Alzheimer's pushes people back into theirs. Developing an app designed towards guiding people with Alzheimer's Disease through day-to-day life, I also pursued opportunities to help eradicate symptoms of it. When I was invited to research cost-effective alternative treatments to Alzheimer’s Disease using the natural compounds Quercetin and Aesculus Indicus I was able to make an impact, no matter how minuscule, on the world of mental illnesses that has imprisoned my twin from birth. It was an opportunity to help others like my brother escape their cocoons and spread their wings, whether it be again or for the first time.
Though my brother and I may be polar opposites, through learning more about his illness and getting to know him beyond it, I have learned to appreciate his quirks and empathize with others' struggles. My brother’s herculean effort to break out of the cocoon his autism restricts him in and lead a normal life inspires me to work harder. His clinical improvement made possible through medications and therapy has only furthered my interest and curiosity in using science and technology to empower people with mental illness. Now, my twin brother is my best friend. Someday, I know he will emerge from his cocoon and we will fly together.