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Nicolaas A. Rupke When I volunteered at a free medical clinic, I was shocked to see the large number of people who desperately needed our services. I know it is idealistic to think that by volunteering and becoming a doctor, I can change the state of health care in the U.S. But I am looking forward to the time when I can provide free services to people in need.
Mikael Horissian
Johnson Professor of Leadership and the History of Ideas Rupke has employed a biographical approach to historical figures in science, blending historiography and the history of ideas to show the ways in which scientific leadership is a product not only of individual genius, but also of collective ideas and institutional forces. His books include works on Wil-
Glade Spring, Va. Patrick Henry High School
liam Buckland, the 19th-century British geologist, and Richard Owen, British contemporary Since sixth grade, I have volunteered at the Special Olympics. Joining hands with other people who share the same vision of helping and accepting others creates an undeniable impact on the world, much greater than what I could accomplish by myself.
and critic of Charles Darwin and founder of the British Museum of Natural History. Rupke has also written a major book on Alexander von Humboldt, the German naturalist and explorer whose work in botanical geography laid the groundwork for the field of biogeography.
Christopher Hu Ridgewood, N.J. Ridgewood High School
I find the theory of universal grammar—that all languages follow a basic set of grammatical principles—fascinating. I’m interested in learning French, German, Arabic or any other language to see if I can get an inkling of the universal protolanguage.
Darlon Jan
My experience with The Aeneid confirms what my education is telling me: that knowledge is worth pursuing. What is the nature of love? Of honor? Of peace? I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.
Ryan Johnson
Reno, Nev. Davidson Academy of Nevada
Dallas, Texas Cambridge School of Dallas My high school has an honor code, and I have realized that it is not always what you do, but the lessons you learn from practicing it or thinking about it. There is not always dishonor in a wrong decision, as long as a lesson is learned. The greatest dishonor is to do the wrong thing and never learn from your mistake.
When writing my essays I have a goal to shake the very soul of my reader, even if it’s just one sentence or even one moment that does it. I love to learn, and it thrills me to think of the opportunities that lie before me of challenging my logical mind to its limit.
Han Gil Jang
Oro Valley, Ariz. Canyon Del Oro High School
Patricia Kirkland Charleston, S.C. Ashley Hall