2. My computer is my most valuable possession. I browse CNET and other tech websites all the time to see what the latest computers look like and to decide which one to buy for myself. The computer is my connection to friends, news, games, movies, and TV. But more importantly, it taught me how to explore and experiment. I learned a lot by navigating the inside of the computer. By scrutinizing the circuits and motherboard, I really became immersed in its anatomy and inner workings, even playing around with these pieces when I fixed my old computer. I also experimented with the software on the computer. I learned tricks on how to customize settings and other features and how to create my own programs. I would sometimes program games or other applications during my spare time, and despite my occasional frustration with encountering errors all the time, I was always glad to see the end product actually working.The computer was the most significant place for me to be creative and do something on my own. It meant freedom and independence. It was one my most memorable out of class lessons. Everything I have learned from the computer is invaluable to me and has made me realize that I want to continue this pursuit for the rest of my career.
5. The most influential person of the past four years is Reed Hastings, founder of Netflix. While quite a few entrepreneurs have made it big recently, Reed Hastings is the entrepreneur that speaks to me to the most since his product is the one I use most frequently. However, Reed Hasting is not only influential because of his product, his story is also very compelling. A Marine and Peace Corps volunteer before starting his company, he conjured up the ingenious idea of Netflix while working out in the gym. He had a stack of video rentals that he had not returned on time and it frustrated him that he had to constantly go down to the store to return his DVDs. While at the gym, he started thinking about how the gym lets you pay for a membership ahead of time and then you could come to the gym as often as you liked. He liked the idea of a subscription system better than going through a long process every time someone wanted to rent a video. As a result, he basically created a gym membership-type of system for video rentals so that we would not have to deal with things like late fees. Netflix started out by mailing videos to customers, but over the last four years, Netflix streaming has really taken off and become part of our everyday lives. I can’t remember the last time I rented a video at a physical video. I find it very inspiring that making a seemingly simple improvement could turn into a huge business.
8. My fondest memory during high school was my summer internship. I was the technical expert in charge of automating some processes for the company. I felt that the work itself was fine. Ironically, my favorite part of this internship was the location. The office was in Downtown Palo Alto and during my lunch break or after the work day was over, I had time to explore the city. I was the only teen intern there and my friends were not nearby during the day, but it was not much of a bother to explore the city on my own. There was such a variety of restaurants around the area, and luckily I could afford some of them. I ate at a different restaurant every day; one day it was Italian, another day it was Japanese, another day it was something else. There were even some dessert shops, such as Cream, that I could regularly go to. I also liked visiting the nearby Apple Store and GameStop and browsing through the products. Every day was eventful. This memory stands out to me because it was one of the most lively experiences I’ve had. I learned what it is like to be in the city and also how to navigate the city myself. It was also nice to have some quality "me" time.
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