I have been asked to write my ideas, to put into words the thoughts and beliefs I will give to the world. I have been asked to explain my fist-to-the-gut convictions, the particles of my persona that send my thoughts reeling and my heart banging. Ultimately, I have been asked to explain who I am, because the only place in which all of these things flourish is in the very center of my being.

I have pondered what it is that I will bring to the world, and whether I will deliver my ideas is not the question. What I do wonder is how I will give depth to my passions and strength to my beliefs. I know what I have to offer; convincing the world of my worth will be my greatest challenge.

I want to write and ignite the hearts of my readers, give wings to their dreams. I want to bring people to the very centers of themselves to make the same self-examinations that have helped define my individuality. I want them to realize their limitless potential to become fearfully wonderful.

I will do this by pressing my soul into words and allowing myself to flow freely from the tip of my pen. I will do this by accessing the creative fibers that have tied knots around my heart. I will tear stars out of the sky and jump into the pockmarks of the moon. I will be passionate. I will be stellar. I will be me.

As I claw my way into the pit of my heart and search desperately for discoveries, I will fail. I will fail miserably. But I will take these humiliating inadequacies and learn. I will find truth in each letdown; I will search for the beauty of the breakdown. I will be changed because of defeat. In fact, because of my losses, I will thrive.

Here I am on the verge of the rest of my life, and these once-rational ideas have become a type of chaos. Only at Columbia University do I feel that I can transform this chaos into the passion waiting to be ignited in my soul. Columbia will provide me with hands to grasp my future. Ultimately, Columbia will allow me to thrive because of who I am, shake myself free of inhibition, and write my guts out.