National Merit

Scholarship Corporation

Q. What are some of your goals for the next four years?

A. To acquire as much knowledge as possible. To excel in whatever I choose to do. To have some fun along the way. To pursue research projects and create more innovations of my own.

Q. What motivated you to excel throughout high school? Which of your accomplishments have meant the most to you?

A. My motivation for high school derived mostly from my parents. Both grew up with very little and used school as a means to become successful. My dad is an immigrant from Turkey, and college brought him to the United States. He's always pushed the idea of pursuing opportunity and is my biggest role model. Some of my most meaningful accomplishments were being voted graduation speaker, getting a 36 on my ACT, and being a national semifinalist in Informative Speaking. They showed my hard work and passion for public speaking.

Q. Where are you attending college, and what do you plan to major in? Why did you choose this field of study?

A. I will be attending Harvard College in the fall and plan to major in English. For me, it was the influence and guidance of amazing high school English teachers that influenced me to choose this major. It was a combination of literary analysis— of being able to read so many different authors who were able to convey so many different ideas in so many different ways that revealed to me the potential for English to be a vehicle for thought—and of writing—being able to articulate my own ideas and finding the most efficient, effective, and impactful way of doing so.

Q. What are your interests outside of academics?

A. My love for food extends outside the academic realm to nearly all other aspects of my life. I am a lifelong athlete, and so nutritional science is something that I hold close to my heart. I was the setter for Brown's Women's Club Volleyball Team, and I am also an avid weightlifter, hiker, and general outdoor‐activity enthusiast. Additionally, I am highly involved with eating disorder awareness advocacy, both as a Peer Mental Health Advocate for Project LETS (a national grassroots organization) and in my personal life. My personal connection to food stems more broadly from my identity as a first‐generation Filipina‐American; throughout my childhood and adolescence in the US, Filipino food was always one of the strongest connections I had to the country my parents came from. The prominent role of food in my home life has made me a passionate baker and cook. All of these interests and experiences come together in my love for storytelling, and I frequently use photography and writing as media through which to tell both my stories and those of the people I surround myself with.

Q. What did receiving your scholarship mean to you? Did it lead to any special opportunities?

A. Receiving a National Merit Scholarship was an enormous honor. During the summer after my first year, I worked as a volunteer researcher at U.Va., which would not have been financially possible without the support of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. My research that summer, which was conducted with Professor Craig Group and the Mu2e Experiment, ended up sparking my initial interest in experimental particle physics. In short, the scholarship gave me the bandwidth to join a research lab as a first year, an experience that ultimately inspired me to pursue physics research as a profession.