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Submission Number: 339
Submission ID: 1162
Submission UUID: b7f3324a-5732-479e-a7b1-8bf320df45eb
Created: Thu, 03/30/2023 - 23:57
Completed: Thu, 03/30/2023 - 23:57
Changed: Tue, 05/06/2025 - 20:03
Remote IP address: 69.129.254.83
Submitted by:Anonymous
Language: English
Is draft: No
Flagged: Yes
Locked: Yes
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Klara
Meymaris
She/Her
Boulder
Colorado
The United States of America
80301
Applied Mathematics
English (5), Spanish (3)
Experiencing what the world has to offer is the best way to prepare for the future. Traveling has allowed me to learn about other cultures. A wide perspective is critical for a healthy world. Through rock climbing, I have visited many states (Utah, Georgia, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Oregon to name a few) and even other countries (France, Germany, Greece) for training and competitions.
One memorable experience was in 2022 when a small group of my family and friends traveled to the Greek Island of Kalymnos, off the coast of Turkey. We were excited to get to our destination, but the journey there was epic in and of itself! It took us over 36 hours to get there by car, airplane, ferry and scooter. I recall when we were waiting for the ferry, already after 24 hours of travel, we were invited by a local to have food and drink before his restaurant opened, to help pass the time. The locals were extremely welcoming and it was hilariously funny trying to make conversation in their broken English and our broken Greek. This encounter revived us all!
After spending many days climbing in Kalymnos, we ventured to a small fishing village on the far side for one of our “rest” days. We wanted to climb without ropes over the sea, called deep-water-soloing. We only knew a little bit about this area from a guide book, but decided to just give it a try and see what we would find. When we arrived, we were disappointed to find no shop open to rent out kayaks to get to the deep-water solo location. We were about to set out on a two hour, unmarked trial that would “eventually get us there” (according to a local, translating from hand signals), however, at the last minute, the owner of the one restaurant in town said he was willing to tow us out his boat. This offer came with just one condition that we a dinner at his restaurant afterwards! So, we climbed, fell, swam and cliff-jumped. The air was 50 degrees and the water was 50 degrees. It was awesome! We ended with a family style dinner together with the village fisherman. It was an epic experience that allowed me to appreciate how important local tourism is.
I’ve also been fortunate to have traveled with my family to see new places and ways of life. It is easy to get accustomed to the first world luxuries that we have. When traveling to Costa Rica with my family in 2022, I saw for the first time what poverty looked like. As we drove throughout the Northwest region, the roads were full of pot-holes (so much that you were significantly slowed down and advised not to drive at night). Many buildings/homes in the small villages were falling apart and in general, living situations looked rather hard. However, even amidst poverty, the people were friendly, kind and hospitable. One memory was visiting a Subway near the coast. When we ordered our food all in Spanish, the employees became so excited. It was obvious that a lot of tourists would just speak English, assuming the locals would understand. It made me really want to respect and learn about all different cultures.
Because of my experiences with meeting new people around our nation/world and living how they live in different cultures, I have learned, firsthand, the importance of diversity. The ability or willingness to understand others perspectives and ideas is a significant challenge to our society but embracing differences through travel is a powerful way to address this challenge. Imagine how productive we could be if we could work together and compromise?
One memorable experience was in 2022 when a small group of my family and friends traveled to the Greek Island of Kalymnos, off the coast of Turkey. We were excited to get to our destination, but the journey there was epic in and of itself! It took us over 36 hours to get there by car, airplane, ferry and scooter. I recall when we were waiting for the ferry, already after 24 hours of travel, we were invited by a local to have food and drink before his restaurant opened, to help pass the time. The locals were extremely welcoming and it was hilariously funny trying to make conversation in their broken English and our broken Greek. This encounter revived us all!
After spending many days climbing in Kalymnos, we ventured to a small fishing village on the far side for one of our “rest” days. We wanted to climb without ropes over the sea, called deep-water-soloing. We only knew a little bit about this area from a guide book, but decided to just give it a try and see what we would find. When we arrived, we were disappointed to find no shop open to rent out kayaks to get to the deep-water solo location. We were about to set out on a two hour, unmarked trial that would “eventually get us there” (according to a local, translating from hand signals), however, at the last minute, the owner of the one restaurant in town said he was willing to tow us out his boat. This offer came with just one condition that we a dinner at his restaurant afterwards! So, we climbed, fell, swam and cliff-jumped. The air was 50 degrees and the water was 50 degrees. It was awesome! We ended with a family style dinner together with the village fisherman. It was an epic experience that allowed me to appreciate how important local tourism is.
