The Quest for Clarity

     In our good-natured world of education, there once was an organization called CollegeBoard. Now CollegeBoard had a very special relationship with a high school scholar named James - a relationship that involved more stress, fees, and "college prep" that he could have ever dreamed of. Their relationship started on a positive note from the very beginning when James introduced himself to CollegeBoard as he was signing up for his account. CollegeBoard was really nice about the whole signing up situation, asking for his name, address, and phone number in all the correct boxes and even giving him a "remember me" box to check to ensure their long-term friendship. Unfortunately for James though, he wasn't quite high up on CollegeBoard' s "friend list" and CollegeBoard had a bit of trouble remembering James when he tried logging back in each time.  James soon realized that CollegeBoard chose to value his privacy and security so deeply that he erased hi...

I have chosen Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro for my book club, and so far I couldn't help but notice the complex relationship between two childhood friends Josie and Rick. Growing up in an isolated rural area with few people their age, their bond was inevitable. In fact, they agreed to a plan to spend the rest of their lives together. And it seemed like a very serious and legitimate plan, with their relationship built from years of shared experiences and conversations. However, the complexity of their relationship I felt was from their different expectations they set on each other, which seemed to produce unexpected challenges within their relationship. While their bond might make them appear "meant to be", many thoughts could get in the way of their efforts to pursue their relationship into something long-lasting. In Josie's perspective, it was clear that she wanted Rick to be more involved in social activities like the gathering at her house they had, stating ...

     Prompt: HMC's collaborative community is guided by our mission statement. Through an intentional interdisciplinary curriculum our students seek to build a skillset adaptable to society's needs. How has your own background influenced the types of problems you want to solve, the people you want to work with, and the impact you hope your work can have? (500 words). ***********************************************************************************     "Bruh, how am I gonna answer this prompt?", was my first reaction after reading the HMC prompt. I didn't even know where to begin. I didn't have a background! I don't know what problems I want to solve! I have no idea who I would want to work with and what my work would potentially do! And I have to write a total of 500 words!?! Believe me, it was a dreadful experience trying to think of any idea at all. The cursor on the top-left side of my document would blink second after second, each blink reminding me ...

            Life offers countless experiences.  Unfortunately, I’m only human like everyone else and can only go down my own self-driven path.  But this limitation is a blessing in disguise – that is what makes life so mysterious and exciting!  If we could foreshadow what would happen in the future, that would demean the experiences we have along the way. For this reason, I am so thankful to be part of 11AP English.  I cannot begin to explain the numerous topics, motifs, stories, images, essays, and more that helped me develop a stronger understanding of my life.               I would like to start off by expressing my gratitude to F. Scott Fitzgerald for writing the Great Gatsby.  Words cannot describe how enchanted I was by the mysterious nature of Gatsby.  The fearless chaser of the greatest dreams has inspired me to do t...

       The use of photography and videography has been continuously advancing our understanding of the world and ourselves, having the power to capture reality in a fixed frame.  However, when it comes to violent photos and documentations, I wasn't fully prepared for the onslaught of nightmares I would experience.     As an engineer, my father loves solving unfathomable problems and mysteries, and some of his favorite sources of entertainment are murder mystery documentaries from shows like Forensic Files and airplane disasters/Mayday specials found on YouTube.  Little did I know, his fascination with these violent graphics would imprint deeply on my psyche, shaping my daily behavior with constant fear.  As a child, I couldn't help but eavesdrop into the speaker of my dad's phone.  "How could I miss out on such a significant story?", I thought to myself.  I couldn't let the opportunity pass. I had to hear the climax of the documenta...

      In "The Virgin and the Mousetrap," Chet Raymo explores the battle between danger and innovation in scientific discovery.  While the narrative primarily focuses on radioactive materials, the theme can be seen upon various fields where the pursuit of knowledge is intertwined with risk.     One such arena is space exploration, where the quest to reach beyond Earth's atmosphere has often been deemed outlandish.  From early expeditions shut down by technical failures to more recent tragedies like the Challenger and Columbia disasters, the journey to the stars has been marked by sacrifice.  Yet, our understanding of the cosmos have been caused by eye-opening breakthroughs in technology, such as the Mars Rover mission.  The vast and never-ending excitement of discovery in space exploration has enhanced our understanding and our capabilities beyond our planet, which is an amazing feat.     Similarly, the field of genetic engineering p...