NYU Essay

It was a college calligraphy class that distinguished Apple from the rest of Silicon Valley. The seemingly useless knowledge of typography kindled Steve Jobs’ love for design, ultimately producing the wondrous interface with which I develop websites, design clothes, and write these words.

As Jobs put it: “Technology alone is not enough. It’s technology married with the liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields the results that make our hearts sing.”

Since hearing that story at 13, it’s become my professional mission to build tools that aren’t just utilitarian but serve as art in their own right—works that make hearts sing.

This pursuit led me to Combat, a clothing company I built with my best friend. What began as a side project quickly became a platform for exploring how design, branding, and storytelling can empower people. We taught ourselves graphic design, built an online presence, and grew a simple idea to $30,000 in revenue.

As Combat grew, I became fascinated by how digital touchpoints shape perception and transform ideas into movements. I realized ideas resonate not just in content but in experience. The change I seek to make lies at that intersection of technology and storytelling.

At my current school, this blend is hard to come by, so I cultivate it myself. I love the pressure of waking up at 3 a.m. to produce videos, freelance, and design before class, but this sharp division between technical study and creative ambition has led me to realize I need an institution that integrates both.

That’s why I’m drawn to NYU.

At the College of Arts & Science, I hope to pair rigorous technical training in CS with psychology and media studies, exploring courses like UX Design and Cognition and Perception. This curriculum would sharpen my ability to craft human-centered experiences—understanding not just how a product is created, but why, for whom, and with what impact.

Beyond the classroom, I plan to immerse myself in NYU’s dynamic ecosystem—building at the Leslie eLab and Tech@NYU, brainstorming with founders at StartupNYU, and drawing inspiration from Tisch ITP’s artists. These experiences will directly shape my work as I collaborate with NYC’s startups and fashion industry.

I want an institution where I can work to bridge beauty with functionality, where ambition and creativity aren’t just encouraged, but expected. At NYU, in a city that thrives on creative hustle, these connections wouldn’t be an uphill battle—they’d be inevitable.