ramyatheranter

[ramyatheranter]

Resolutions for 2017

1. Be more detail-oriented & quadruple check everything/anything important. (This was a resolution for 2016 as well, so Round 2 I guess)

2. Respond to emails when you open them and actually turn forms in on time!

3. Look into problems/assignments/tasks right within 12 hours of being assigned to them so you have enough time to ask for help if you need it! 

4. Spend one focused hour doing something hard every day.

5. Read at least one book that isn’t a textbook every month during the school year and more over the summer/breaks

6. Read more textbooks/work through textbook problems independently

January Goals:

1. Finish reading and doing the problems in How to Prove It

2. Join either Hacking Medicine or MIT Biotech Group.

[ramyatheranter]

STEM Summer Programs

As a sophomore/junior in high school, I spent a lot of time researching STEM programs I could apply to for my summers. I hope this list will make the lives of my friends/siblings of friends who are still in high school much easier! I split the list into the following categories: Science Research, CS/Engineering, Entrepreneurship, Math (Note: Some of these programs do cost money, but do not let cost detract you from them -- most of the programs offer substantial scholarships/need-based aid, and some of them will even waive your fee if your family makes <$60,000! Furthermore, the knowledge you will gain and people you will meet is definitely worth it + a lot of my friends at MIT have done these programs)

Science Research 

Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR): 8 week research program for rising seniors and college freshman, in which students do hands-on lab research under Stanford faculty. Labs include cancer biology, stem cell biology, neuroscience, genetics, immunology, bioinformatics, and a bioengineering bootcamp. Includes stipend. http://simr.stanford.edu/

Canary Center at Stanford Internship Program: 10 week research program  at Stanford focused on early cancer detection for students over the age of 15. Students work in wet or dry labs alongside faculty and post-doc researchers, participate in weekly seminars, and network with other scientists. Program culminates with a symposium-style presentation of research. Stipends available, but not guaranteed. http://canarycenter.stanford.edu/internship-program.html

Science Technology and Reconstructive Surgery (STaRS): 7 week research internship for high school and undergrad students at Stanford interested in biological/biomedical engineering techniques, molecular biology and regenerative medicine and surgery. Stipend not provided http://www.stanfordstars.org/#!students/c1bcu

Raising Interest in Science and Engineering (RISE): 7 week research internship for high school students (generally from minority or low-income groups) living in the Bay Area. Students perform research under a professor and lab mentor. Topics include biology, chemistry, psychology, and computer science, amongst others. Stipend provided. https://oso.stanford.edu/programs/39-rise-summer-internship-program

Stanford GeneCamp: A genetics/genomics research internship focused on the computational side of biology. Students get a better understanding of genomics and careers in genomics. Some knowledge of computer science required. Stipend not provided. http://scgpm.stanford.edu/genecamp2016.html

Arthritis Summer Science Internship Program: 8 week internship for high school juniors and seniors on rheumatology, immunology, arthritis, and autoimmune diseases. Research can be both traditional lab research or patient-facing research. Summer culminates in poster presentation on research. Location is either UCSF or Stanford. Stipend provided. http://www.kintera.org/htmlcontent.asp?cid=619275

Research Science Institute (RSI): Highly competitive research program for 80 high school students at MIT. Topics focus on broad range of science subjects. Applicants must have taken/be enrolled in AP Calculus BC prior and must have some programming experience. Stipend not provided.  http://www.cee.org/research-science-institute

Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science (MITES): 6 week free intensive academic enrichment program for rising high school seniors from underrepresented minority groups. Students take various classes in math, physics, chemistry, biology and humanities amidst like-minded peers. https://oeop.mit.edu/programs/mites

CHORI Summer Research Program: 9-12 week summer research program hosted injunction with CHORI hospital (Oakland) and UC Berkeley. Students are placed in a subgroup of the program and pared with a mentor with whom they conduct research and attend weekly lectures in medicine. Summer culminates in poster presentation at symposium. http://www.chori.org/Education/Summer_Internship_Program/program_description.htm

Simmons Summer Research Program: 6 week summer research program for rising seniors on various science topics ranging including, but not limited to biology, chemistry, chemical engineering, computer science, etc. Hosted at Stony Brook University in New York. Stipend provided. http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/simons/about/about.html

