When I Dropped Out At 20, My Sister Told Everyone: “She’s The One Who Didn’t Finish.” Twelve Years Later, I’m Yale’s Dean Of Admissions. One Essay Read: “My Family Moved Past My Aunt’s Setback.” The Name? Amanda Chen. My Niece. I Picked Up My Red Pen And…

for literary magazines, activist groups, tutoring jobs, and student theater auditions. “This,” she said softly, “feels like there’s room to become someone.” I looked at her then and had one of those brief merciless flashes of time—Jennifer at seventeen narrowing herself into perfect, approved brilliance; me at seventeen already being measured against continue reading …