Stomps and frenzied cheers filled the gymnasium. Swaying, screaming bodies completely covered the bleachers as I approached the microphone.

As a member of the debate team, I’d had three years of public speaking experience — but always to a panel of judges, and never in front of my entire school. I needed to grab their attention.

“We ARE,” I chanted slowly into the mic, “E-X-......E-T-E-RRRRRR!”

I repeated the phrase, picking up volume and speed as classmates joined in.

“We ARE E-X-E-T-E-RRRR! WE ARE E-X-E-T-E-R!”

Our pace quickened with each iteration, until our lips could no longer keep pace and the chant crescendoed into a cacophonous battle cry. 

Seizing the energy, I launched into a recap of the women’s basketball season thus far: Aly’s 22-point game, Sarah’s oof-inducing rebounds, and the team’s epic fourth quarter comeback from a 15-point deficit. 

By this point, everyone was on their feet, and it was time to introduce my teammates. Ally! Becca! Sarah! And Kav--

Kav--

I turned to the only black member of our team, realizing in horror, before the entire school, that I wasn’t sure how to pronounce the next vowel in her name. 

If this was the most embarrassing moment of my life, I can’t imagine how humiliating and unwelcoming it was for my teammate -- and I vowed never to make anyone I live, study, or play with ever feel that way again. 

This is a recent revelation for me; coming from a homogenous community, “inclusion” hasn’t been something I had to think about. However, reflecting on this experience, I know the direction I want to grow. It will be a journey, and there will be mistakes, but I know the only way to become the person I hope to be is by immersing myself in a diverse and inclusive community, eager to listen and ready to learn.

​

You’d never guess it if you saw me dining among ice sculptures and US Poet Laureates in one of Phillips Exeter’s ivy-covered dining halls…

But I grew up an Iowa farm girl.

Throughout middle school, I was out of bed an hour before any of my peers, collecting eggs, milking goats, and doing the morning feed of my family’s sheep, horses, chickens, and ducks. After dinner each night, I was back at it, this time doing the night feed -- often in the dark, bundled against Iowa’s snow and infamous 20-below wind chills.

Sounds grueling, no? 

But one of the hardest parts of being surrounded by astounding resources these last four years — 100,000-volume libraries, scanning electron microscopes, photo labs, and whale skeletons — was being away from my chores. 

Here at Exeter, there’s been no limit on what I can learn or do intellectually. However, I’ve missed not only the “character-building” aspects of manual labor, but also the opportunity to connect directly with animals in my care. 

At Pomona, I hope to balance this disconnect between upbringing and opportunity by getting involved with the Equestrian Team and  5C Animal Shelter. Having already read Pomona’s Pre-Vet Planning Guide, I look forward to exploring some of the vet school pre-reqs throughout the Claremont Colleges to see if this is the correct course for me, while working with the Career Development Office to find internships and shadowing opportunities at zoos, working farms, and wildlife rescues. 

I don’t know, yet, whether or how my background connects with my academic future. But I know that Pomona’s liberal arts curriculum is the best way to find out.

​

Scuba Farmer. 

That’s my nickname -- and I worked hard for it! 

Because I grew up in Iowa, my first job was, of course, detasseling corn. This is grueling labor that requires walking the cornfields, sunup to sundown, ripping the tassels (the male parts) off of cornstalks and throwing them onto the ground (you must throw them -- you can’t simply drop them, because if they get caught in the plants’ leaves, they can still self-pollinate, which defeats the entire purpose of detasseling). It’s never less than 90 degrees, but you’re always wearing long pants and long sleeves; corn leaves are sharp enough to cut your skin and rough enough to give you a rash, and that’s not to mention the spiders and other creepy crawlies that live in the fields. 

When I started detasseling, I had no particular goal for money I earned. But after a family trip to Hawaii, I discovered a love of snorkeling…

Which turned into researching ways to become scuba certified…

Which turned into me discovering Action Quest, a sailing and scuba diving camp in the Virgin Islands. The experience came with a hefty price tag, and one that I was able to help my family pay for with my detasseling money. 

Endless hours toiling in the Iowa sun paved the way for endless hours in the Caribbean sun. But it wasn’t just fun and games -- I worked hard over the next two summers not only to complete my Open Water certification, but also my Advanced Open Water, Underwater Navigator, Underwater Naturalist, Search and Recovery Specialist, and Rescue Diver certifications.

While wildly different in geography and ecology, both experiences that made me Scuba Farmer shaped my perspective on conservation, environmentalism, and sustainability, and I look forward to further exploring them through Occidental’s liberal arts curriculum.

