Gssm Intellectual Diversity

The South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics is a school that many high-reaching sophomores across the state of South Carolina dream of attending. It is a school filled to the brim with diversity, and it prides itself on the fact that each student brings to GSSM their own separate academic interests, likes and dislikes, and backgrounds. No two students there are alike. The same can be said for the hundreds of prospective students who apply each year, which this year includes myself. On a macroscopic scale, the majority of the applicants are very much the same; similar academic records, standardized test scores, and extracurricular activities. It is only when you get past this macroscopic view of them that you see who they truly are, where their true variations can shine through. This is part of my attraction to GSSM, as I truly want to use the strength of my diverse background and …show more content…
I come from a background that is heavily influenced by two distinctly different cultures: an American one through my father, and a Ryukyuan-Okinawan one through my mother. I found it extremely hard during my childhood to balance these two cultural extremes, but eventually I learned to embrace both fully and equally. I desire to share my unique bicultural heritage with my future classmates as much as I desire to learn about theirs. I also consider myself intellectually diverse, which I define as having a learning inclination toward all things. By attending GSSM, I hope to gain a veritable ‘stockpile’ of knowledge, not just from the people I will meet but from the scholastic trajectory I will pursue there. GSSM is known for the academic rigor and comprehensiveness of its courses, and this is the prospect I find most attractive. I hope to acquire an authentic adeptness in regards to the information I will learn in my studies here, especially about