UC Santa Cruz Science Internship Program: 10 week summer research program for high school students at UC Santa Cruz. Students are paired with mentors and work at already-existing projects at UCSC. http://ucsc-sip.org/about/

Summer Science Program: 39-day intensive residential program on astrophysics. Students have lectures/classes in the morning and afternoon and focus on astronomy, physics, calculus, and programming problem sets throughout the day. Program also includes guest speakers and field trips. Hosted at Univ. of Colorado Boulder or New MexicoTech; operated in cooperation with MIT and Caltech. http://www.summerscience.org/the-ssp-experience/what-is-ssp/

COSMOS: 4 week residential program hosted by various University of California campuses for students who have demonstrated an aptitude for math and sciences. Students apply to and join one of many programs with a specific focus area (eg: biomedical engineering, chemistry, astronomy, etc).

UC Davis Young Scholars Program: Six-week research program for rising juniors and seniors in biology, agricultural, environmental, and natural sciences. In addition to research, students participate in lectures on aforementioned subjects and take field trips to Tahoe, the Sierra Nevadas, and other locations. https://ysp.ucdavis.edu/program-description

Clark Summer Scholars Program: 7-week summer research program for students aged 17 and up hosted at the University of Texas. http://www.depts.ttu.edu/honors/academicsandenrichment/affiliatedandhighschool/clarks/

Physics of Atomic Nuclei (PAN): Week-long nuclear physics research program at Notre Dame University (free!) http://www.jinaweb.org/outreach/PAN/

Computer Science/Engineering

Women’s Technology Program at MIT: 4-week intensive academic program to introduce rising  senior girls to either Mechanical Engineering or EECS. Students attend classes, various labs, and participate in group projects. http://wtp.mit.edu/

Girls Who Code: 7-week program to introduce rising junior and senior girls to computer science. Students code in primarily javascript and python, are paired with mentors who work in the tech industry, and hear from various guest speakers. Programs are hosted at tech companies across the country. Please apply to this; it is amazing! https://girlswhocode.com/summer-immersion-programs/

Math:

PROMYS: 6-week program hosted at Boston University to introduce students to advanced topics in math. Students attend daily lectures and work on problem sets which focus on number theory. http://promys.org/

USA/Canada MathCamp: 5-week program hosted at University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington where students attend daily math classes on undergrad and graduate math topics and work on research projects under mentors. https://www.mathcamp.org/

AwesomeMath: 3-week program hosted at SJSU, Cornell, and UTD that emphasizes collaboration in problem solving. https://www.awesomemath.org/summer-program/overview/program-information/

HCSSiM: 6-week program hosted at Hampshire College, MA at which students spend mornings attending classes and afternoons/evenings working on problems and having fun! http://hcssim.org/

***American Mathematical Society’s List of Math Programs: http://www.ams.org/programs/students/emp-mathcamps

MIT USA-Primes (Year-Round): Math research program at MIT where high school juniors are paired with a mentor and perform math research.

Entrepreneurship/Business

MIT Launch: 4-week program designed to introduce students in grades 9-12 to entrepreneurship and the lean startup model. Students focus on creating a startup in teams of 3-4, but also attend daily lectures, hear from guest speakers and gain exposure to various labs/departments at MIT. http://mitlaunch.com/

UPenn Endevvr: 5-week entrepreneurship program very similar to MIT Launch, but with fewer students. http://endevvr.com/

UPenn Leadership in the Business World: 4-week intensive business training program for rising seniors.

Other: Here’s the MIT Admissions Office’s List of Summer Programs: http://mitadmissions.org/apply/prepare/summer

[ramyatheranter]

What Happened Tuesday

(Adapted from my MIT Admissions Blogger Application)

Wednesday Morning. I reach for my phone, and read my screen-lock notifications.

CNN: “The U.S Justice Department’s civil rights division will lead the investigation into the police shooting of Alton Sterling ….” NYTimes: “The Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of…” 

On Tuesday, another man was shot dead by the police. Another black man, was shot dead by the police, and the crowd screamed of injustice.

I unlock my phone and scroll through my Twitter feed. A video catches my eye, so I watch it: “Breaking News: Family, Supporters, Speaking on Police Shooting.” I see an African American woman surrounded by loved ones speaking about what happened on Tuesday. I watch her son, a fifteen-year-old boy, crying in shear agony over the loss of his father.

