My favorite scientific discovery is electromagnetic theory, a fundamental underpinning of modern science. The establishment of modern electromagnetic (EM) theory in 1873 by English physicist James Clerk Maxwell in his "A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism" transformed intellectual and scientific thought, marking a transition into the age of modern science. His novel contribution completed the gradual transition from experiment to theory in science by setting aside the classical view of force at a distance in favor of a novel invisible field theory. It is critically important to note that Maxwell’s findings did not develop in isolation but rather built on a long line of scientific discoveries that developed in context of radical changes in thought, society, culture, and politics from antiquity to the present. Ideas do not develop in isolation, but shape the cultures they are situated in while simultaneously being shaped by the cultures themselves. Although the primary focus of this paper is the development of the electromagnetic theory in nineteenth-century Europe, it is important to note that large-scale scientific advances have concentrated in varying regions over different time periods, moving from Hellenistic and Syriac societies in the early first centuries to the Arab world during the Islamic Golden Age. Maxwell's "discovery" of electromagnetic theory was really a process that spanned multiple centuries, continents, and cultures. This revolutionary paradigm change that accompanied the development of electromagnetic theory, along with the importance of electromagnetism in modern life, makes electromagnetic theory my favorite scientific discovery.

I believe that living a healthy life is essential to one’s overall wellbeing - physically, mentally, and emotionally. Living a healthy life enables me to pursue my dreams and goals and make long-lasting friendships and connections with those around me. During my next four years in college, hope to prioritize my well-being and fitness by regularly working out, running, and cycling. Indeed, every time I hop on the saddle of my bike, I relax and unwind. Riding along country roads and viewing beautiful Midwestern sunsets brings me joy, as the worries of the week dissipate. Biking provides a moment to pause and reflect on the things that truly make life meaningful. Besides exercise, diet is a crucial aspect of living a healthy life. Having a balanced, healthy diet - full of protein, vegetables, and fruits but avoiding refined sugars, saturated fats, and excessive carbs - sets a foundation for the rest of our health. Eating healthy three meals a day (including breakfast!) is essential to being in a good mood and having the strength to carry on throughout the day. Eating healthy will also enable us to live longer, happier, healthier lives for years, if not decades to come. Another aspect of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is not overworking. My priority is to avoid overloading on classes, so I can fully appreciate the college experience - friends, athletics, and extracurriculars. Having plenty of downtime to enjoy with friends and loved ones is essential to my overall social and emotional wellbeing. Down time is essential to a healthy life. Amid the frenetic pace of life, we need to take a moment and stop - a moment to breathe, pause and reflect. Finally, an oft-overlooked part of a healthy lifestyle is a solid, consistent sleep schedule. Without enough sleep, our bodies cannot function properly. Exercise becomes more difficult, and we cannot think clearly to solve the problems of our day. Although sleeping at a regular time every day might be at times difficult, I view sleep as an investment into one's health that will enable one to perform at the highest level and be generally happier and more satisfied with life. Personally, I recommend sleeping at least eight to nine hours a night. All in all, while it might seem like a burden at times to maintain a healthy lifestyle, the benefits are enormous. Living a healthy life will enable you to feel happier, stronger, and more confident, and can dramatically improve your wellbeing in many different areas, whether it be socio-emotional, physical, or relation. Overall, living a healthy life is well worth the sacrifices.