I’ve also been fortunate to have traveled with my family to see new places and ways of life. It is easy to get accustomed to the first world luxuries that we have. When traveling to Costa Rica with my family in 2022, I saw for the first time what poverty looked like. As we drove throughout the Northwest region, the roads were full of pot-holes (so much that you were significantly slowed down and advised not to drive at night). Many buildings/homes in the small villages were falling apart and in general, living situations looked rather hard. However, even amidst poverty, the people were friendly, kind and hospitable. One memory was visiting a Subway near the coast. When we ordered our food all in Spanish, the employees became so excited. It was obvious that a lot of tourists would just speak English, assuming the locals would understand. It made me really want to respect and learn about all different cultures.
Because of my experiences with meeting new people around our nation/world and living how they live in different cultures, I have learned, firsthand, the importance of diversity. The ability or willingness to understand others perspectives and ideas is a significant challenge to our society but embracing differences through travel is a powerful way to address this challenge. Imagine how productive we could be if we could work together and compromise?
I always want the people around me to be ready for an adventure. Adventure is one of my central tenets in life, in part due to climbing. Climbing has inspired me to seek adventures, to try the impossible, and be open to new challenges. This is a winning approach to learning and living. If you look at your life experiences as adventures, it changes your attitude toward them. Living with others in the Global Engineering RAP, that have similar attitudes towards adventure, would be ideal.
Last year, over spring break, a group of 10 family and friends traveled to a small Greek island off the coast of Turkey. Every day was a new adventure and a new challenge. The approach up to the world famous climbing area, the Grande Grotta, was only a half mile, but there was 500 ft of elevation change with 20 packs of gear. We had to ward off the goats along the way who would follow us and try to steal our food. But the climbing was worth it. We climbed these amazing limestone formations, called tufas, on routes that were anywhere from 20-40 meters high. We had to put up routes that were sometimes a little dangerous, because of how spread apart the bolts were. Ironically, taking down the gear from the route was actually harder than climbing the route. In the Grotta, some of the routes ended on the roof of the Grotta. One of these climbs took 20 minutes to climb but then 40 minutes to clean! I cherish these experiences knowing that adventuring with others makes the experience of the moment truly powerful.
Furthermore, last year in the first few days of my AP Chemistry class, I met Manuela, a new girl to my high school who recently moved from Columbia. We quickly became friends and I started tutored her in Chemistry, Calculus and Coding since English was not her first language. Tutoring others is rewarding since it makes you feel good when they finally “get it” It is powerful knowing that your small actions can have such a big impact on someone. On top of that, other people have different ways of solving problems, and the variety of perspectives improves your overall knowledge and appreciation of that subject. I look forward to living with others from different cultures and backgrounds. Diversity just supersizes the adventure!
I am willing to try new things and explore, all for the adventure of it. This attitude towards life can be contagious around others that want to learn and live with adventure. Life is full of adventures and, therefore, full of learning opportunities.
Last year, over spring break, a group of 10 family and friends traveled to a small Greek island off the coast of Turkey. Every day was a new adventure and a new challenge. The approach up to the world famous climbing area, the Grande Grotta, was only a half mile, but there was 500 ft of elevation change with 20 packs of gear. We had to ward off the goats along the way who would follow us and try to steal our food. But the climbing was worth it. We climbed these amazing limestone formations, called tufas, on routes that were anywhere from 20-40 meters high. We had to put up routes that were sometimes a little dangerous, because of how spread apart the bolts were. Ironically, taking down the gear from the route was actually harder than climbing the route. In the Grotta, some of the routes ended on the roof of the Grotta. One of these climbs took 20 minutes to climb but then 40 minutes to clean! I cherish these experiences knowing that adventuring with others makes the experience of the moment truly powerful.
Furthermore, last year in the first few days of my AP Chemistry class, I met Manuela, a new girl to my high school who recently moved from Columbia. We quickly became friends and I started tutored her in Chemistry, Calculus and Coding since English was not her first language. Tutoring others is rewarding since it makes you feel good when they finally “get it” It is powerful knowing that your small actions can have such a big impact on someone. On top of that, other people have different ways of solving problems, and the variety of perspectives improves your overall knowledge and appreciation of that subject. I look forward to living with others from different cultures and backgrounds. Diversity just supersizes the adventure!
I am willing to try new things and explore, all for the adventure of it. This attitude towards life can be contagious around others that want to learn and live with adventure. Life is full of adventures and, therefore, full of learning opportunities.
Wonder, as defined by Oxford’s English Dictionary, is the feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable. I wonder and think about how things work. Whenever I am confused on a subject or part of it does not make complete sense, I wonder and think about it until I can come to some conclusion or until I have something else to think about. The cool thing about wondering is that you can wonder and learn anywhere with anyone.
At CU’s Global Engineering RAP, I would have the opportunity to think and wonder with others that are as passionate as I am about engineering. I believe a strong background in the sciences, especially in math, is the springboard for solving so many critical problems in our world today. Furthermore, to solve world problems, it is essential to be collaborating with others and to embrace the diversity that others offer. I am genuinely excited to be challenged academically with coursework and to be in a place where learning is collaborative, and many research opportunities exist.