On Tuesday, another man was shot dead by the police. Another black man, was shot dead by the police, and the crowd screamed of injustice. Tuesday’s events turned into Wednesday’s, which provoked Thursday’s. Soon we were no longer losing black lives, but also the lives of police officers.

The events of this past week have left me and most everyone else, I’m sure, filled with sorrow. I (we) mourn for lost loved ones. More than sadness however, I feel a sense of distance, detachment from the tragedies that have occurred.

Living in the Bay Area -- so far from the situation, both geographically and sociopolitically -- makes it difficult for me to consolidate, even comprehend, my own thoughts on what has happened this past week. I want facts -- on Alton Sterling, on Philando Castile, on the police officers wounded and killed in Dallas. I want to genuinely understand what has happened and to analyze events for myself. But when I turn to news sources, I am offered only a tainted lense, one stained with the opinions and biases of so-called experts who yell #blacklivesmatter, who yell #bluelivesmatter.  Rather than furthering my understanding of the situation, the media instead urges me to choose sides and instantly determine whether I will sympathize with African Americans and rage out against the police, or side with the police and blame victims for non-compliance. In reality, however, neither of these “sides” exist; we have artificially created them in our vain attempts to oversimplify a problem that is decades old and deeply rooted in an unfortunate history. Nobody should feel so compelled to choose a side. Furthermore, it’s important to remember that the media only provides snapshots of a much larger picture, and it’s all too easy to get caught up in misleading headlines and skewed versions of the truth, regardless of what your actual opinion on the issue is. It’s important to remember that news sources are still businesses yearning for profit, and it is often in their best interests to provide compelling, sensationalized headlines and stories, even if the truth becomes compromised or distorted.

Aside from news sources, another factor we should consider is the negative consequences of social media. With Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube exploding, it’s very easy and definitely very tempting to get caught up defending one side or another in contentious arguments. And I’m not saying that it’s bad to speak up and voice an opinion so publicly, but I do think that more often than not, when we engage in conversations through social media, our conversations quickly become conflicts, and then we forget to listen. We blatantly defend what we believe is correct rather than attempting to understand an opposing viewpoint, which only furthers already-existing tension, hatred, and bigotry. This issue is NOT a social-media debate topic for the world’s entertainment, and we need to be very careful not to forget that. We need to remember the fine line between voicing concern and inciting additional conflict, and we need to remember to act and speak peacefully and respectfully, especially if we are not directly affected.

Ultimately, the issue of police brutality against African Americans and the subsequent issue of police safety is fundamentally about life and the line between necessary and justified. It is about understanding when using a gun is a necessary precaution and when it is a violation of human rights caused by prejudices. And as we consider our opinions on the issue, we must stop spewing additional fear and hatred and racism, but instead be considerate of others’ opinions, regardless of how they conflict with our own.

On Tuesday, another man was shot dead by the police. Another black man, was shot dead by the police. Will we argue or listen?

Disclaimer: I do appreciate the media and I do think the media is important. But I think it’s even more important to be careful and conscientious. 

[ramyatheranter]

Book Reviews & Blog Updates

It’s been a while since I’ve given my blog the love it deserves (aka any love at all), but now that I’m on summer break, I’ve decided to start writing again! I’ll be doing a post (or two) on my recent trip to India soon but wanted to make a briefer post on books I’ve read recently and would recommend! I spent this past school year reading exclusively non-fiction, but come summer decided to re-visit fiction. While in India, I poured through the novel “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr, which separately follows a young, blind girl, Marie-Laure, living with her father in France and a young orphan boy, Werner, living in Germany switching between the two characters chapter-by-chapter. Although the two begin their lives individually, the onset of World War II leads both of them through a series of misfortunes and heartbreaks speckled with moments of triumph, until their lives become intertwined. This heart-wrenching tale left me simultaneously rooting for Marie-Laure and Werner; Doerr did a spectacular job of bringing the characters and setting to life, all the while ensuring the plot remain beyond-interesting. Despite the book’s length (nearly 500 pages), it was a fast read, and I highly recommend it!  

On my flight home from India, I decided to begin another book, “Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline. It was completely different from, “All the Light We Cannot See”, following a teenage boy who is immersed in an all-consuming, vividly life-like video game. I won’t write as much on this book to prevent this post from being too long, but Cline’s meticulously crafted tale left me super engaged, excited, and unable to stop reading! (Another pro: the book is teeming with ‘80s pop culture/trivia!)

