“Columbia has served as a crucible of my character, my intellect, my artistic inclinations, my physical and mental health, and my work ethic, and I am so much better for it. I know myself far more comprehensively than I did four years ago, and through extending my comfort zone, working hard and challenging myself, I have a newfound, incandescent confidence that is intrinsically rather than extrinsically derived. I know myself, love myself and genuinely believe that I can do anything.

“The extraordinary circumstances of this year have shown me how temporary everything truly is, how ephemeral worldly attachments are and how timeless human connections will always be.”