GPA 4.0/4.0
SAT 1580/1600
Demographics Male, Hispanic, Central New Jersey, Middle-Income
Hooks Faculty connection (Mother)
Notable admissions Princeton, Harvard, Wharton
In addition to the essay you have written for the Common Application, please write an essay of about 500 words (no more than 650 words and no fewer than 250 words). Using one of the themes below as a starting point, write about a person, event, or experience that helped you define one of your values or in some way changed how you approach the world. Please do not repeat, in full or in part, the essay you wrote for the Common Application.
“Culture is what presents us with the kinds of valuable things that can fill a life. And insofar as we can recognize the value in those things and make them part of our lives, our lives are meaningful.” Gideon Rosen, Stuart Professor of Philosophy and director of the Behrman Undergraduate Society of Fellows, Princeton University.
It’s easy to think that I see double. In a way, I do.
Officially, I have two different names: [REDACTED] is written on my American passport, and [REDACTED] on my Spanish one. As the first member of my extended family to ever be raised outside of Spain, my identity can only be described as a synthesis of cultural roots and native influence.
The double heritage is obvious–it’s all over my home. Paintings of the Mediterranean Sea and New York skyline are juxtaposed on opposite walls in the living room. Beside hamburger meat in the fridge lies a tub of gazpacho. Even our taste in music is rather diverse: some days we dance to the rhythm of flamenco, while others Drake’s croons echo throughout the house.
But between “where I live” and “where I’m from,” it’s easy to miss the other cultures that sculpt my perspective. In the grassy, deer-infested town that I live–a community in the most traditional sense–there are no just “two” sides; there are hundreds.
My hometown is a place teeming with diversity, new viewpoints, and possibility. From learning traditional Indian dances at “Garba” events, to speaking with Costa Rican delegates at Model UN conferences about their own homes, to celebrating Passover with my Jewish friend and her family–opportunities all given to me by this small suburb–I’ve gained a perspective that is touched by footprints left by every corner of the world.
This constant exposure that my hometown has provided, an ongoing opportunity to interact with an ever-changing assortment of cultures, is what’s given me an appreciation for people, places, and all things new. In the same way, it’s this exposure that motivates me to keep an open mind in even the most polarizing situations. Living within a patchwork of cultures from a young age has shaped me into someone curious about the unknown and accepting of the unfamiliar.
Even the dynamic of my friend group, which comprises peers of Irish, Algerian, Korean, Russian, Indian and Colombian descent, would be drastically different if we didn’t such diverse backgrounds. For example, at our lunch table, we frequently debate the latest “hot topics” in the news. But without our contrasting viewpoints and values–which were no doubt chiseled by our distinct upbringings–impassioned arguments about genetically-engineered babies and outer space colonization would surely not take place. Being able to comfortably discuss differences in opinion is a meaningful yet rare occurrence in most communities, and one of many significant products of Princeton’s unique environment.
Stimulating, enchanting, inviting, and refreshing are all words that come to mind when I think of Princeton. Home is another. From anxiously waiting in Frist Campus Center as a third grader while my mom lectured undergraduate students, to racing friends through the Fountain of Freedom just this summer, I have forged an indelible sentimental connection to Princeton’s vibrant community and university. To most, my hometown might only be the place where I was born and raised. But to me, it’s the place that pushed me to see more.
“We are united in our diversity” –Eva Lerner-Lam ’76. This beautiful paradox, plastered on the wall of Frist’s Café Vivian, epitomizes life in the cultural quilt that is Princeton. The true value of culture, I realized, lies within our differences; and meaning is derived from seizing each new language, religion, custom, ideology, or opinion as an opportunity to learn and grow.
And so, my place here is just like that of everyone else: same in the sense that we are each only one constituent of this potpourri, but entirely different in that the thoughts, the plans, the dreams that we contribute are unique and strictly our own. With an institution that encourages every perspective, cherishes every experience, and values every talent right in my backyard, the choice is clear––Princeton University is the only place where I’d want to spend the next four years of my life.