I’ve recently begun “China Rich Girlfriend” by Kevin Kwan -- so far it’s been highly amusing -- but have also regressed to my nonfiction with “Predictably Irrational” by Dan Ariely. I’ll be sure to do a later post on both books once I’ve finished them! Also before I forget -- I’m going to start writing more casual posts (like this one) more frequently (or at least try), rather than refraining to only creative nonfiction pieces and change my blog into more of a lifestyle blog!

Morning commutes on Caltrain are a great way to get caught up on books! 

Books Mentioned In This Post: 

“All The Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr

“Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline 

“China Rich Girlfriend” by Kevin Kwan (pictured above)

“Predictably Irrational” by Dan Ariely

Let me know if you have any book recommendations!

[ramyatheranter]

Girls State: Lessons Learned

1 ) “Politics is About People”

(My twist on this)

As an observer of state, national, and global politics too often the subject seems merely an overarching, overwhelming system, too grandiose to be comprehended or cared about. Thus, we forget about it. We tell ourselves that we are simply bystanders of a system to which we are meaningless, powerless individuals. We convince ourselves that it is not important, that it does not affect us. But this is not true. (Well, at least part of it) Too often people (myself included) forget about the importance of politics, the importance of participation in the political system. And by participation I don’t just mean driving a mile to mark a ballot every four years, (though this is importance, of course), but rather reading about politics, listening to it, debating about it, every day, every week. So if you are to argue that politics is not important, then in essence, you are also asserting that people are not important, which quite frankly, cannot be true.

Politics is important because politics is about people. Politics is the reason we have the opportunity to learn, politics is the reason we have bread on our table every night, politics is the reason we can walk down street without risking our lives. Yet, at the same time, politics is the reason some of us don’t have the opportunity to learn, the reason some of us don’t have bread on our table every night, the reason some of us can’t walk down the street without risking our lives, which is exactly why we need to talk about it. And sure, maybe today we are merely bystanders of the system, but if enough of us talk about it then not only will such an immense system become much more understandable, maybe we will actually be listened to. Or even better, we will become the ones listened to, the ones who are actually able to enact change.

Ultimately, politics is about people.

And people are important.

2 ) “Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn”

First of all, I should admit that I suck at this. I hate acknowledging defeat as well as the growth that comes with defeat.  But I will acknowledge (at least as I write this) that losing is important. And often better than winning.  

At Girls State, I was elected for the first position I ran for: state senator. And while winning was nice (at first), I was also forced to admit that the only reason I ran for this position was because all it required of me was a 30 second speech in front of ten people, which thanks to Model UN, I have given more than my fair share of. Soon, however, I ended up regretting my decision. There was so much more I could have learned from giving longer speeches for harder positions in front of larger audiences.

Sometimes, competitions aren’t about winning. Sometimes, competitions are about putting yourself in a position of vulnerability, a position in which you initially lose all of your confidence, a position in which you finally learn how to so efficiently leverage your strengths against your weaknesses that maybe your weaknesses become your strengths.

And most of the time, when you put yourself in such a position, you probably will end up losing over and over again - or should I say, learning over and over again. And if you do lose, that’s okay, because tomorrow the sun will still rise and the sky will be blue and quite frankly, it won’t really matter. But if you finally do win, not only will you have grown immensely, but you will also become known. You won’t just be the plain, old Senator from Portola who won the first election on the first day because she didn’t challenge herself as much as she could have, but rather the girl who persevered time after time, the girl who was resilient and diligent and motivated, the girl who refused to give up until she eventually achieved what she wanted.  (Shoutout to Patrice Barnett for being this person!)

3 ) “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come ALIVE, and go do it. Because what the world needs is more people who have come alive.” - Howard Thomas

Thank you for the amazing experience, Girls State! 

[ramyatheranter]

ramya this amazing!

Thank you so much!

[ramyatheranter]

Mirrors

(DON’T ASSUME THIS IS ACTUALLY ME OR I WILL BE VERY ANGRY)

I never liked mirrors when I was younger. I never liked the feel of cold hard tiles under my feet, the claustrophobia of our suburban apartment bathroom with the rectangular mirror outlined by a fine black line, surrounded by the white walls. Maybe, I thought, I couldn’t confront the brutal honesty of mirrors, of seeing a small brown face surrounded by a mess of frizzy brown hair, the piercing glare of two anxious brown eyes. I wanted colors: blonde hair, green eyes, tan skin, rose cheeks. Brown was boring, bland. I wanted what I could not see, what reality refused to give me.  