​

While women make up just over 50% of the population, and I’m not sure my membership in this sex class would constitute diversity per se…

I am often referred to as, “The only girl who ___.”

The only girl who plays pickup basketball. 

The only girl in the rock band. 

The only girl in Mountain Biking Club. 

Have I struggled as significantly as students born in marginalized communities? Probably not. But being The Only Girl Who has forced me to develop assertiveness, toughness, and directness that contradicts what society says nice girls “should” be…

And I’ve learned to do it in ways that my male teammates, bandmates, and opponents won’t socially punish -- which is completely ridiculous, really, because why should I, the only female on the court, also have to be the only person on the court worried that I’ll be excluded from group texts, not passed to, and ostracized, just for saying, “No, I don’t want to guard him. He’s a guard and I’m a center. That’s why I already said I wanted to guard the other center,” in a way that was deemed too… well… female dog-like. 

To put it politely. 

As The Only Girl in these recreational pursuits, I understand how even the activities I love most can be stressful and exclusive. Instead of “just having fun,” I’ve had to learn, for example, to shroud my assertiveness in humor, so as not to make the dominant group too uncomfortable when I express my preferences and ideas. I’m sure these skills will be useful in my career; nevertheless, I want to help build a world in which underrepresented people do not have to endure extra stress and face higher, more stringent social expectations to succeed in, or even just enjoy, every part of their lives. 
​​

Ahh -- Pizza Napoletana! The essence of Italian cooking! Prior to our meal, Giulia, the chef, had explained that the tomatoes must be grown in the volcanic soil of San Marzano sul Sarno, while the dough must be crowned only with D.O.C. (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) Mozzarella di Bufala Campana. She’d shown us her traditional wood-fired oven while her two daughters giggled by her side.

After an explosion of history and flavor, my Teen Travel group erupted into conversation… but I slipped away. My goal was to connect with my Italian heritage through conversations with locals, so I found Giulia tidying her kitchen.

“Thank you for dinner. It was delicious,” I said in slow survival Italian I’d self-studied before the trip.

She smiled. Soon, we were discussing the joys and challenges of her work. When I asked if she'd ever considered expanding her business, she thumbed a stain on her apron.

“No. In Italy, family-run business can’t get credit.”

This sparked my interest in the most basic of financial products: the bank loan. Is this something that could be profitable in Italy -- or is it still too risky? Is this a problem that is ripe for innovation? I emailed my FBLA advisor to find out. “Why don’t you collect some data during your trip so you have something to analyze in AP Stats this fall?”

So began my senior project, “The Case for Small Business Lending in Italy,” which has become a major focus of my year. It’s a project I’m incredibly proud of, not only because of my findings, but because of how my effort has driven me to connect so deeply with my family’s culture. 

More than anything, this experience has highlighted the importance of diversity and identity. I’m asking questions I never would have considered before, all because I had an opportunity to explore my culture. 

Imagine the progress and innovation we could see in the world if experiences like this were possible for everyone of every background.

​

“Eva, you’d make the best surgeon! I can always see your tips!”

Only the rarest compliment makes me blush—but coming from Dr. Moranto, a retired physician whose insights about Medicare, bioethics, and preventative medicine keep me lingering in his classroom long after AP Biology ends, my cheeks vasodilate the color of the liver I just excised.

Moving to the gizzard, I ask about cross-species virus transmission—which extends into lunch, and ends with a surprising declaration: 

“More than anything else, human history has been shaped by mosquitoes.”

I rejected this, so he recommended some extracurricular reading: The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator. Despite the word “History” in the title, I assumed the book was scientific—it’s about Culicidae, after all, and was recommended by a biologist. 

And yet… the book was about every class I’ve taken. 

Learning how classicists collaborated with pathophysiologists to uncover malaria in ancient texts—how Alexander the Great was  posthumously diagnosed—I saw new usefulness in the “dead” languages I study. 

Seeing how mosquitoes shaped Judaism, early Christianity, and the spread of Islam, I had to rethink everything I thought I learned in Old Testament.

Mapping outbreaks to trade routes and commerce, I saw my cost-benefit analyses from Business Principles through a new lens. 

Understanding how hurricanes cause explosions in pest populations, I realized how farms and economies continue struggling long after initial storm damage—suddenly, AP Economics felt wildly oversimplified.

These conversations. This book. That is why I crave Brown’s Open Curriculum: not only to actively design my course, but also to learn from students and professors in completely different fields. I want to collaborate in ways I can’t currently imagine, with people whose only shared trait with me is our deadliest predator.

​
​

Prompt 4: Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. 

