An essay explaining how receiving support from others can help you achieve success

 Throughout history, people have rejected the help of others as it hurts their ego and they feel they can be more successful on their own. However, time and time again history proves them wrong and that even the strongest of warriors and most fearsome of leaders need someone to help them, a support. A strong warrior without the brains of a seasoned commander is just a mindless brute but with the tactics of a commander a warrior can do much more than charge at  his enemies head on. One can only do so much on their own, but with the help of another they can accomplish far more.

As people realized this, the world changed for the better. Scientists, with help of doctors, found cures to the most vile of plagues.Kingdoms turned into empires as they made allies. For example, if the allies hadn’t teamed up during world war 2, the world would be a completely different place as none of them had the power to defeat the Nazi superpower on their own. Without his mentor Aristotle, Alexander the Great would never have had the strategy necessary to conquer nations.

As the world started to shift from more medieval times to modern ages with all its luxuries, people started to forget what got them there. Alliances. Friendships. Help. Nowadays everyone has an inflated ego and asking for help hurts their pride. People forget how they created the modern utopia we live in today, free from the worries of hunger and sickness. Without working with each other, our current world would be nothing but a dream. Each day nations fight each other is a day that could be spent united working towards improving the lives of humankind. But instead pride and ego cloud our judgement and we continue to sacrifice the longevity of humankind for our own frivolous desires.

In conclusion, we have learned from history that one thing all successful empires had in common was that they knew how to work together and understood that they are stronger as one. Working together allowed our ancestors to build the world we live in today and we need to leave our pride and ego behind us and follow in their footsteps, building the world our children live in tomorrow.

The Road Ahead - Essay contest submission @ North American University

I have a lot planned for my future, but considering that I have 6 more years of school left, I still have a good amount of time in hand to put myself in the right position to fulfill my plans and goals. I see myself working at a large and ambitious company as a lead programmer by 2030. The technology industry will most likely continue to remain in demand by 2030. Even though I understand the amount of hard work and time required, I am still very optimistic about this career for me.

 I have always been intrigued by the way computers work. We find computers in all walks of our modern-day life – from video games to a smart light bulb. I am planning to build a computer myself this upcoming summer of 2019 to better understand the foundations of computer science. I had been on the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) 2017-18 robotics team in the past year which helped me learn the basics of computer programming by writing programs for LEGO EV3 Mindstorms robot. This gave me an opportunity to learn about software and hardware aspects of computer science, working in a team and giving back to society. My team won in the regional tournament of FLL and participated in the Northern California Silicon Valley Championship. We conducted several STEM education sessions in local library for elementary school kids to learn about science in general and have fun doing that.

At the moment I am focusing on continuing to average high scores in all subjects in my school. I have also enrolled into couple talented and gifted programs like Duke Tips and I am taking the PSAT 8/9 test through them in February 2019. Until last year I was enrolled in Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth (CTY) program for which I had taken the national level School and College Ability Test (SCAT) as a 2^nd grader in the year 2014 and scored 94 percentiles in both English and Math tests. I am currently enrolled in accelerated math class at Pearson Ranch Middle School and am attempting to make it into a talented and gifted class in math, language arts, and science early next year. I am doing this to hone my knowledge in all of the key areas that will help me achieve my future goal of following in both of my parents’ footsteps and working as a computer programmer.

During my time in high school, I plan to take electives that specialize in programming and technology in addition to joining the robotics team. I realize that to achieve my goal I will need to be very dedicated and put in a lot of hard work. I also am pursuing band and Spanish to keep a certain amount of variety to keep my mind fresh and ready to learn.

To prepare myself for the advanced classes I plan to take in college, I will have to also put in a lot of hard work in high school and be focused towards my goal. In pursuit of getting accepted at a good college, I will try my best to participate in programs that will help my chances of getting into a good college and earning a merit scholarship.

I plan to pursue graduation and post-graduation in computer science before starting on a job but that will come after 2030. At this point, I will have carried out all of my plans and I will hopefully be settled down in a house with my family and be in a job with a good pay and a good work-life balance. Overall, I hope my interests in computer programming help me do good in school, be successful and eventually lead me to live a happy life with my family.

Ecosystem Predator Acrostic Poem

a·cros·tic

/əˈkrôstik/

noun

noun: acrostic plural noun: acrostics

1. a poem, word puzzle, or other composition in which certain letters in each line form a word or words.

The mighty Jaguar, so big and strong roams the savannah so wide and absolutely long.

If you don’t take its food however, the great Jaguar will ignore you, no attention whatsoever.