I never liked mirrors when I was younger. I never liked standing in front of the brown door,  on the fuzzy carpet in my parent’s bedroom in our suburban apartment, glancing cautiously at the disproportionately slim sliver of glass, squished on a door in between two walls. Maybe, I thought, I couldn’t confront the truthful forthrightness of mirrors, of seeing a not-so skinny body, too short, too squat, too round, with a not-so flat stomach engulfed by a free-flowing shirt, a not-so straight pair of legs wrapped in black jeans. I wanted skinny: slim legs, lean body, sharp angles. Large was ugly, not wanted. But what I wanted was that which I could not see, what reality refused to give me.

I liked daydreaming when I was younger. I liked letting my mind wander through and out of my suburban apartment bedroom, to school, to cities, to space, wherever it wanted. I liked being a character of my own stories, of experiencing a reality I could create, where I could stand in front of mirrors with blonde, green, tan, rose, not brown, brown, brown. In my daydreams, I fit between the walls of my parent’s suburban bedroom, forming a perfectly straight line when I looked up at the long mirror, placed, this time, with enough room on a peachy-cream-colored door in my parent’s bedroom in our suburban apartment. I liked what my daydreams gave me. My fabrications were not real, but they gave me what I wanted.

As I grew older, I still didn’t like mirrors, just maybe didn’t dislike them as much. I got used to the cold, hard tiles of our suburban apartment bathroom, less-reluctantly surrounded myself with the cozy familiarity, no longer claustrophobia, when I woke up for school at 5 in the morning. I liked looking at the face in the silvery-grey mirror, surrounded by walls, yellowing in the light. I liked the brutal honesty of tired at five in the morning, no longer brown, brown, brown. If I looked hard enough, sometimes, I could see color: eyes surrounded by sleepy violet, lips tinted red with dehydration and cold, paler-than-normal skin, tan, not brown. My suburban apartment bathroom mirror gave me some colors. I could confront reality, I told myself. This was not so bad.

I still didn’t like the mirror on the brown door in my parent’s bedroom, just maybe didn’t dislike it as much. Sometimes I would stand in front of the mirror, trying on new clothes, still the same black jeans, yes, but sometimes a less-loosely-flowing shirt. Sometimes, if I wore the right clothes and looked the right way, I would see some lines: a little straight, a little smaller, not so curved, not so round anymore.

I didn’t daydream as much either. Or maybe my fantasies sort-of blended in with the truth. I still dreamt of what I wanted in a fantasy, yes, but now, my reality didn’t seem so far from it. The colors from one world sort of began to seep into the other: drip, drip, drip.

And now that I think about it, maybe the tiles on the floor of the bathroom of our suburban apartment weren’t so cold and , maybe the door of my parent’s bedroom wasn’t so brown. Now that I think about it, it was more of a cream-streaked tan, with speckles of white. Maybe I was just looking at it the wrong way.

[ramyatheranter]

A Holly Jolly Christmas

It was two days before Christmas. I had been riding alongside my dad in the car, basking in the warmth of a glorious California sun, dreaming of a Christmas morning laden with the aromas of freshly baked cookies and peppermint hot chocolate, wrapping paper spewed across the floor, the giggling of little cousins, the chatter of aunts and uncles impregnating the room, when my dad's phone started vibrating.

"Hi Ramya, our flight just landed. We're on our way to baggage claim right now. Where should we wait for you guys to pick us up?" a relatively unfamiliar voice inquired. 

I hadn't seen my relatives in years; our relationship was practically non-existent. To me, they had become mere possesers of similar DNA; people with whom I shared some supposed connection. Our distance aside, however, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement over the prospect of finally seeing them. 

After a hearty lunch and afternoon nap, we sprawled out across the living room, cups of spiced chai in our hands, deciding to open Christmas presents early. And though I hate opening presents in front of others in fear of expressing possible disappointment, I hesitantly began to peel apart the silvery wrapping of the box handed to me.