Ahh -- Pizza Napoletana! The very essence of Italian cooking! Prior to our meal, Giulia, the restaurant owner, had explained that the tomatoes must be grown in the volcanic soil of San Marzano sul Sarno, while the dough must be crowned only with D.O.C. (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) Mozzarella di Bufala Campana. She’d shown us her traditional wood-fired oven while her two daughters giggled by her side.

After the explosion of history and flavor that was our dinner, my Teen Travel group erupted into conversation… but I slipped away. Around the corner, Giulia and her employee were tidying up the kitchen.

“Thank you for dinner. It was delicious,” I said in slow survival Italian (I’d downloaded some Pimsleurs courses before the trip).

She smiled at my attempt. Soon, we were discussing the joys and challenges of her work. When I asked if she'd ever considered expanding her business, she thumbed a stain on her apron.

“No. In Italy, family-run business can’t get credit.”

I’d known it was a stormy market -- before the trip, I’d asked my AP Economics teacher for reading recommendations that would help me understand Italy’s economy, and had worked my way through his list in the weeks before my departure from JFK. I’d reveled in (and sometimes stared in confusion at) the details of bailouts and austerity… but never considered how it might affect small businesses.

That night, I did some additional research. I learned that, even though Italy’s economy is recovering, the big banks are still unable to offer capital to small businesses -- the very ones that were making my service trip so memorable.

This sparked my interest in the most basic of financial products: the bank loan. Is this something that could be profitable in Italy -- or is it still too risky? Is this a problem that is ripe for innovation? I emailed my FBLA advisor to find out. “Aren’t you taking AP Stats in the fall?” she asked. “Why don’t you collect some data during your trip so you have something real to analyze?”

So began my senior project, “The Case for Small Business Lending in Italy.” Compiling survey data for 30 minutes each night after my fellow travelers had collapsed into their beds was exhausting -- thank Jupiter for marocchino and caffe corretto! But it was intellectually stimulating and interpersonally meaningful to discuss small business ownership with the vendors who always went the extra kilometer, even for a loud and boisterous group of American teenagers.

Upon returning home, I found ways to relive my trip every day. I learned to use MAXQDA software to qualitatively analyze survey results, and had the chance to apply what I was learning in Stats to real-world problems. I began reading about non-traditional small business lenders, like Cabbage and Blue Vine -- and after I finish this essay, I’ll start working on my cover letter for internships with them this summer, because I am sincerely excited about being able to offer fast, cheap loans to bold entrepreneurs who just want to make a living sharing their passions with the world.

The obvious takeaway of this essay is that I went to Italy on a service trip and discovered an interesting problem I am still trying to solve. But -- who knows? When I arrive at college and begin taking classes on topics from Bioethics to Bob Dylan, I might discover a completely different path.

Whatever I become an expert in, whomever I decide to help, my ability to look a little deeper, start conversations with teachers, mentors, and strangers, and follow through with my curiosities, will truly empower me to make a difference.

Talk about why you do this activity; how it has changed you; what about it you found the most meaningful

OR. Tell them what this activity says about your personality, goals or values.

OR. Think of something you want them to know about you that they don't know already.

Come up with at least three good ideas before choosing one. Here is how I would approach this essay:

Brainstorming -- without worrying about ideas being good, bad, cheesy, or cliche. When you're brainstorming, there are no bad ideas. 

Idea 1: Everything I Know About Life, I Learned From Basketball
Idea 2: I Am Not Afraid of Childbirth, Because Nothing Could Be More Painful Than Rowing - an essay about working hard to excel at a sport I love
​Idea 3: How One Game of Pickup Volleyball Changed My Life - when the varsity coach saw me playing, he invited me to try out for the team. Even though I'd planned on running cross country, I took a chance on something new, and loved it.

Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (50-150 words)​

Everything I know about life, I learned from pickup basketball.

I learned that the most important goal… is to get in the game. The only way to improve is through experience. So figure out how to get in (free throws? Threes?), and master that skill -- even if you never do it during the game. 

The second most important objective… is to win the mental game. Anyone who knows me would say I’m among the sweetest people they’ve met. But the first thing I do when I play ball is convince the person I’m guarding that I'm about to humiliate them. It’s all about posture, confidence, and starting explosively. The first five seconds can determine the whole game.

Third, fundamentals. Master them. Practice them every day.

Finally, if you don’t do it 100%, there’s no point doing it at all. No one ever threw their defender making a cut at 70%.

Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (50-150 words)​

You already know about my accomplishments on the volleyball court; what you don’t know is that it all started with a single game of outdoor pickup.
​
My sophomore spring, I was eager to continue with cross country next fall. I loved my teammates, the foliage-y New England courses, and, mostly, my amazing coach. But when the varsity volleyball coach happened upon me smashing the ball in my best friend’s face (he thought since he was five inches taller than me, he could block my hits -- ha!), she invited me to try-outs.

After careful consideration, I said yes!

Volleyball taught me to accept and seek opportunities. It taught me to always ask, “What else can I do?” Finally, it taught me that starting behind doesn’t mean you’ll never get ahead. Among my achievements is breaking three career records, even though I only played for two years.
​

Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.​​

What is your nickname? Explain its origins.


"Good workout. See you next time, Next."

My face, dripping with sweat, scrunches. Next? What? Did I hear him wrong? But by the time I can breathe, John has already left the erg room.

A few days later, it happens again -- this time, in the dining hall.

"Hey, Next. They just put some hard boiled eggs on the salad bar, in case you need extra protein."

As Nick strolls away, I see Jen, one of my rowing teammates. "Jen! Why do all the crew guys keep calling me next?"
​
She looks at me for a moment, shocked that I don't already know.

"Because they think you're going to be the next Exeter Academy Olympian."

​Oh. ​

Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.  

 
I’ll be blunt: I have the perfect body…
 
For a rower.
 
At least, that’s what everyone started telling me the moment I arrived in New England. “Try rowing! You’ll be awesome!”
 
But, but… I’m a runner! And a basketball player! I told myself.
 
If rowers are anything, though, they’re persistent. I admired that, and eventually decided to at least give it a try.
 
Let’s revisit my opening sentence: “I have the perfect body… for a rower.”
 
With just the right height and build, I had a physical advantage that helped me excel. In six weeks, I broke a 20-year-old boathouse record – meaning that I was the fastest rower my school’s history.
 
But that’s not what’s remarkable about my season.
 
What’s remarkable is that I noticed (and cared) that women who had spent years training were discouraged to lose their spot to a newbie. I noticed how frustrated certain teammates – including our captain – felt when they realized they would never break the records they’d worked tirelessly to break.
 
So I vowed to make a change. To be confident, without seeming arrogant. To show I’d earned my spot – but that it absolutely wasn’t “easy.” To help my teammates – and myself! – focus on team, rather than individual, goals. To do my best by helping others improve.
 
From then on, I decided, I would always finish last. When we ran hills, I’d continue sprinting up and down, shouting, “Let’s go! We’ve GOT this!” until the last girl was finished. When we erged, I’d pull until everyone was done.
 
Soon, other top rowers joined in.
 
Extra hill by extra hill, extra stroke by extra stroke, we grew together, culminating in a New England Championship and an invitation to the famous Henley Regatta.
 
I’d finished the basketball and volleyball seasons that year as Captain Elect, but was not chosen for crew captain. Yes, I’d’ve loved being tri-varsity captain and MVP – but my heart wasn’t broken. I’d learned that you don’t need a title to be a leader. You don’t need the most experience to inspire others. And there’s more to being “the best” than your own individual performance.  ​

Never, ever write an essay about how such-and-such a volunteer experience "changed your life" if it didn't actually change your life. 

Don't say your summer spent building schools in El Salvador changed your life... if you went back to school and kept doing the same things you were already doing. If it truly changed your life -- show that it changed your life.

Take a Spanish for Medical Professionals course online or at a local community college. Volunteer for a labor or immigration issues groups. Join a grassroots effort to legalize drugs in your state, if you think that will make a difference to the orphans you worked with!

Yale’s residential colleges regularly host conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak? What question would you ask? (200 characters / 35 words)

Yale’s residential colleges regularly host conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak? What question would you ask? 


Archeologist Chris Smart, who used lidar to discover ancient ruins. From his bedroom. During COVID. “Do you have advice about starting collaborations—especially for those bold enough to pursue a “worthless” major?

Yale’s residential colleges regularly host conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak? What question would you ask? 


​​Blake Snyder, in Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need, you turned the art of writing into a precise science. As a writer, how can I make sure I’m never replaced by a GAN?

Yale’s residential colleges regularly host conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak? What question would you ask? 


Peter Turchin, you invented cliodynamics and predicted in 2012 that 2020 would bring violence and social upheaval. What do you wish you’d done to ensure your statistics would prevent, rather than simply predict?​
​

Yale’s residential colleges regularly host conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak? What question would you ask? 


Stephanie Dray, author of My Dear Hamilton. “What’s truer: historical fact that does little to convey a lived, emotional reality, or historical fiction, which blurs reality but stirs deeper understanding?”
​

Yale’s residential colleges regularly host conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak? What question would you ask? 