It is scared of only the unnerving anaconda, the dangerous snake.

It can make even the amazing Jaguar quake.

He can chase the most rapid of prey, regardless of whether it’s night or day.

Make Learning More Accessible

Do you have a cell phone? If so, do you bring it to school with you?Do you use it appropriately or do you make knavish uses of it? Currently there is a debate going on about whether cell phones should be allowed in school or not. In some schools the use of cell phones is encouraged, however in others it is not. I very firmly agree that cell phone usage should be permitted in all schools.

To begin with, a reason that having cellphones in class can be beneficial is that they can be used as research tools during class time. The cellphones can allow for instant access to a wide range of information to aid during research.Furthermore, this information such as music, videos, or articles can be used in a wide varieties of classes and/or electives. For example listening to historical speeches such as Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” can be a supplement during speech and debate. Or listening to some of Beethoven's masterpieces can be of inspiration to young musicians during band class. It can even be of aid during geography to search the meaning of a term such as an archipelago, a group of islands in close proximity to each other. Your welcome teachers!

In addition, another reason that adds to this rationale behind my opinion is the recurrent belief between many communities, of social learning consisting of numerous gains in school. Some shy students blossom into confident and focused group learners through social learning applications and websites such as Edmodo, Google Hangouts, and Google Classroom. With these social education tools, work can easily be alloted to students and will ensure a monotonous learning environment will not easily be created.In my opinion, this learning environment will be significantly more engaging.

Finally,another way that cellphones can be of profit in school is that it can also increase safety. For example a cell phone can be used to ensure the peace of mind that parents have when they know their child can contact them during an emergency or vice versa.In my opinion I would think that this alone would be valid grounds for bringing a cellphone to school as parents or teachers may want to be able to contact their students via cell phones, a device you can bring almost anywhere. Most cell phones these day even have GPS technology which will allow for the child’s guardian or teacher to track their location during an emergency.

I do realize that cell phones may be used for cheating during exams or quizzes, but with the right enforcement of discipline the amount of unsuitable cell phone usage will be abysmal. As I noted social learning will allow for connection with not only a student’s fellow peers but also with their teacher in case of a question about an assignment. In short, cellphones can be very utilitarian in school.Make learning more accessible!

Save the world: An Essay on Effects of Using Plastic Straws on the Environment

Have you ever thought about the effect of your straws when you throw them away. Currently there is a debate going on about whether straws should be banned or not.These straws accumulate and create huge amounts of waste that will never biodegrade, or “Go Away”. I firmly agree that straws should be banned.

One reason I feel that plastic straws should be banned is that they make unnecessary waste and create a cesspool of garbage and plastic filth inside landfills which leads to pollution. This true because every year Americans throw away more than 12 million pounds in plastic straws. To me creating this much waste and pollution is valid grounds for banning straws. Backing this up, the amount of waste created by plastic straws every day can be used to wrap around the whole world four times. Whoa! That’s a lot of waste!

In addition, plastic straws create waste that can amount to the death of many sea animals! Over one million sea animals die each year due to plastic waste! For example, a plastic straw was wedged in a sea turtle’s nose. The straw was thought to be a parasitic worm blocking the turtles airway, however when scientists realized it was actually a plastic straw they were shocked! Also, a diver went diving in a reef and found over 200 plastic straws in only 20 minutes! Ughh! Disgusting!

I realized that many people need straws to drink water or other liquids in the case that they are handicapped or disabled, but they do not need to use plastic straws. They can use straws made of paper, bamboo, or glass which are reusable. This form of waste creates clutter around the world.The right way to go in my eyes is definitely to ban plastic straws! Save the world!

Disneyland

My day was as per the usual with baseball and band taking place after school. Typical boring Life! Flavor was needed in my life! I did not have much idea that it was only a short wait until the excitement I would feel later that day.

As school ended I was quite nervous. Sweat was licking my forehead and anxiety was biting my nerves. After finishing baseball practice I was quite tired, but that wasn’t my only worry. The test I took that day was the one that my mom said she would give me a surprise for passing. I had an inkling that I got one math equation wrong and I would get a 60% on my test which would be a fail grade, which was significantly smaller than the 95% grade my mom expected from me! At the moment I was guessing she would get me a video game or something like that if I passed the test, but I was completely incorrect, and the ecstasy provided by the events afterwards was much larger than that of getting a new video game! Soon after these luxurious thoughts I started on my way back home.

“Hey mom!” I yelled “,I’m back!” My heart was racing and my hands were sweaty. Mom had no idea how anxious I was!

