Defining Freedom When I was a child, I loved visiting my uncle’s house in the countryside. He raised sheep, and I enjoyed watching them. They lived a simple, unassuming life, and even though I visited them every day, they were…
Category: Articles from the 2026 Writing Contest
2026 Writing Contest
My View of Chinese Examinations
When I was very young, adults told me that every student in China would face two major exams: the high school and university entrance examinations. These two examinations are the most important entrance exams in China, respectively determining the chances…
The Distance Was Never the Point
The Distance Was Never the Point I grew up in Rangpur, Bangladesh believing that culture was the great divider. That the way people ate, learned, and gathered with each other was fundamentally shaped by where they were born, and that…
Eight Minutes and Twenty Seconds to Myself
Eight Minutes and Twenty Seconds to Myself I thought I was applying to schools. In reality, I was learning how to understand myself. Every year on March 10th, for many students who apply to American high schools, is a special…
A Land of Pride
When I was 13 years old, I traveled on a trip to Israel with my family for the first time. As someone who is Jewish, and at the time recently had my bar-mitzvah, it was a special trip. I…