diff --git a/_posts/2020-10-14-stanford-khs-connect-dots.md b/_posts/2020-10-14-stanford-khs-connect-dots.md index 5d63bde..731b636 100644 --- a/_posts/2020-10-14-stanford-khs-connect-dots.md +++ b/_posts/2020-10-14-stanford-khs-connect-dots.md @@ -1,56 +1,81 @@ --- -title: Stanford Knight-Hennessy Scholars essay (denied) +title: Stanford Knight-Hennessy Scholars essay (denied) tags: - writing layout: post -description: My "connect the dots" essay for Stanford's KHS program (denied). +description: + My "connect the dots" essay for Stanford's KHS program + (denied). --- -**Connect the dots. How have the influences in your life shaped you?** - -Composer Gustav Mahler lived a difficult life troubled by tragedy, an unrooted identity as a -19th-century European Jew, and unceasing struggles with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia; it -was as if the “voices of two different people” lived inside the one Mahler. In his penultimate work -“Das Lied von Der Erde” (“The Song of the Earth”), we hear these dueling voices guide us from a -joyous drinking song through a melancholy meditation on solitude as we end in the lengthy epic -“Der Abschied” (“The Farewell”). Here Mahler places us in a mystical trance as the orchestra -carries a peaceful C6/9 chord into silence. In these final moments, we experience calm as if -mirroring the same inner peace Mahler found in musical expression. -That C6/9 chord was the last one I played as an orchestral violist on a professional stage. After a -tumultuous high school journey defined by my own struggles with identity and academic failure, I -found our performance of Mahler to be a fitting bookend to that chapter of my life. My decade of -musical training gave me a reverence for artistic expression. Axiomatically, art is human-centered -design in its purest form. +**Connect the dots. How have the influences in your life +shaped you?** + +Composer Gustav Mahler lived a difficult life troubled by +tragedy, an unrooted identity as a 19th-century European +Jew, and unceasing struggles with bipolar disorder and +schizophrenia; it was as if the “voices of two different +people” lived inside the one Mahler. In his penultimate work +“Das Lied von Der Erde” (“The Song of the Earth”), we hear +these dueling voices guide us from a joyous drinking song +through a melancholy meditation on solitude as we end in the +lengthy epic “Der Abschied” (“The Farewell”). Here Mahler +places us in a mystical trance as the orchestra carries a +peaceful C6/9 chord into silence. In these final moments, we +experience calm as if mirroring the same inner peace Mahler +found in musical expression. That C6/9 chord was the last +one I played as an orchestral violist on a professional +stage. After a tumultuous high school journey defined by my +own struggles with identity and academic failure, I found +our performance of Mahler to be a fitting bookend to that +chapter of my life. My decade of musical training gave me a +reverence for artistic expression. Axiomatically, art is +human-centered design in its purest form. \~\~\~ -A SpaceX rocket requires parts from thousands of suppliers. Stuart is one of the purchasing -analysts who tackle this logistical challenge. Typically, he’d have to spend all day copy-pasting -dozens of documents into our company’s database. When I demonstrated my intern project to the -team, Stuart’s eyes lit up with joy as he saw an email automatically processed and recorded. We -freed Stuart from 30 hours/week of clerical work allowing him to put his analytical mind to work. -SpaceX was my first peek into how human-centered design can empower others to do more. -I’ve experienced time and again that caring about other folks’ needs and concerns is the key to -being truly useful to other people. This empathetic approach is why I ground every technical -discussion in the user experience. It’s seeing the delight in another’s eyes that brings energy to my -life. Human-centered design is the strongest way to help others. +A SpaceX rocket requires parts from thousands of suppliers. +Stuart is one of the purchasing analysts who tackle this +logistical challenge. Typically, he’d have to spend all day +copy-pasting dozens of documents into our company’s +database. When I demonstrated my intern project to the team, +Stuart’s eyes lit up with joy as he saw an email +automatically processed and recorded. We freed Stuart from +30 hours/week of clerical work allowing him to put his +analytical mind to work. SpaceX was my first peek into how +human-centered design can empower others to do more. I’ve +experienced time and again that caring about other folks’ +needs and concerns is the key to being truly useful to other +people. This empathetic approach is why I ground every +technical discussion in the user experience. It’s seeing the +delight in another’s eyes that brings energy to my life. +Human-centered design is the strongest way to help others. \~\~\~ -When my sister turned