What aspect of the Columbia community, outside of the classroom, would you most want to impact and why? (150 words or less)
There is nothing as demanding as a room of kids, with their unflinching honesty and unbridled emotions. Leading Sunday School and cell groups means that my needs do not come first--I’ve endured circular conversations of “Why?” and “Why not?” and soothed explosive tantrums. So why do I do it?
I do it for the shy girl with the lisp who hardly speaks. I do it to elicit giggles, even at my own expense. I do it because every day, my students teach me optimism, courage, and creativity.
I would like to continue to be a jie jie, a big sister, for children in New York. Columbia partners with many social and mentorship programs for low-income children. I want to take their hands in mine and show them the rich culture of New York, teach them an appreciation for the arts, and build a family for them--a home outside of home.
List the titles of the required readings from courses during the school year or summer that you enjoyed most in the past year. (150 words or less)
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, “Stop the Sun” by Gary Paulsen, Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, Macbeth by Shakespeare, “The Hunger Artist” by Franz Kafka, “Distance to the Moon” by Italo Calvino, “Color Master” by Aimee Bender, The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh, Dance and the Railroad by David Henry Hwang, The Bus Stop by Gao Xingjian, I and You by Laura Gunderson, Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake) by Sheila Callaghan, Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir by Beth Kephart, Black Ice by Lorene Cary
List the titles of the books you read for pleasure that you enjoyed most in the past year. (150 words or less)
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Little Men by Louisa May Alcott
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci
Lord of the Flies by William Goldman
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
No Matter the Wreckage by Sarah Kay
List the titles of the print, electronic publications and websites you read regularly. (150 words or less)
The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Times, National Geographic, The Atlantic, Teen Vogue, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Podcasts, Spotify
List the titles of the films, concerts, shows, exhibits, lectures and other entertainments you enjoyed most in the past year. (150 words or less)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Perks of Being A Wallflower
Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier & 3: Civil WAr
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
The Empire Strikes Back
Good Will Hunting
The Martian
Inception
Atonement
Whiplash
Clueless
The Return of the Jedi
Jason Bourne series
Secret (Taiwan)
3 Idiots (India)
Castle in the Sky (Japan)
Spirited Away (Japan)
Rurouni Kenshin series (Japan)
Concerts: Kids Choice Awards 2016, We DAY Concert , Radio Disney Birthday Concert, Wango Dango 2016, WE DAY
Events: Captain America Civil War press junket
Exhibits: Harry Potter exhibit, DANCE! at the Denver Art Museum, Gardens by the Bay in Singapore , Disney D23 Expo
Lectures: “One Story” Ted Talk, Sarah Kay’s Ted Talk
Shows: The Newsies, Wicked, Lion King, Mary Poppins, The Blank’s Young Playwrights Festival 2016
Please tell us what you value most about Columbia and why. (300 words or less)
“You can’t eat that!” I shouted.
“Why not?” my dad demanded, hand halfway to his mouth, popcorn slipping through his fingers. He hungrily eyed our dining room table, buried under mountains of popcorn.
“It’s for a science project!” I said, and proceeded to determine which brand of popcorn popped the most kernels. While the results of my experiment may not have been groundbreaking, it was enough to win a science fair because I applied the Scientific Method to a real-world situation (e.g. grocery shopping).
In the eyes of a 10-year-old, nothing could beat my prize, a two-year subscription to National Geographic. I read and reread features, gazing at vibrant spreads--underwater pictures of the Titanic, computerized visuals of dinosaurs, snapshots of cultures on islands from around the world. With a dictionary in hand, I deciphered Nat Geo’s descriptive captions, finding poetry in the scientific jargon.
Columbia University is National Geographic come to life. I want to be immersed in interdisciplinary studies through the Core Curriculum--to explore classics with fellow students, to incorporate the universe’s mysteries into my writing, to delve deeper into an advanced course of mathematics. The Curriculum incorporates people of different interests into one classroom. This is a dangerous prospect--my insatiable curiosity will lead to endless questions about my classmates’ diverse majors.
Perhaps my professors will be the scientists and researchers featured in my worn National Geographic issues. Maybe I will discuss the latest Broadway play with David Henry Hwang or hear the behind-the-scenes account of Indignation with James Schamus. Taking advantage of New York would be second nature--I grew up concocting stories about the artwork at the Getty and getting hands-on in science museums.
My hunger for the world can only be satisfied by a life-size National Geographic. Nocturnal bike rides and swim tests, here I come.
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For applicants to Columbia College, please tell us what from your current and past experiences (either academic or personal) attracts you specifically to the field or fields of study that you noted in the Member Questions section. If you are currently undecided, please write about any field or fields in which you may have an interest at this time. (300 words or less)
When your first play is about a boy who eats so much junk food that he turns into a literal couch potato, you know you’re on the right path to winning a Tony Award. After all, a potato is like a play.
It begins underground. The roots reach for nutrients and a strong grip on the earth. I am alone in my room with the seed of an idea. Lights up on news articles and personal histories collected from hours of research.
Because my perspective shifts, sprouts spring from the seed’s eyes and the plant breaks the surface, announcing its presence to the world. I grasp opportunities to collaborate with artists and bring it to life. My play no longer flourishes through willpower alone—the countdown to opening night begins.
Life as a potato isn’t easy. There are powerful forces of nature to deal with and the struggle to grow, to emerge stronger than before. Every meeting with an artistic team of visionaries reshapes the play, discovers another layer, or goes off on a tangent--and those are the best conversations. Conversations that deeply move me when an actor shares his own experience about losing a parent, that reaffirm me in my moments of soul-crushing doubt, that validate the reason why I write, in hopes that my stories may resonate with even one person in the audience.
The potato is now ready to be presented to the public eye. Cue gasps, wet cheeks, and laughter. Just as the potato spreads across the globe, whether my plays are performed in a school’s church-turned-theater, a white box in New York, the Stella Adler theatre in Hollywood, or the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, we clap because we believe. After all, one potato can yield an entire harvest more.
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