Four Years Later...

Freshman Year: -Freshman Powderpuff -Eagle Court of Honor Sophomore Year: -Won a Hackathon Grand Prize! -Chemistry fun Junior Year: -Spanish Squad ("Lagrimas") -NASA Crew! -Quantitative reasoning summer program Senior Year: -First Instagram post! -Senior Prom!

1.     Star Wars 2.     Transformers 3.     Silicon Valley 4.     Sunday Candy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1h9bcrC6Q8 5.     Hurt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt1Pwfnh5pc 6.     Tom and Jerry 7.     Game of Thrones 8.     van Gogh’s The Starry Night 9.     Avatar: The Last Airbender 10. Meme!

I am the Messenger by Markus Zuzak: At it’s core, the novel is about a young man trapped in a menial life who is challenged to rise above himself and help the people around him. He begins the story as a “bum,” someone not meant for much in life. But he soon receives playing cards in the mail, each with addresses of people he needs to help. As he sees the difficult lives and problems each address holds, he realizes that as someone who has seen these people’s troubles, it is his responsibility to help them. As time goes, on however, the addresses start to hit the young man on a more personal note—instead of having to help a random priest or woman with dementia, he has to help his mother, his friends, and finally, himself. Aside from the complex messages presented in the book, the author discusses basic human decency, friendship, and human potential. At one point, the young man says, “I’m just another stupid human”; this was the punch line, showing that everybody is “just ...

"Symphony" by Clean Bandit “I’ve been hearing symphonies Before all I heard was silence A rhapsody for you and me And every melody is timeless Life was stringing me along Then you came and you cut me loose Was solo singing on my own Now I can’t find the key without you And now your song is on repeat And I’m dancin' on to your heartbeat And when you’re gone, I feel incomplete So if you want the truth I just wanna be part of your symphony Will you hold me tight and not let go? Symphony” This song talks a lot about passing tides, and remembering people. While this song tends to be in a far more intimate context than I listen to it in, the song still resonates with me, now so more than ever. With High School coming to a close, I know that with the passage of time, different activities, different colleges, and different pathways through life, I will not keep in touch with or remember everybody. Knowing this fact while still spending time ...

Freshman Year: Started school at Lynbrook Joined Lynbrook Water Polo Freshman Homecoming Sophomore Year: Sophomore Homecoming Started working at Udacity Junior Year: Interned at NASA for the second year Went to Minnesota for a quantitative reasoning summer program Senior Year: Tried chicken for the first time Finished college apps Senior Prom

1.   My phone is my most valuable possession. Although the phone changes every few years and sounds like a very materialistic possession, the phone is my link to the outside world. It is the first tool I use in the morning to check my email, and the last thing I use at night before I go to bed. It gives me the ability to instantly connect with friends, family, and colleagues, and share parts of my life with other people through mediums like Snapchat. My phone also acts as a warning, reminding me of the dangers of becoming addicted to technology and always keeping a grounded approach. As much as it acts as easy access to the rest of the world, it also keeps me a part of the world, reminding me to stay active, spend time with people in person, and not lose touch with reality by going into the phone screen. I had been asking for a phone for the entirety of my eight grade year, so not losing touch was the one condition I had to agree to receive a phone for high school. Although I hav...