“Rushil, you got 100% on your test,” she told me approvingly as my heart went off faster than a Ferrari. “We’re taking you to Disneyland!” The anxiety in my mind rushed out as pure joy.

“When are we going!” I squeaked excitedly. There was no way to express my joy so I went with the natural default, speechlessness.

“In one and a half hours!” Mom replied while she assessed the enthralled look on my face.

I saw my dad for a split second while I sprinted into my room to pack my essentials. I didn’t have time to hear what he was saying but enough to catch the smile he flashed me. The one and a half hours flew by and we were off on our journey to DisneyLand.

“UGHHH! Where am I?” I groggily asked as I woke up after the long 8 hours drive.

“ At a hotel near DisneyLand!” My dad replied quizzically.

When I realized where I was my train of thought and abnormal level of excitement returned.

Odd sounds came out of my mouth that which I only could imagine would have expressed my excitement. After I overcame that oddity we entered our room and ordered delicious Lasagna for our dinner. My brain was completely focused on going to DisneyLand tomorrow! It took me all of my willpower to put myself to sleep. This was nothing compared to the excitement of the next day of our journey.

“MICKEY!” I unconsciously yelled while I was deep in imaginations of the many exciting possibilities of what DisneyLand may look like.

“Rushil! Wake up! We’re ready to go to DisneyLand!” Mom alerted me.

No words came out of my mouth but my message was summed up by the speed I ran into our car. My sister was pretty silent about going to DisneyLand mostly because it was her first time but even she got caught in the excitement and started doing a cute baby dance. The whole family was having a great time! However, it was obvious the real fun was right around the corner!

In about 15-20 minutes we finally arrived at DisneyLand! When my sister saw her favorite characters such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck she ran as fast as her little legs could propel her.

Soon we had to take the tram to the park. During the tram ride I was panting like a dog! My only goal at the moment was to get into the park!

The moment we checked in and got our maps I was exhausted and my throat was burning because it was dry.Refilling our water bottles and freshening up at a snack shop was what we decide on doing. We ended up going to an exclusive Disney restaurant and having lunch which was a change from our original plan. All the same, it was still fun to the restaurant to eat!

Next came the tricky part. We needed to decide on which rides to go on and plan our day. I wanted to go on Soarin’ California, an airplane adventure simulator, and Screaming California, a giant roller coaster! Aarini, My sister in opposition wanted to go to Bug Land, a kids play area where there are lots of rides for younger kids and autograph areas which were obviously based on bugs. Also we planned to return at 6 o’clock for Fantasia, the Disney light show!

Finally ,we needed to divy my parents and my sister and I into two groups and we would be on our way.My dad was in a tired mood and wanted to take my sister to her more relaxing rides while my mom came with me even though she was a bit nervous about the roller coaster.By 2:30 I was quite happy with our plan and ready to move! Mom and I decided to be smart and go to Soarin’ California first, which had a 15-20 minutes wait time, and book a fastpass for Screaming California, that currently had a 45-60 minutes wait time!

It took us sometime to navigate but eventually we reached our ride. The props inside were so realistic! The whole experience was so joyful! Except for the cheesy intro to the ride where they told us about what places the ride would simulate.

“Mom, that was so fun, right?” I asked jubilantly

“Agreed!” Mom confirmed

At that point it was approximately 4 o’clock and we had two hours left until Fantasia. However, we needed to meet back together at 5:30 so we were on a tight schedule!

Mom and I realized that our fastpass slot is available now and we are allowed to board the roller coaster!

We sprinted towards the roller coaster at full speed! We were running so fast I tripped and my mom did not realize and kept on running!

“MOM! MOM! I tripped!!!” I yelled nervously but my efforts were no use and my voice drowned in the background. I looked down and the bruise was getting darker every second! Fear put out every candle of excitement in my brain. “ What if I never see my parents again?” I thought sadly. Just when tears started pouring out my mom found me! Pretending I didn’t care is what I was attempting to do but deep down I was so relieved! Mom comforted me and we went on the roller coaster together.Screaming California was possibly the biggest roller coaster I’d been on with even one 360 degrees midair spiral! Due to us having fastpass we got to go first and experience the loops first hand!

After overcoming my shock from the previous events met with the rest of my family prior to Fantasia. In 30 seconds Fantasia was going to start! It started with an interesting scene of The Lion King which led into Finding Nemo! At that point Aarini was getting really cranky and we were all really tired and decided to board the tram and return to the hotel. Overall my family and I family had  a good trip with a rather abrupt ending due to the mood of my family. After another 8 hours we arrived at home.

“Good night mom, Good night dad” I wished them.