About

About me

I am a student Bard College primarily studying biochemistry and Russian. Possible career interests include medicine, medical research, and college-level teaching, along with raising a family and hopefully homeschooling my children. I enjoy music, playing violin and clarinet, singing, reading, sci-fi, science, writing, making art, oldies, cultivating plants, cats, hedgehogs, scarves, organizing and making lists ...

Currently I am one of the Co-Presidents of the Bard College Student Chapter of the American Chemical Society. Visit our website at http://student.bard.edu/bardacs/.

I wrote the small essay below as the Personal Essay for the Common Application when I applied to Bard after having already taken classes there for two years through the Bridge Program for local high school students. Its construction is imperfect but the essence of it speaks empowerment to me and through me. The essay prompt was "Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?":

The most important ideas there are to be challenged are often the false beliefs people hold about themselves. How people see and interact with the world results largely from what identity they adopt for themselves. At many times in life I have felt very discouraged and felt like giving up, thinking that I could never improve and never succeed or learn. I have chosen to confront those thoughts about myself and see the world and life as a source of opportunity and to embrace the identity of someone who acknowledges room for improvement and does not give up in the face of challenge – that of a problem solver.

As Einstein wrote in a letter of advice to his son Eduard, “Beim Menschen ist es wie beim Velo. Nur wenn er faehrt, kann er bequem die Balance halten.” Einstein echoed the age-old analogy, “It is the same with people as it is with riding a bike. Only when moving can one comfortably maintain one’s balance” (Einstein, Walter Isaacson, 2007, p. 367).

Once when I was meeting with one of my professors, he remarked that my schedule was a lot like the full time college experience. I expressed fear that with the amount of difficulties I was having with my current schedule, real full time college, or life for that matter, would prove too difficult. He told me what I was doing was good practice. I felt if it was practice for anything, it was practice for not being able to handle much more ever, practice at staying at a lower level. Later I was struck by the word practice and experienced a paradigm shift.

I remembered that when I took violin lessons I realized that many things in life involve always working on something a bit too hard. When you do not manage to perfectly master something, you keep going and move on to more difficult things. Sometimes it feels discouraging and as if you are never doing well no matter how hard you try. Eventually you look back at what you practiced four years ago or a year ago or last week and are amazed that it no longer seems so hard. I realized that having difficulty with something does not mean I am incapable.

It also became clear to me that each area of life acts as a proving ground for confidence, for identity, for values. The same concepts apply whether it be in playing music, writing, or learning to manage a schedule. I realized that what I cannot do now does not determine my potential. Potential itself is something not yet realized. Simply not having learned something yet does not mean I lack all ability or aptitude at doing it. Where I am now is a step towards a new level of progress.

A challenging environment can be the best to promote growth and flexibility. Though challenge can be a frightening prospect, with commitment and support it can be amazingly enriching. Some parts of life will always be difficult or challenging. Most of us struggle with many things. Throughout our lives we learn to surmount many challenges successfully, helping us to grow and preparing us for even more. Perfection is not a healthy expectation. If our goal is immediate perfection in all areas, we tend to be disillusioned and our progress stagnates. Focusing on realistically improving what we can will lead us to attain new heights.

I love to learn, I know that there will be challenges, and I know that those challenges are part of what makes a life alive. I know that there will always be room for improvement, which is an encouraging fact because I do not want to remain exactly the way I am. I believe in persistence and hard work. Even if something is hard for me now, I am committed to facing challenges in order to grow. Choosing otherwise means losing balance.

The message of this essay is one I must fight for and consciously choose in the midst of an often emotionally, if not otherwise, grueling life. When faced with hopelessness I must choose hope. When tempted to cease I must continue pedaling on. By the grace of G-d I continue to live, grow, and find meaning in life.

About this Site

This site is a platform for me to publish ideas, poems, funny things, writing pieces and generally whatever. Partly this is an exercise in making myself produce and share something, regardless of imperfections. I love writing and want to practice putting something out there. This is a venue to exercise, explore, and express--to be serious but silly at the same time as I ponder, create, and come to accept the imperfections of this life. It is part of my way of "staying in motion" to "keep my balance."

"To live a creative life we must lose our fear of being wrong." - Joseph Chilton Pearce 



**The original material on this blog is the intellectual property of Silvie Lundgren. Material that uses or cites the work of others will be indicated as much and as clearly as possible. If you notice improperly cited sources or missing citations please let me know.**