I remember at bedtime when I was young, my dad would often share interesting facts or stories to give me something to think about while I slept. One time my dad mentioned Young's Double Slit Experiment, in which light travels through two slits, creating an interference pattern. When only one particle goes through at a time, you would expect the interference pattern to go away, and yet it doesn’t. However, if you monitor the particles, then you get no interference pattern. As of now, there is no verifiable explanation for this phenomenon, and so, of course, I began to think about it. Through the sharing of ideas, communities can be formed. Just imagine what world problems can be solved collaboratively? That is something that motivates me.
In 2020/21, during the peak of the COVID health pandemic, my high school limited the number of classes we could take since all instruction was moved online. I wasn’t happy with this, so I sought out an opportunity to take a year-long AP Statistics course on my own as a supplement, through a another school. This allowed me to continue to learn without feeling constrained by life’s circumstances. I really enjoyed this and it empowered me to know that I have some control over my situation even when things seemed out of my control. This past summer, I applied and was accepted into Stanford’s Pre-Collegiate Studies where I took Number Theory. I was honestly extremely excited to take a high-level math class in the middle of the summer. I just love to learn and it was important to me to realize there are many avenues for school. A residential program like the Global Engineering RAP, just makes the learning community stronger and supports learning to happen anywhere.
Community knowledge is vital, but community culture is also critical. For example, I have learned many life lessons from my competitive rock climbing community. Rock climbing is my passion. I love to climb indoors, outdoors, set (construct) climbs, and to train for competitions, all of which I do with my climbing team. My team has been my community and has taught me to balance the stress of the situation with the enjoyment of the sport. If you can balance the stress with fun and the fun with stress, you can get the perfect combination of pushing your limits to achieve success while enjoying the journey to get there. As a community of learners in the Global Engineering RAP, you must support each other so that as a whole, you are successful.
Everything around me gets me excited to learn; whether it be cereal coalescing in my milk, ocean foam, a podcast, an absurd question, or an unexpected pattern in numbers. Curiosity, wonder, and thinking are part of what I can offer the Global Engineering RAP, as well as the joy of learning through mistakes on the road to a solution.
At CU’s Global Engineering RAP, I would have the opportunity to think and wonder with others that are as passionate as I am about engineering. I believe a strong background in the sciences, especially in math, is the springboard for solving so many critical problems in our world today. Furthermore, to solve world problems, it is essential to be collaborating with others and to embrace the diversity that others offer. I am genuinely excited to be challenged academically with coursework and to be in a place where learning is collaborative, and many research opportunities exist.
I remember at bedtime when I was young, my dad would often share interesting facts or stories to give me something to think about while I slept. One time my dad mentioned Young's Double Slit Experiment, in which light travels through two slits, creating an interference pattern. When only one particle goes through at a time, you would expect the interference pattern to go away, and yet it doesn’t. However, if you monitor the particles, then you get no interference pattern. As of now, there is no verifiable explanation for this phenomenon, and so, of course, I began to think about it. Through the sharing of ideas, communities can be formed. Just imagine what world problems can be solved collaboratively? That is something that motivates me.
In 2020/21, during the peak of the COVID health pandemic, my high school limited the number of classes we could take since all instruction was moved online. I wasn’t happy with this, so I sought out an opportunity to take a year-long AP Statistics course on my own as a supplement, through a another school. This allowed me to continue to learn without feeling constrained by life’s circumstances. I really enjoyed this and it empowered me to know that I have some control over my situation even when things seemed out of my control. This past summer, I applied and was accepted into Stanford’s Pre-Collegiate Studies where I took Number Theory. I was honestly extremely excited to take a high-level math class in the middle of the summer. I just love to learn and it was important to me to realize there are many avenues for school. A residential program like the Global Engineering RAP, just makes the learning community stronger and supports learning to happen anywhere.
Community knowledge is vital, but community culture is also critical. For example, I have learned many life lessons from my competitive rock climbing community. Rock climbing is my passion. I love to climb indoors, outdoors, set (construct) climbs, and to train for competitions, all of which I do with my climbing team. My team has been my community and has taught me to balance the stress of the situation with the enjoyment of the sport. If you can balance the stress with fun and the fun with stress, you can get the perfect combination of pushing your limits to achieve success while enjoying the journey to get there. As a community of learners in the Global Engineering RAP, you must support each other so that as a whole, you are successful.
Everything around me gets me excited to learn; whether it be cereal coalescing in my milk, ocean foam, a podcast, an absurd question, or an unexpected pattern in numbers. Curiosity, wonder, and thinking are part of what I can offer the Global Engineering RAP, as well as the joy of learning through mistakes on the road to a solution.
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