"Don't worry if you're upset. We're only family, anyways. If you don't express your feelings in front of us, who will you express your feelings in front of?" my aunt insisted. And yet, I couldn't help but wonder how an aunt whom I hadn't seen in fourteen years qualified as someone I was supposed to express my feelings to. Could a kindred spirit constitute a bond so unbreakably strong as to connect the two of us, neither of whom had seen the other for so long? I thought not. 

But soon enough, off to Disneyland the engines of our cumbersome, suitcase-impregnated Dodge van rumbled,and in good spirits, we sang, and laughed, and told nostalgic stories of childhoods in India, stopping only for a meal at an unexpected Panjabi Dhaba- which, by the way, somehow happened to appear at the moment we were hungriest. And gradually, as the inital layers of restraint and reluctance peeled away, and I established that maybe a rare familiar connection could exist amongst my seemingly long-lost relatives and I. 

Likewise, our holiday journeys merrily ensued, a plethora of rides ridden, Indian food and ice cream devoured, sea lions and dolphines admired, all of our treasurable moments captured by our family's re-defined version of "selfie". 

And so maybe a special affinity can exist amongst kin, no matter the distance or length of seperation. 

It was two days after Christmas. I had been riding alongside my dad in the car, basking in the warmth of a glorious California sun, reminiscing upon my dream of a Christmas morning laden with the aromas of freshly baked cookies and peppermint hot chocolate, wrapping paper spewed across the floor, the giggling of a little cousin, the antics of an aunt and uncle impregnating the room, when I realized that my Christmas had come two days early this year and my wish had been granted true. 

[ramyatheranter]

Why Ignorance Really is Bliss

When ignorance is often the key, not the lock to success. 

In the beginning of the year, I asked him if it was hard, and he said, "Yes: My sister was a genius and she got Ds and Fs," but too caught up in my ignorance, I made a prudent choice not to listen. I had deliberately, as a fourteen-year old, signed up for a class with a challenge I was not expecting, putting myself on quite an arduous trail; but unlike the others, I remained ignorant for a very long time and even refused to listen to what I was told, to give in, and I have now realized that this was only to my advantage. 

When I first signed up for the class, I didn't expect to struggle, to give up my Saturdays for studying, to recieve my first F- on a test. My peers, however, were informed of the class' difficulties, did expect to struggle, and hence, refused to give up Saturdays for studying and were ultimately, not too upset recieving an F- on a test. Even after quite blatantly learning my lesson that "APs are not easy", I put my hands over my ears, letting whatever I heard go in one side and out the other, and my ignorance is what allowed me to continue in my valiant efforts of perseverence, which were not unlikely to go unrewarded. On the contrary, many of my friends knew of and expected the predicaments, and refused to overcome the adversities with effort, merely accepting them as they came. However, my ignorance and my unwillingness to acquiese is the sole reason I relentlessly and tirelessly continued to labor, reading too-small textbook font, impregnating seven notebooks, and solving problems until my brain felt so fried it could have been sold at McDonalds. And frustrating as it was to be so uninformed in the beginning, my lack of information is what opened the doors, first of oppurtunity, then of success, for me. 

[ramyatheranter]

To The Namesake

I guess I should start by saying: 

Dear Mom and Dad, 

   Thank you, for giving me a first name that has been donated hundreds of creative interpretations, a last name that has frightened every teacher I have ever had in the past eleven or so years, and a full name that, when pronounced and spelt correctly, deserves both a round of applause and a cookie. And no, I am not being sarcastic. 

My name is Ramya Nagarajan; I dare you to say it-and spell it. 

     I live in a land with a diverse amalgamation of cultural hertiages and identities, yet I am one of the few who was not born with an "American" name and further still, one of an even smaller few who has not "Americanized" my name upon realization of its so-called difficulty. My name has challenged nearly everyone who has tried to verbalize it, and to this day, I recieve a little jolt of pleasant surprise when I hear someone who isn't Indian pronounce it correctly, and still, I embrace my name, I cherish my name. 