Art and STEM both carry deep meaning in my life; but my journey to the arts and the humanities was a longer process. From an early age, I always loved listening to other people’s stories. I grew to appreciate how the power of stories is what leads to empathy and innovations that make our world a better place. Stories of how people immigrated to America, just as my parents did over forty years ago, surviving on instant noodles while my maternal grandparents ran a tiny shoe repair called Golden Slippers. Stories as trivial as the time my friend rolled a giant watermelon eight blocks down Devon Avenue in Chicago because it was too heavy. Or about the time my friend almost crashed his car into a mailbox. (Don’t text and drive). Stories as profound as the history of generational poverty and racism in the Mississippi Delta told at weekly Habitat for Humanity club meetings, such as the history of the first Black sheriff of Coahoma County, John Milton Brown, who was driven out by allegations of corruption fabricated by white supremacists seeking to suppress Black political power. Stories of pain, regret, anger, but also stories of joy, triumph, and fulfillment. Stories make us us. My love of stories is why I joined my school’s Oral History Project, where we interview and produce a two-hour-long podcast published annually on National Public Radio. One story that will always remain in my heart is the story of Dr. Faranak Miraftab, a refugee of the 1979 Iranian Revolution who we interviewed for a podcast on refugees and undocumented immigrants in my community, Champaign-Urbana. Her sister was executed for merely engaging in peaceful political protest against the government. Yet through it all she began a new life in America, becoming a professor at the University of Illinois teaching and researching, and most importantly, inspiring others, including myself, to achieve new heights. The Oral History Project opened my eyes to a new love of history. All my life, I have enjoyed a love for science, but now that love extended to history. My new appreciation of history combined with my lifelong fascination with chemistry inspired me to research the history of the electromagnetic theory, a fundamental underpinning of modern science. I launched myself into the realm of what historians call “intellectual history”—the history of ideas. I pondered on how we accumulate knowledge: How do these ideas develop and change over time? More than a mere summary of the developments leading to the electromagnetic theory, my paper traces how the very ideas that comprise electromagnetic theory developed in context of radical changes in thought from the Greco-Roman era to now. Presently, my paper it is under double-blind peer review at The Concord Review. I now realize that scientific discovery is a process that relies on much more than previous ideas and scientific discoveries: these ideas and discoveries themselves depend on paradigm shifts—shifts as large as the shift from a geocentric to a heliocentric worldview in eighteenth-century Europe. As I look deeper into intellectual history by reading works such as Claude Lefort’s “Hannah Arendt and the Question of the Political” and Pierre Rosanvallon’s “Toward a Philosophical History of the Political,” I am fascinated by how intellectual history has shaped not only science, but also society, culture, and politics. Stories touch everything, from rolling watermelons to racism to electromagnetic theory. We are the sum of everything, and I believe stories forms the history of science, which is the perfect match between the arts and STEM. -- I hope to pursue a college education in both History and Chemistry, combining my passions for both through an interdisciplinary program. I see myself taking classes like Early Modern Cultural History on how the cultures of early modern Europe shaped their perspective of the world, as well as classes in organic chemistry and physics. Furthermore, I am excited to conduct world-class chemical research in college, having conducted experiments as a leader of my school’s Chemistry Club on silver nanoparticles and iodometric titration. Perhaps most importantly, I hope to engage in experiential learning; learning doesn’t just take place within the walls of the classroom, but also outside. I hope to engage in service learning classes where I can make an impact on the local community, and I also hope to take advantage of study-abroad programs to broaden my worldview and perspective. Whether absorbing knowledge in a lecture hall or conducting groundbreaking research, I know that college is a place I wish to spend the next four years, growing and developing as a person.

I hope that through my mentorship, I can spread my love and passion for learning to others. First and foremost, I believe that being educated, and the purpose of education, is ultimately to educate others. I feel that we have a collective responsibility to contribute to the knowledge established by those that came before us, whether through teaching others or through research. Knowledge is not something only to be gained, but to be given and shared. Since I’ve always wanted to share my love of learning, I founded AP Connection, a club where students can learn about AP exams from older students. I created an online resource center with syllabi, textbooks, and other tips and tricks that helped me along the way. Part of the motivation behind AP Connection was my experience self-studying for my first AP exam AP Biology (my school does not offer AP classes). I wondered, which book should I use? How and what should I study? Surely, I wasn’t the only one thinking these things; I joined a group of friends to study for the exam together. I appreciated that when we studied together, we shared insights. When one of us didn’t understand a specific concept, someone else explained it. Together, we educated each other, sharing and spreading our love for learning. Ultimately, I hope one day to be a professor, I hope to be judged by how many scholars I produce and how many students I inspire to love learning.

The biggest problem facing the world right now is the rise of enormous corporate monopolies “too big to fail.” Facebook owns Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus, and its platforms—with their enormous reach—have become hotbeds of political polarization, extremism, and COVID-19 misinformation. Three pharmaceutical companies (Eli Lily, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi) control 99% of the insulin supply in the US, raising prices to the point that one-in-four US patients ration the life-saving drug. Without serious action, Big Business (Big Tech, Big Pharma, etc.) will continue to put profits over people, threatening American democracy and the American people, especially given their outsize presence in American life. Yet there lays a path forward, a solution of some sort: aggressive anti-trust action and regulation to curb the excesses of Big Business and capitalism. For example, Google would be prohibited from favoring its own products while shutting out competitors from search engine optimization and advertising. Amazon would not be able to “pump” and “dump” products – heavily subsidizing their own products to put small competitors out of business. Pharmaceutical companies would not be allowed to jack up the prices of highly-essential drugs – drugs that are easily available and subsidized in other OECD countries like Canada, the UK, and Norway. Finally, mergers and acquisitions will be carefully reviewed by the FEC to ensure that no monopolies will form to the detriment of consumers. This solution would require national, bipartisan consensus and putting party lines aside to achieve the common good; but I am confident that with grassroots activism and organizing, concrete action to rein in Big Business is not only possible, but inevitable.

I make a positive impact on the world by helping educate others; I believe that being educated, and the purpose of education, is ultimately to educate others. I feel that we have a collective responsibility to contribute to the knowledge established by those that came before us, whether through teaching others or through research. Knowledge is not something only to be gained, but to be given and shared. Since I’ve always wanted to share my love of learning, I founded AP Connection, a club where students can learn about AP exams from older students. I created an online resource center with syllabi, textbooks, and other tips and tricks that helped me along the way. Part of the motivation behind AP Connection was my experience self-studying for my first AP exam AP Biology (my school does not offer AP classes). I wondered, which book should I use? How and what should I study? Surely, I wasn’t the only one thinking these things; I joined a group of friends to study for the exam together. I appreciated that when we studied together, we shared insights. When one of us didn’t understand a specific concept, someone else explained it. Together, we educated each other. Ultimately, I hope one day to be a professor, and I hope to be judged by how many scholars I produce and how many students I inspire.