Question: Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work
experiences. (150 word limit)
Tae-Kwon-Do has been a major part of my life, giving me the opportunity to mature and grow.
When I was five, I joined just because I thought I could be a ninja, but I discovered a community
of endless improvement and comradery. I’m a now teacher with students who have the same
ninja dreams as I did. It has been a constant in my life, something that I could work towards. I
changed a lot growing up, I’ve lost interests and gained interests, but few things have stayed with
me like Tae-Kwon-Do. It has shaped my character by providing a job, a place to meet new
people, to maintain friendships, and where I could grow as a leader. I learned to take charge, to
organize groups of all ages, and to teach. I learned how to deal with conflict, console a crying
child, while still teaching the others.
Question: Why are you drawn to the area(s) of study you indicated earlier in this
application? (You may share with us a skill or concept that you found challenging and
rewarding to learn, or any experiences beyond course work that may have broadened your
interest.) (250 word limit)
Ever since I was a child, I wanted to be an engineer. Back then I didn’t know what engineering
was, so I said I wanted to be an inventor. I knew I wanted to make cool stuff and invent
something. As I grew, and learned what engineering was, and all the intricacies and different
types of jobs engineers do, I decided I wanted to be an engineer, a person who created innovative
solutions to problems. After taking a computer science class I realized that computer engineering
was what I wanted to focus on. Computer engineering is a field with endless depth which has
applications in everything. I want to study computer engineering to have an impact on the world
around me, and I will start with full and complete wireless electricity. In a world without wires,
energy could flow everywhere at any time, minimizing environmental impact and maximizing
the number of people able to access energy. A green power source can be constructed in terrain
that would normally be unable to support the wires needed to transport that power. Inventions
like robotics and electric vehicles, which currently struggle from a battery problem would not
have to worry about running out of juice. It might seem ambitions, but the proof of concept
exists, and it is something tangible that I could help invent and develop.
Question: What do you hope to experience at Brown through the Open Curriculum, and
what do you hope to contribute to the Brown community? (250 word limit)
Brown’s open curriculum allows me to focus on my major while also taking classes that
stimulates my interests without worrying about its impact on my performance. I can just learn for
the sake of learning. While engineer has always been my career of choice, law was a subject that
fascinated me. I joined mock trial in my Freshman year and took a law course at my first
opportunity. Brown’s open curriculum would allow me to pursue that interest, and it may even
push me towards a blend into patent law.
What I hope to contribute is my ability to combine analytical and creative thinking skills
towards problem solving. I have developed both through my interests in math and engineering as
well as the art of debate and public speaking. I am excited to contribute to Brown Mock Trial
and engineering competitions. I have also developed a love for teaching through my martial arts
and my school tutoring experience. I enjoy helping people learn and will continue to teach in the
future.
Question: Tell us about the place, or places, you call home. These can be physical places
where you have lived, or a community or group that is important to you. (250 word limit)
I don’t have a big extended family. My mother is an immigrant whose family is all in
Russia. My father’s family consists of one childless brother with no kids. The closest relatives
are my grandparents, who live in Florida. So, to me, home is my small, immediate family of
four, my parents, me and my little sister. Home is staying up late talking to my sister about
random things, and playing board games. Home is sitting around telling stories and sharing my
feelings and opinions in ways I cannot with anyone else. Home is small things, like telling my
sister about something that I saw online, or telling my parents about an article about new
headphone technology or a quirky story like the construction of a new monorail train, and how I
think it’s interesting. Home is the kind of closeness you get when you have a small family and
spend a lot of time with each other such that sharing thoughts and bonding is the routine.