​John Kallas, author, Edible Wild Plants. “Dr. Kallas, few people make money doing what they actually love. Was it harder to find success as a forager—or easier, since most people follow a safer path?”
​

1. What inspires you? (200 characters)

1. What inspires you? (200 characters)

​It’s a toss-up between William Petty, who invented statistics with his life expectancy tables, and William Perry, whose work as Defense Secretary helped prevent mutual destruction of human life.
​

1. What inspires you? (200 characters)

After reading Defense Secretary William Perry's The Button on the 75th anniversary of the atomic bomb, I'm inspired by the quest to topple the military industrial complex and innovate new paths to peace. 
​​

1. What inspires you? (200 characters)

Max Bialystock, a down-and-out producer whose perseverance helped him annex the cure for writer’s block: stop taking yourself so seriously, have fun, and write what you like—not what you hope an audience will like.
​​​

1. What inspires you? (200 characters)



Mrs. Moore. A published poet, environmental activist, and outstanding English teacher, she taught me to be proud of myself and own my accomplishments, rather than demure in the expected "feminine" way.

​

1. What inspires you? (200 characters)


Cicero, the original OG. His orations are so compelling, I can feel their meaning before I translate them. 2000 years later, political speeches still use many of his rhetorical strategies.

​

Community disruptions such as COVID-19 and natural disasters can have deep and long-lasting impacts. If you need it, this space is yours to describe those impacts. Colleges care about the effects on your health and well-being, safety, family circumstances, future plans, and education, including access to reliable technology and quiet study spaces.

Please use this space to describe how these events have impacted you (250 word maximum).*

All high school students have lost some kind of opportunity because of this pandemic, whether it's your shot at making varsity or a summer internship or a teen travel opportunity.

All things considered, I'm very lucky — I haven't lost a loved one, I'm not immunocompromised, and my parents are able to work from home, so our financial security has not been affected. Nevertheless...

I know keto is all the rage right now—but I spent much of junior year on the “AP Stats Diet.”

At least, that’s what my friends would joke when I’d dash into the dining hall with only seven minutes until 5th period, then grab whatever banana or sandwich I could consume on the move. 

The cause of my delay was discussions with my AP Stats teacher—not about the homework, but about I could apply topics we’d covered in class to the way I read the news, the way I play poker, and even the methods I apply in my APUSH papers. Because of these conversations, I wrote two papers and one Exonian article based on my own original data analysis. One of those papers, “Feminism and Fidelity,” ultimately won the Exeter History Prize. 

When COVID struck, it highlighted a part of my life I’d always taken for granted: 

Regular, unplanned interactions with mentors and classmates.

Sitting alone in my room at the end of a Zoom class, I felt a panging hunger I used to spontaneously sate with ideas, jokes, and discussions. I realized just how many important discussions happen in informal settings—and how seldom these become when all interaction is scheduled and conducted remotely. 

COVID-19 brought unimaginable pain to countless citizens around the world; compared to those who lost their lives, loved ones, and homes, I’ve suffered very little. However, I have gained a tremendous appreciation for the value of informal, face-to-face interactions with peers and teachers alike, and I will never take that for granted again.

They say Latin is a “dead language”—good thing I have the power of resurrection! 

It started with lively certamenes (contests) in the Classics Library on Fridays, then progressed to annual medals in the National Latin Examination and top-ten finishes in the New Hampshire Latin Competition. Before I knew it, Latin started popping up in the most unexpected places. 

John F. Kennedy speeches began feeling eerily reminiscent of Cicero, prompting a paper that my teacher called, “The most unique and interdisciplinary APUSH paper I’ve ever seen—Excellent!” AP Physics readings turned to post-class discussions about lidar, lasers, and ancient Roman ruins, prompting a final project my teacher lauded as “truly inspired—mythology meets methodology!”

After three years of bringing Latin alive, I was crushed when my dream of attending Study Abroad Experience in Italy died.

After an appropriate mourning period, I decided to fill the void with food—specifically, I designed an “immersive,” at-home exploration of the ancient Roman diet. After reading Tom Standage’s A History of the World in 6 Glasses and An Edible History of Humanity to gain historical context, I began recreating recipes from the world’s first cookbooks. Realizing how much “natural” foods, from beef to grapes to greens, have changed due to selective breeding and genetic engineering, I decided to maximize authenticity by foraging as many wild plants as possible. Hence, I ordered Edible Wild Plants, by John Kallas. 

Though still eager to see Roman ruins come to life post-pandemic, I’m grateful to have experienced this entirely new approach to learning.

​