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…

then with the kind of uneven steadiness that belongs to repair rather than resolution. She started divorce proceedings that summer. When she told me, her voice sounded both devastated and relieved. “I kept waiting for the life I built to start feeling like mine,” she said. “It never did.” She cut back her hours at the firm. She began, awkwardly and continue reading …