Egg tarts are my dad's only favorite dessert so I've tried to make them multiple times, and failed miserably. I had given up because it's easier to buy them anyways - but I tried one last time when my dad learned the news of my grandfather's death. I just wanted to do something to make him feel a little bit better after I saw my normally stoic dad crying silently. I don't know if it's bold, but I'll never forget the look on his face when he saw them out on the counter.

My name is Runze Li, although I prefer to go by Jessica (it’s easier for people to pronounce) and I am an incoming student at New York University. Academically, I was a part of the International Baccalaureate program and Dual Enrollment, a program that allows high school students to take classes at the local community college. I served as the chapter president of Centennial’s Junior State of America chapter, and also started my own Model United Nations club on campus where I was chapter president. I try to give back to the community by volunteering as much as I can or by baking pastries for my neighborhood whenever I can find the time. I was also a member of the varsity Girls Water Polo team for four years along with the varsity Swim team my freshman and sophomore years. In the war of STEM vs humanities, my flag is firmly planted on the side of the liberal arts, and I hold a special place in my heart for history and economics (I was a state finalist for National History Day 2020, and I wrote my IB Extended Essay on American Antitrust Laws). I love baking (possibly the proudest moment of my life was when I made perfect egg custard tarts), painting, and playing the piano and flute. I’ve known that I wanted to be a lawyer since fourth grade, which was around the time I discovered my love for debating, reading, writing, and Legally Blonde. For a first generation girl who wanted to help others like her as well as support her parents later in life, law was the perfect career as well as an actual viable method for societal change. I’ve worked towards that plan ever since. I plan to double major in History and International Economics with minors in Political Science and Mathematics. I’m not going to waste my time and money partying during the week, though I do plan on getting that full college experience. That’s what weekends are for. My goal is to graduate in 3 years using all my college credits from the IB and Dual Enrollment programs. Then I’ll go to a top 10 law school, graduate summa cum laude before getting hired at one of the top law firms in the world. I know what I want, I’m going to work until I get it, and I’m not scared of a little bit of failure because I’ve had practice at getting right back up again. That being said, NYU is very expensive, and law school will be even more so. I plan to pay for my education myself, because I have two younger siblings and my dad isn’t getting any younger. My grandparents are peasants living in rural China solely supported by my dad, so it’s not like I have wealthy family members to pay for everything for me. It’s fine, I’ve always been fiercely independent. That’s why I’m applying for all the financial aid and scholarships I can right now, as well as working a summer job. I’m realistic, I know I’m not the only qualified student out there—but I can promise that I’m an investment that 1) won’t waste this scholarship money and 2) will be worth it, in the end.