His writing put the R in Rising To be fair, Jeremiah--a rising senior with emphasis on the word Rising-- didn't need a lot of help from me, his college essay writing coach at JPMorgan Chase The Fellowship Initiative (TFI) to write effective essays. Rather, confident prose seemed to rise up out of him. He was a writer, a deep and global thinker, and the kind of kid who, if it was the only quiet spot, did his homework in the bathroom. He put the self in self-motivated. And because of his circumstances at home, he did a lot of writing in the bathroom. Which might already tell you enough. Unlike many of my students, who face self-doubt, procrastination, or writer's block, he did not need that much prompting to produce his college essay -- he had a story in mind and banged out his personal statement with determination. And fancy subordinate clauses. He is the kind of kid who you can be sure will reach his goals-- ruthlessly, if he has to. And by the time he gets there, he'll have new, bigger goals that supplanted the earlier visions. His writing never shies away from these dreams. He comes from a tight family where education is central. where philosophy is part of parenting and excellence is expected, no matter what. As featured in The Cornell Sun So by qualification and persistence, he made it to Cornell University, but what happened there is the real juice I can't disclose here. I am featuring his writing, a recent article in the Cornell Sun. His article shows that strong writing and game-changing thinking go hand in hand. Such probing as you'll find in his text are what words are for, and the opportunities they create in the hands of young people. Words can lift the dust of complacency, and open the avenues of the mind and heart that can, and should, lead to critical reflection and compassionate action. Thanks for the opportunity to feature your writing, Jeremiah. He can be reached for causes big and small or to answer Continue Reading …