Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Year: First-Year

College: Berkeley

Major: Physics & Philosophy

Extracurriculars: Something Extra a cappella; Student Tech Collaborative

Example college personal statement 

Profile

Catherine de Lacoste-Azizi says that her high school career was disorganized but, more importantly, outspoken. A lot of her extracurricular activities involved her voice: She started a competitive speech and debate club, took part in an a cappella group, and starred in seven musicals. When she was applying for colleges, Catherine sought out a school that would provide the best platform for her voice.

At Yale, Catherine, a member of Berkeley College, is pursuing a degree in Physics & Philosophy, a joint major—and she is a member of Something Extra, an all-female a cappella group that sings a mix of pop, jazz, indie rock, and folk.  She says that being part of Something Extra completely shattered her expectations because the group’s culture and sense of community transcended all that she had come to expect from singing groups.

Catherine additionally works as a student developer at the Yale Student Technology Collaborative, where she designs software for the Yale community. By involving herself in many student clubs and activities, Catherine enjoys the sense of becoming part of something larger than herself.

In classes, Catherine is a loud and passionate student who isn’t afraid to speak her mind. Her favorite class is Intensive Introductory Physics with Professor Charles Baltay. Though its students are mostly first-years, the course does not limit itself to classical mechanics. Instead, Baltay covers topics like quantum mechanics and general relativity, which have come to influence the way Catherine interprets and understands the world. She was also surprised to find out that her professor was one of the major figures involved in the astronomical demotion of Pluto. Learning from and building relationships with such esteemed scientists is one of Catherine’s favorite parts of Yale.

Catherine’s interest in the Physics & Philosophy major stems from her fascination with the hazy distinction between the two disciplines. In fact, she said she chose Yale because it was one of the very few schools that offered the major. While she didn’t have an opportunity to study philosophy in high school, Catherine focused on philosophy during her first year. But she is no stranger to work in STEM: She spent the summer before her sophomore year at Yale interning at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, where she worked on satellite communications software.

Catherine says that her favorite part of Yale is the friendly, open, and collaborative community—and an overwhelming sense that her fellow Yale students want to see her succeed.

Catherine’s essays include her Common App personal statement.

ESSAY 1 (COMMON APP)

Personal Statement

I have always believed in the power of my voice. As a child, my battle roar rose above the fray, compelling the clan of four older siblings to let me have first dibs on the newest Harry Potter novel or to release my innocent American Girl doll from an impenetrable LEGO fortress. Onstage, it soared in song. In the classroom, I learned to channel my voice into debate and analysis—even when the curtain was down and the microphone switched off, I knew that I had the agency to make myself heard.

As my voice matured in all of its different forms, so too did a growing awareness that such self-expression was not guaranteed for all women. My father grew up in Afghanistan, a heritage which was my first window into the tensions of womanhood. My aunts and cousins worked as writers, doctors, and activists. They wore their headscarves with style and grace. Yet, sometimes, when a headscarf slipped, I could glimpse the bruises on an aunt’s face, and my stomach turned as I wondered how she remained silent.

My understanding of womanhood continued to expand when I traveled to the SEGA School in Tanzania. There, I met Rehema, playful and bold. She was from the Masai tribe and was a victim of female genital mutilation. We bonded over a mutual knowledge of Alicia Keys lyrics and a love for chapati, the language barrier gradually dissolving as our discussions evolved beyond the everyday. Once, Rehema remarked candidly that the hardest parts of being a woman in Tanzania are that men treat her like property, and that she is not permitted to speak unless spoken to. She compared her life to the experiences described in a book she’d read: I Am Malala. I jolted. “You know, in Afghanistan, where my family is from, the women still live a lot like Malala.” “But not in America,” Rehema said earnestly, looking to me for confirmation. I opened my mouth to respond, but my voice, for once, failed me, catching in my throat.

The moment was electrifying. In Rehema’s searching question, I heard the voices of my family in Afghanistan. But, I also thought of my best friend, sobbing in my arms after a boy that she called a friend sexually assaulted her. I thought of my mother, who raised five children while earning her law degree and working full time and yet was berated by strangers for breastfeeding on the train. I heard the voices of every girl I have ever known, and I was staggered by the global solidarity of women.

I swallowed. “You’re right. In America, it’s getting better.” And I believe that it can get better, here and around the world. Unlike many, I have the right to speak for myself, and to speak on behalf of those who have been silenced. I have the education and opportunities to advocate forcefully and effectively, to speak even when Rehema cannot.

Nowadays, when I stand under the glow of the stage lights,  I am conscious of the power and privilege inherent in stepping onstage. I will continue to raise my voice, not just for myself, but for all women whose voices and bodies are controlled and silenced.

Hear me roar.

From 50 Yale Admission Success Stories: And the Essay That Made Them Happen, edited by the Yale Daily News Staff. Copyright © 2020 by the authors
and reprinted by permission of St. Martin's Publishing Group.