     First impressions are quite important and since names are indeed, first impressions, my unique, ethnic name, becomes of great utility. You see, from what I've noticed, it is of much higher likelihood that an aberrant name like mine will be learned quickly and remembered quickly, and it is, hence, of much higher likelihood that I will be remembered, and that I will be distinguished from a myraid of similarity, all merely because of my name. And while the anxious wait for my name to be called out by substitute teacher or to be spelt on a coffee cup at Starbucks has granted me a plethora of facial expressions, regardless of the looks of amusement, curiosity, judgement, even scrutiny, I recieve, my name, and for that matter, my visage, are almost ineveitably remembered by substitue teachers, by new peers, by almost anyone who I have only just met, putting me at a greater advantage of standing out, and of being remembered.  My name is a bit too long, quite difficult for most to pronounce, and has given me far too many bizarre looks, but my name allows me to stick out, not unlike a sore thumb, and it is, in many occassions, the sole reason I am remembered as a person. So thank you Mom and Dad, for giving me a name which will not be forgotten, and a name for which, I will not be forgotten. 

[ramyatheranter]

The Worth of the Water in the Well:

A reflection on the worth of well-rounded students and citizens in society. 

    "When the well is dry, you will know the worth of the water," is a quote nearly everyone has been told at least once, and being quite the complainer myself, I have heard my fair share of this. Yet, I've never really understood the value of certain ideas, one of these being why America highlights the need to foster well-rounded students. As a student who has upheld the creed of pursuing math or science, I've questioned my exposure and participation in any other fields, one of these being the political scene of Model United Nations. Nonetheless, being an avid MUN delegate, I often find myself scouring through current events and newspaper articles online, which have recently been plagued with news of the Indian elections. 

     India fosters many of the brightest members of society today, all of whom seem to be working behind laptops at Google or Facebook or Microsoft. In India reside some of the most persistent, determined, and passionate students to walk the face of Earth. In India are the highest number of women studying and working in engineering, in medicine, and in computer science. So why does India have one of the most corrupt governments in the world? Why does India so severely lack the basic human rights, the principles of morality, we, in the United States, so effortlessly adhere to and even take advantage of? The answer is simple: politics, diplomacy, advocacy and the social sciences, are not fostered in India. In the US, we understand the worth, the value of being well-rounded, of studying the maths and sciences, while keeping a foot in something different, like International Relations or politics or art, at all times, but in India, there is no water in the well of well-roundedness. And I think that in India, it is not yet understood that while the sciences may lead to money and stability, the humanities and the study of social sciences are what will bring human rights and an anti-corrupt land. The day India becomes the country it has the potential to be, the day India has enough water in the well for all of its citizens, not just the affluent, will be the day Indian children willingly study math and science and politics and art, the day Indians begin to value well-roundedness. 

Ultimately, while being well-rounded and broad-minded can often be very time consuming and may even seem pointless, it is the only way to achieve a society of stability, where everyone is granted human rights, where governments do not feel the need to be corrupt, and where everyone has enough water in their well. 

[ramyatheranter]

Impatience is for the Intelligent

     I go to a school reputed for its notoriously intelligent students and their high test scores, but I don't consider myself particularly intelligent. Nonetheless, in my attempts to be an ambitious, over-achiever (or maybe just fit in), I can often be found conversing with the "smart kids" about a physics problem or Spanish quiz, or talking with an adult who is particularly fond of and probably knows a little too much about a certain subject. In all of these people, or at least the ones who tend to indulge over the maths and sciences, I think I have found a pattern. Minds that are sharp, brainy, and quick-witted translate into voices, words, and conservations that are equally speedy. 

     A friend with whom I often engage in conservation with during classes falls perfectly into this pattern. I won't release his name, but he is quite the character, with of course, an amazing set of neurons, crazy hair, and dexterous, forever-moving hands (think Asian Einstein). Being a student of public speaking and debate, I abhor people who talk too fast, but he is one of the many that I am faced to tolerate. The more he continues to talk, the faster his words come out, until his sentences turn into whirl-winds requiring both patience and concentration for anyone to understand.  I've always considered his speedy-talking to merely be part of his personality, but after noticing many others like him, I think I may have been mistaken.

      A few months ago, I joined a club to start learning coding, and soon to my knowledge came the fact that our instructor talks extremely fast. At first I thought this was merely because she is Indian, and most Indians naturally talk quickly, but as if to only further bolster my initial hypothesis, to my knowledge came the fact that she went to IIT and now works at Facebook, hence verifying my thoughts.  For final thoughts, while most of us, myself included, are told to speak slowly with enunciation and ease, who knows, maybe being a bit flustered and running through sentences endlessly is actually a sign of becoming another one of the world's greatest geniuses!