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    Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend the national QuestBridge College Prep Scholars 2025 National College Exploration Conference. From a beads activity, to delicious cookies, to the coolest and most confident group of teenagers I've ever met, to guest speakers that shook my very beliefs, the conference was an amazing event that changed some of the key beliefs I had about college.      For those of you who don't know, QuestBridge is a national non-profit that connects high-achieving, low-income students with top colleges - and by top colleges, I mean some of the best schools in the country for subjects from the medical field to political science.      QuestBridge has two main programs. College Prep Scholars is the program that this conference was for, and it is basically a group that provides resources for the college applications process - from this conference to college-essay writing webinars with the famous College Essay Guy....

      If you clicked on this article, you are probably looking for the golden key to studying and preparing for tests. The one rule, the one tip, the one strategy that is going to change it all for you, and guide you to success, soaring marks, straight A's, 5s on all your AP tests, that 1600, that 36, etc.     Well, let me tell you right now, that one rule doesn't exist. I'm actually going to hit you with what I think is the MOST important test prep tip right now - test prep advice is not made equal, just like people. Don't have blind belief or faith in any advice. Yep, I said it. People are made from infinitely different combinations of beliefs, experiences, tendencies, and neurological / psychological makeup. Don't let yourself fall down the spiral of confusion and despair because what works for someone else or even what seems like everyone else doesn't work for you.       The most important thing about academic advice, or any advice in gen...

     I've spent so much of my life in go-go-go mode. It was always this project and the next, this challenge and the next, this step and the next, balancing tens of projects and tens of courses... never feeling like what I was doing was enough.     With the growth of social media and the online presence of the younger generation, whether in professional spheres like Linkedin or on socials like Instagram, comparison is rampant. Especially in a young mind, so easily influenced by what we see and do, it's so easy to fall into the never-ending hole of seeing what someone else is doing and immediately feeling as though we are behind because we did not do something similar. Thus begins a new cycle of starting something new, feeling behind, adding another task to the already heavy plate, and wondering, when will it be enough?     Media today has also enforced the declining attention spans of youth, and an under appreciation for time and compound growth. Stopp...

 The topic of the day is mentorship. Mentorship is something I always sought from a young age - even when I didn't know that's what it's called. From getting my 2nd grade teacher to show me how she did her art, to my Robotics mentors today who help me solve problems and develop my engineering thinking,      The foundation of mentorship is gaining insight from those who are more experienced than you. This can be in life, in a particular career field, in a particular task or hobby, and more. Humans are so unique. We all lead such vastly different lives. There are people out there who do amazing things every day, who are changing the world as we know it - no matter what size the portion. Human intellect is astonishing - we are the only known species that seeks to understand - that is driven by the desire to understand, even when we are forced to admit we know nothing. Pulling from the information that those more knowledgable than you have is an amazing way to grow, even...

what did i do in my past life? sometimes i wonder is it me who's hard to love? sometimes i wonder how is it my fault you brought me here? maybe it is what did i do in my past life? i see my mothers pain and know  she cannot do anything  while i am here and she won't do anything while i am not what did i do in my past life? i see the little girl across the street the smile strong on her face with her hand in her dad's skipping down the sidewalk stepping on all the cracks because no one broke her mother's back what did i do in my past life? i speak with an older man who shows the genuine kindness i couldn't find so easy so easy? so easy. i wonder who got him i wish more than anything it was me what did i do in my past life? i scream into the void no one's there to help you. haven't you learned that yet? but how can i help myself but what did i do in my past life? it must have been something bad why did i end up here? why didn't i end up there? or anywhere?...

Dear me, Do you remember me? Do you remember the things that excite me? What peeves me? What enrages me, what makes me cry? Do you remember who I love? Who I think about, who I worry about? Do you remember what I am passionate about? Or is that different now? Do you remember the promises I make, the oaths I take, the things I so adamantly chase? Do you remember what it felt like to be 17?  Sometimes it feels like I'm drowning in the weight of my own expectations. Sometimes it feels like my emotions are too strong for this frail mind of mine. Sometimes my passion and desire feels like it's going to tear me apart. Sometimes the world feels too big and too small at the same time. Sometimes I think I am my own biggest fear. Do you still feel that way? It's going to be okay. Maybe these huge things seem small to you now - has distance dampened these emotions? But what about now? What scares you most? What are you most proud of? Who is most important to you? What is your favorite...