Knowledge Tree part one!

Hello again!
I'd like to share with you all a bit about me-- about my personality, what motivates me, and what inspires me each day. As I mentioned before, I am a high school junior from Massachusetts. I am incredibly passionate about working with people-- my interactions with others have been a major factor in shaping who I am as a person, and I am constantly inspired by the people I interact with daily. I am incredibly energetic and have a really positive perspective on life-- my friends have defined me as a 'raging optimist'. Simultaneously, I am a very thoughtful person and I am very socially aware and compassionate.
This past summer I volunteered at Children's Hospital in Boston and I had the opportunity to work alongside a pediatrician and child life specialist in the Oncology unit. Child life specialists are trained professionals who assist children and families during difficult life experiences and, in the hospital setting, child life specialists bring vivacity and comfort to many patients and their relatives. I fell in love with the experience and , inspired by the absolutely amazing kids I met, I hope to volunteer and intern at Children's Hospital again in the future and in college.
During the school year I am involved in community work, particularly at my synagogue where I am a co-chair of social action on my temple's youth board. We have pursued many projects including addressing the global issue of hunger and homeless, and raising awareness of the plight of the people of Darfur. I plan to study humanities, especially psychology or sociology, because I am so interested in working with people and am fascinated by human nature in general. Inherent in the need to bring change to create a better world, I want to get better grounding in the field of diplomacy, and in particular, to learn how to express my thoughts and achieve consensus toward common goals.
My favorite classes at school are definitely Literature and History. I am currently taking a class called Western Civilizations which has a dense philosophical theme based on Plato's concept of "virtue", and I am studying the religions associated with the Asian continent in my Asian Studies class. I also really enjoy chemistry. :)
I am involved in many extracurricular activities at my school, including student government, concert band (I play the flute!), cross country running and track, and my school's chapter of Invisible Children, an organization founded to assist the youth of Northern Uganda amidst civil unrest and war. The organization raises money to give children and teens, many orphaned, the opportunity of education and a positive future. Education is something that I feel too many people take for granted-- especially during midyear exams, which I am taking right now. I have come to realize that many of my classmates look at education as "work" and not as "opportunity" or "privilege"-- I wish more people could see education from the brighter perspective, and take it less for granted.
The most important thing that I think you all should know about me is that, while I am a fun person, I am truly passionate about contributing nothing but positive energy and valuable input into this program. I respect all of you involved in the DOTCOM program-- you all are amazing and I so look forward to getting to know everyone more and more as everything progresses.