Age: 17
Hometown: Marietta, Georgia
Schools applied to: University of Pennsylvania, specifically to the dual degree Vagelos Integrated Program for Energy Research (VIPER) program, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Harvard College, Yale University, Stanford University, University of California at Berkeley, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology
What I plan on studying in college: Electrical engineering. During the summer of 2008, my whole family and I traveled to Nigeria, my foreign motherland. The first problem that I noticed during my summer in Nigeria was the frequent electricity outages. Over the course of my time in Nigeria, I realized that the unstable energy resulted in widespread generator usage, which caused an unnecessary increase in the cost of living for the average Nigerian. The generator epidemic also resulted in a very high amount of pollution, which is bad for citizens — not just of Nigeria, but of many developing nations with energy inefficiency. I realized that this is a problem I want to dedicate my time to solving. However, I am open to a change of majors if I find another major better suits my goals.
Status for the fall: I was admitted to GaTech, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Stanford University, and the the University of Pennsylvania for the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research dual degree program. I was waitlisted to Yale University. I was not admitted to MIT, Harvard College, and University of California at Berkeley.
What I'm most excited for at college: The prospect of growing intellectually and extracurricularly. Being in an environment with a multitude of intellectually stimulated individuals will allow me to grow exponentially as a person. This excites me.
What I'm most nervous for at college: Being able to manage my time well to make full use of my time and the whole college experience. I want to really enjoy the experience and take full advantage of it.
