Student Essays

Essay of the Month July 2022

by Naomi Hsu, Belmont A few years ago, I watched Legally Blonde for the first time. I clearly remember fangirling over the protagonist, Elle Woods. She was smart, funny pretty: what more was there to ask for of a character? But what stays imprinted in my memory till...

read more

A Peaceful and Scholarly Place

by Irene Xu, Davis My favorite places outside of my home are bookstores, all kinds of them, from the ones that are big and showy, right in the middle of a busy business street and with lots of people reading a book or enjoying a cup of coffee, to the ones located in...

read more

Back to the Past

by Aarthi Hariharan, Pleasanton There is an eight-year-old going to school, playing with her friends, and living a normal life. An eight-year-old immersed in her world -- learning about the arm bones, animals in the world, and basic multiplication -- is told that her...

read more

School SEL Programs

by L. Z., Saratoga In highly competitive academic environments, the question of a healthy and emotional life is often forgotten by teachers and even parents. School counselors are not trained to help students with other problems or conflicts in their lives, especially...

read more

Destruction in a Small World

by Gavin Weng, Los Altos Since the 1950s, Americans have strived to be ahead in the international space race, competing with other countries to reach new places in space and now trying to innovate in space tourism, flying regular people out of our humble homes and...

read more

My First Few Years of Being a Teenager

by Aarushi J., Cupertino As a child, I couldn’t wait till the day I turned thirteen, to finally become a teenager. The teenage years are glorified everywhere. Movies and books are all about the adventures of teenagers. From Harry Potter to Nancy Drew, I was drawn into...

read more

Keep Music Programs in College

by C. Hsu, Belmont Since musicians are often viewed as the embodiment of poverty, students and parents wonder if universities should help music majors specialize in more practical jobs or completely eradicate a traditional music major course, allowing for more career...

read more

The Benefits of Gardening

by Zoe S., Los Altos Each year, humans produce enough food to feed ten billion people, but much of that food is wasted, which contributes to global warming. Growing my own food would ensure that I would be more sustainable. Gardening is a very educational project that...

read more