When I was homeschooled as a child, my parents intentionally nurtured in me a love of learning that I’ll forever be grateful for.

IB felt much less grueling once I saw it as uncovering bits of treasure, or clicking puzzle pieces into place satisfyingly, whether it was laughing along with my literature classmates as we debated various interpretations of a poem or surveying hundreds of people for my ASA and economics research projects. These projects were rarely clear-cut; they demanded that I think past assumptions and wrestle with nuance, especially as they centered on people, so intricately layered, subjective, and ever-evolving.

Most valuably, I had the opportunity to get guidance from both teachers & mentors who kept their doors open long after school, and friends and classmates who have walked with me every step of the way. Those moments convinced me that truth, particularly the truths that matter, is not always an abstract notion or academic concept, but rather, embodied in people.

In other words, I’ve found that God is revealed most profoundly through our human condition, in our questions and our contradictions. That’s why going into university, I’m most eager to continue exploring the deepest questions of humanity: who we are, why we are here, and how we can build a better world together.