The following is an essay that I wrote as apart of my Yale Application. The prompt was to talk about a topic that excited me and why I am drawn to it.
I love the mind and how it works. I am fascinated by the many ways we interact with one another and how we process our emotions by turning them into actions. This is why I am so drawn to true crime stories. The intricate analysis of why we do what we do is the reason I obsessively consume every bit of media on them as I can. One of my favorite podcasts, Rotten Mango, accompanies me on my weekly trip downtown to get coffee. As I drive down the road, I ruminate on the story that's being told. I not only focus on the beauty in being able to celebrate and remember the lives of the people lost but also on the question that each story prompts: how can we use these stories as an insight to mending broken minds?
It is certainly an existential and somewhat morbid way to spend my Saturday mornings, but I love it. That question is a universal one that is applicable to any situation that is born out of pain, anger, neglect, or sadness and a necessary one to answer. Each story in itself is unique but a singular thread of commonalities weaves them together to help create an answer to how we mend broken minds. To me these stories go beyond the shocking value they hold, they are a key to a better understanding of who we are and what we do.