I got accepted to Harvard, Stanford and Princeton—3 things my parents did at an early age: It 'made all the difference'
I recently graduated from PCTI STEM Academy in Wayne, New Jersey. This spring, I was accepted into 10 of the top 25 universities in the U.S., including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, and the University of Pennsylvania. This fall, I'll be attending Harvard University.
Among my acceptances, I was offered a merit-based full ride from Washington University as a Langsdorf Scholar and a direct phone call from their Dean of Engineering, along with a Likely Scholar Designation through Columbia University's C.P. Davis Scholar program.
What made all the difference? It started long before high school, with the way my parents raised me. We couldn't afford college consultants or expensive enrichment programs, so they focused on simple, consistent routines that laid the foundation for my success.
Research consistently shows that good sleep and proper nutrition lead to better academic performance. My parents took this seriously.
To make sure I got enough rest, my dad would wake up early so that he could drive me to school every morning before heading into work. Not having to catch the bus gave me an extra hour of sleep. My mom would similarly get up before sunrise, sometimes as early as 4:30 a.m., so that she could make me a nutritious breakfast — usually a couple of eggs, some protein, and garlic toast.
My parents also arranged their schedules so that I'd never come home to an empty house. As soon as I was done with school, they'd be home from work.
In Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers," he talks about how success requires not just talent and hard work, but also finding opportunities to develop our own interests. That really stuck with me.
At the start of high school, I was too focused on academics. Yet, my parents encouraged me to join clubs. If I didn't like it, I didn't have to commit. Growing up, my immigrant parents didn't have access to extracurricular activities. I was reminded of how lucky I am.
I became one of the most involved students in my district, and surprisingly ended up having a lot of fun. I participated in Robotics, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), and SkillsUSA. I even worked on real-world engineering projects, like optimizing math models for school-based initiatives.
My proudest accomplishment? Leading a NASA HUNCH team that designed a lunar rover built to survive the moon's harsh terrain. We were invited to present our design at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, directly to NASA engineers and astronauts.
My parents taught me that you can become talented through skill development, but you need opportunities to put that talent to good use.
My parents, who immigrated to the U.S. without a formal American education, taught me that success means more than grades. It's also about character.
They instilled in me values rooted in our Islamic faith: curiosity about the world, honesty, gratitude, and perseverance. Our faith also encourages us to observe and appreciate the beauty of the world, which is initially what got me interested in science!
Those values shaped how I approached everything, from academics to relationships with teachers and classmates. When it came time for recommendation letters, my teachers didn't just write about my grades. They spoke about who I am as a person, and that came from how my parents raised me.
What matters most to me is giving back — to my parents, my community, and everyone who helped me along the way. I believe that's how I'll truly make the most out of my Harvard education.
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The grandchildren of 2 men who experienced both A-bomb attacks 80 years ago now work for peace
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The two grandchildren then went to the Hiroshima peace park where they spoke with The Associated Press about what their grandfathers experienced during two of the 20th century's most momentous events and their consequences. Kosuzu Harada remembers her grandfather as a compassionate advocate for peace Yamaguchi was 29 when he was burned severely in the Hiroshima bombing. He was in the city on a temporary assignment as a shipbuilding engineer. After Yamaguchi arrived in Nagasaki, and was telling colleagues about the attack he'd witnessed in Hiroshima, the second bomb exploded. Harada first learned about her grandfather's experience of both bombs when she interviewed him for an assignment in elementary school. Yamaguchi didn't talk about his experience in public until he was 90 because of worries about discrimination. He then became a vocal activist for peace until he died in 2010. In 2013, Harada learned that the grandson of an American who was on the planes that bombed both Hiroshima and Nagasaki wanted to hear about Yamaguchi's story. 'I had mixed feelings as a family member of the survivors,' Harada said, recalling Ari Beser's first visit. Ari Beser quietly listened as Harada's mother talked about Yamaguchi. Harada and her mother were surprised when they learned the senior Beser was exposed to radiation during his missions. 'We used to see ourselves only from the victims' perspective,' she said. 'We learned that war effects and ruins everyone's lives.' 'I feel it is my role to keep telling about the horror … so that the same mistake will never be repeated,' Harada added. She tours Japan to talk about her grandfather's story and to push for a nuclear-free world. Yamaguchi used to say that he could never forgive the U.S. government for dropping the bombs, but he had no hatred for Americans. Even as his health deteriorated, Yamaguchi still spoke of his past, holding an interview from his hospital bed. Beser, a visual journalist and producer, has since regularly visited Nagasaki, and he and Harada have become friends. Harada believes the U.S. government should formally apologize for the bombings. 'A reconciliation takes time. It's a long process which takes generations,' Harada said. Ari Beser's grandfather was considered a hero at schools for his role in the bombings When he was asked about the attacks during his first visit to Hiroshima 40 years ago, Jacob Beser did not apologize, but said: 'I wouldn't say it was our proudest moment.' He said the world needed to make sure it doesn't happen again. Growing up, Ari Beser was told that his grandfather's bone cancer was presumably from his radiation exposure during the bombing missions. In 2011, Ari Beser traveled to Japan for the first time to learn more about the bombings. 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