Erin

Koppel
gkoppel@gmail.com
06/07/1997

Prompt: Terps are diverse. They bring intellectual, social and cultural differences to
our community. Describe the different parts of you which will contribute to our diverse
campus community.

Avocado

The first three words I uttered as a toddler were mommy, daddy, and . . .
avocado. Why avocado? I suppose I just liked themand still do. My favorite
preparation is sliced in half, doused with apple cider vinegar, and sprinkled with
Lawrys Seasoned Salt. In this snack, a smooth, consistent layer of avocado serves as
the foundation, and the vinegar and salt coalesce in my mouth, creating the tangy
taste I love. Its not surprising that I love avocadosa lot of people dobut as I
grew older, the avocado began to represent the essence of who I am.


I am a passionate person: just as the tanginess of my favorite avocado snack
gives a unique jolt to other flavors, I like to inspire others to improve the community
around them. For the past four years, I have been an active member of BBYOa
Jewish organization that aims to keep teens involved in their communities, with an
emphasis on self-governance and leadership. As head of recruitment last year, I had
to plan an overnight for over one hundred new members. In previous years, this
night had been purely social, filled with get-to-know-you activities, but I knew it
could be much more: a chance to fuel peoples passions to make a larger impact on
the community. So I took a chance and booked Clay Smiles, a motivational speaker,
the night before our community service project, cleaning up Brighton Dam, a water
source for Montgomery and Howard Counties. Clay got everyone pumped for our
day of serviceshowing us how to fly like an eagle and not let the weasels in our
lives bring us down. Afterwards, we transitioned from his speech into an ebullient
Zumba dance party, excited for the day to come. This new twist added depth to the
overnight, and our enthusiasm and pride shined at Brighton Dam the next morning.


Like the bottom layer of my favorite avocado snack, I also know its
important to build a solid foundation for myself and my future endeavours. Last
year, I signed up for AP Chemistry, better known as The Hardest AP Class You Will
Ever Take. The first few weeks of class were a shock: the workload was enormous,
the material was difficult to grasp, and the test results were like the charge of all
anionsnegative. Succumbing to poor grades wasnt an option for me, so I started
to make some changesfinishing my problem sets weeks in advance and organizing
pizza study parties. After overcoming the initial shock, chemistry became my
favorite subject. This year, Im a mentor to students enrolled in the class.



As a child, the avocado opened my palate, but, as a teen, it has begun to
represent my growing palette of interests. Like my favorite snack, Ive learned to
combine my tanginess and consistency in order to successfully contribute to each of
my communities: Jewish, geographical, educationalhopefully, one day, Ill bring
my diverse, avocado-self to the Terp community too.