around to face me, I saw Kamala Harris’ eyes staring back at me instead. -We were watching the news together as Senator Harris gave her acceptance speech for the Vice -Presidential nomination. My sister, 10 years my junior, shares similar facial features as the Senator. -I was surprised that I had confused the person I had grown up with for a politician on TV. I let that -disconnance sit in me for a moment. I had been running away from my identity as an -Indian-American my whole life. Now, it felt like the last puzzle piece of my identity was beginning -to fall into place. When I saw my sister and myself in Kamala Harris, I finally understood what many Black Americans saw in Barack Obama. I finally realized what “diversity” is all about: empowering -everyone to feel like they belong in their community. To my sister I have an obligation to take my -skills in human-centered design one step further by building and reforming the institutions that +When my sister turned around to face me, I saw Kamala +Harris’ eyes staring back at me instead. We were watching +the news together as Senator Harris gave her acceptance +speech for the Vice Presidential nomination. My sister, 10 +years my junior, shares similar facial features as the +Senator. I was surprised that I had confused the person I +had grown up with for a politician on TV. I let that +disconnance sit in me for a moment. I had been running away +from my identity as an Indian-American my whole life. Now, +it felt like the last puzzle piece of my identity was +beginning to fall into place. When I saw my sister and +myself in Kamala Harris, I finally understood what many +Black Americans saw in Barack Obama. I finally realized what +“diversity” is all about: empowering everyone to feel like +they belong in their community. To my sister I have an +obligation to take my skills in human-centered design one +step further by building and reforming the institutions that govern our life. -~~~ +``` I listened to Mahler the night after Harris’ acceptance speech. After another difficult journey through college, I felt the resolution in my heart that I had first felt five years ago on stage. I wrote to my closest friend: “This evening is the first time I felt like I really belong in this country. I didn’t realize how important it is to see yourself in your leaders.” +``` diff --git a/_tweets/332.md b/_tweets/332.md index 19b0f3c..4a1a602 100644 --- a/_tweets/332.md +++ b/_tweets/332.md @@ -1,7 +1,20 @@ --- +title: + My passion for humancomputer interaction HCI research + stems f... layout: tweet num: 332 date: 2026-01-01 --- -My passion for human-computer interaction (HCI) research stems from such experiences with wearable computers and augmented reality (AR). Now, as AI continues to grow in impact and scale, I want to bring AI closer to the human experience where I believe it can have an unambiguously positive impact in our lives. I aim to create virtual characters and artificially-intelligent agents that live with humans, learn how to work with humans, and enable us to achieve our highest ambitions. With my research work, I aim to take the world one step closer to blurring the lines between the physical and digital worlds. +My passion for human-computer interaction (HCI) research +stems from such experiences with wearable computers and +augmented reality (AR). Now, as AI continues to grow in +impact and scale, I want to bring AI closer to the human +experience where I believe it can have an unambiguously +positive impact in our lives. I aim to create virtual +characters and artificially-intelligent agents that live +with humans, learn how to work with humans, and enable us to +achieve our highest ambitions. With my research work, I aim +to take the world one step closer to blurring the lines +between the physical and digital worlds. diff --git a/sitemap.md b/sitemap.md index 33eb683..6ba63d1 100644 --- a/sitemap.md +++ b/sitemap.md @@ -94,6 +94,7 @@ title: "Sitemap" - [`/posts/2020/06/time-analysis/` → Work analysis for Spring 2020](/posts/2020/06/time-analysis/) - [`/posts/2020/06/cactus/` → Cactus](/posts/2020/06/cactus/) - [`/posts/2020/06/tracks/` → Tracks](/posts/2020/06/tracks/) + - [`/posts/2020/10/stanford-khs-connect-dots/` → Stanford Knight-Hennessy Scholars essay (denied)](/posts/2020/10/stanford-khs-connect-dots/) - [`/posts/2020/11/dsl-for-sql/` →

](/posts/2020/11/dsl-for-sql/) - [`/posts/2020/12/stanford-cs-phd-statement/` → "Stanford CS PhD Statement of Purpose (denied)"](/posts/2020/12/stanford-cs-phd-statement/) - [`/posts/2021/01/alyssa/` → Alyssa](/posts/2021/01/alyssa/) @@ -414,3 +415,4 @@ title: "Sitemap" - [`/tweets/329/` → LOL](/tweets/329/) - [`/tweets/330/` → I think the US and Europe have been simply using and manipula...](/tweets/330/) - [`/tweets/331/` → Why do moneysuccessful people seem to get there and have no c...](/tweets/331/) + - [`/tweets/332/` → My passion for humancomputer interaction HCI research stems f...](/tweets/332/)