College Essay 系列 (三十)：哈佛爆文2023

听说过March Madness Meme吗？

就是那种像姚明笑脸的、产生于每年三月的美国大学篮球锦标赛的观众脸。有笑的，有哭的，不一定。社交媒体时代，每年也都不只一个meme产生。最火的有下面几个。

• 左，Roxanne Chalifoux of Villanova University，2015年的Crying Piccolo Girl；
• 中，Ashlyn Whimpey of Utah State University，2023年的Crying Cheerleader；
• 右，John Phillips, Son of Northwestern Athlet Director Jim Pillips，2017年的Crying Northwestern Kid。

很多人以为出名好。其实，人怕出名猪怕壮。社交媒体时代，网上一夜出名，还要加上来自陌生人的网络暴力。出名自然是好事，但弄不好自己就变成了losser。但上面这三位对付突如其来网“红”案例值得我们学习。

中间的 Ashlyn，Villanova University三年级学生，Cheerleader。她的Meme刚刚红，没等网暴来袭，就被她自己放TikTok上去，”Now I am a Meme。潜在的网暴被周围人的同情和鼓励堵住了。

左边的Roxanne成网红Meme以后，主动接纳现实，乘着大量USU粉丝的同情，Roxanne升入Salus University，四年拿下眼科医学博士，其中三次实习医生的职位也找的相当顺利，Salus University还曾在2019年专版报道Piccolo Girl的顺利毕业，可见网红早就成了Roxanne的Social Capital。2020年疫情中间一毕业就能match了住院医，而今已经眼科行医三年了。是不是很幸运？

右边的John，红的的时候还是个12岁的男孩。他的故事，要放在中国父母的眼里，那就是经典中的经典了。为什么？因为John在2022年拿下Harvard的录取，而他的文书故事正是以Crying Northwestern Kids为主题展开的。你想不想听？

话说2017年3月18日，John跟着在西北当AD的老爸现场助阵Wildcats对战Gonzaga。一开始，他的投入被CBS的镜头抓住。在他浑然不知的情况下，摄像师不断地把镜头对准他，给转播添料。就在西北输球的一刻，镜头记录下John情绪失控大哭的情景。这个画面迅速被电视观众抓住传到推特上。Gonzaga球迷跟着就是一串难听的评论。网暴就这么开始了。

比赛结束，John的父母发现儿子 “红”了。于是启动社交保护程序，但为时已晚了。现场到处有人盯着小John，近处有人过来要签名，而远处有人嘲讽。John的好日子和苦日子一块开始。一方面友好的人们会安慰他鼓励他，另一方面很多不相关的人们却喜欢挖苦搞笑。身边这样的人也总是出现，学校里、或球场上，总有人在离他不远处取笑。

这个经历倒是给John一次社交锻炼和快速成熟的机会。他理解应该把心情从陌生人，无关人等的言论中移开，只接受亲朋好友的关爱就足够了。父母也特别给力，他们的保护模式，就是教育John尽量远离社交媒体。这个习惯John直到现在还保持着，甚至在2022年拿下哈佛杜克西北三家录取的时候，都没见他在网上有Po过只言片语。

2018年，必胜客找上John，要用他的Meme在March Madness期间打广告，十五分钟广告时间，将唤醒人们对Crying Northwestern Kid的Frenzy。这可是他那一年中躲还来不及的事。但John在这个时候却做了自主的research。他翻了一下必胜客的公司新闻，发现公司有个专门促进孩子读书的公益基金Book It，于是决定接下广告，并且把收到的5万版权费捐给Book It。

这是一个非常聪明的决定。一来给了自己强大的已走出过去“阴影”的心理暗示，二来还能以这样的善举堵住新一轮的网暴威胁。强大了自己，有削弱了敌人，一举两得啊。

不仅如此，是一举三得。四年后，当John需要写一篇Unique Experience的文书的时候，妈妈Laura想到了这个独特的经历。其实，这个想法在五年前早就当说笑来着。但现在再提起，妈妈是当真的。John也当真了。那就写了试试吧。

John所在的教会高中Loyola Academy并不是顶尖大U 的Feeder。但在这里长大的John，着着实实是个尖子生加学生领袖。足球队长，NMS Semifinalist。同学们还推荐他做了第一任拯救自杀少年的Hope Squad。从过去网暴经历中走出来的John，在正确对待少年人的心理问题绝对是强项。

校外，John是个不折不扣的天使在人间。从自己的Catholic Faith出发，他坚持关注社会功能公平，帮助那些生活在社会边缘的人群。其实这些对他来说，不仅是出于公益的善举，更是学习的机会。在老年公寓李做义工的时间里，他邂逅了一位艺术史学家，并从长时间的交谈中学到很多文艺复兴历史知识，从此还喜欢上了AP Europe History课程。

 

就是这样一个John Pillips，2022年RD期间幸运拿下了西北、哈佛和杜克的录取。

今年三月，John再一次跟着老爸Jim来到March Madness的现场，并被到场的镜头抓住。现场的观众一下子认出了他。哦不对，人们先认出的是此时已是NCAA总监的老爸Jim。当视线从Jim转到旁边的John脸上，有人一下子恍然大悟：这不就是那个Northwestern kid吗？他又上现场来了啊！现场沸腾了。媒体竞相报道。赛后才采访了John。这才有朽石君本篇的故事。

现在来说说John这篇被广泛传说的哈佛文书。我没有找到John的文书全篇，但从媒体的报道里，可以读到这篇文书的几句关键句。In his essay, Phillips wrote:

(My) viral 15 minutes of fame, and the attention that it brought me in the days, months, and years to come, helped make clear the nature of empathy, and the value it holds.

……

People online and in-person routed me with false stories and negative comments: I was spoiled, I was over-emotional, I was a sore loser.

……

Not a single person who criticized me knew my backstory. What a meme can't tell the viewers was how close I grew up with the Northwestern team. As son of Northwestern's athletic director, I had spent real time with this team, shared meals with them. 

……

I was passionate because this team was family to me. But the internet didn't know this when they spread my crying reactions everywhere.

……

When we seek to understand others first, we guard ourselves against quick judgments and false stereotypes.

 

这是一篇简单的好故事。过去的网红故事，很容易寖入读者的旧时心情。把它的网暴成分作为主题，让Adversity的情节显得合情理。接着，自我的治愈可能只算常见的结局，但捐赠引出从自愈到愈人的情节，堪称是价值的升华了。既有红，又有苦，不仅自愈，而且利他。这样的文书故事，不要太perfect了吧！

这些内容发生在你身上的话，你能写出什么样的文书？不如现在就试试。如果你还缺原料，下面是写在John的母校Loyola Academy网页上的介绍文字，你可以参考一下。

 

John P. Phillips

(St. Francis Xavier - Wilmette)

June 2022

Captain of the varsity soccer team. Dumbach scholar. Student Council secretary. Any one of these three distinctions would be an achievement in its own right and enough to keep most high school students busy. But for John P. Phillips, this is just the beginning. John was nominated by his peers to serve on Loyola Academy’s first Hope Squad, a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program for students. "It has been so powerful to learn more about mental health and even more so to try and work with my classmates to promote a positive school culture," he says. Indeed, a deep compassion and care for others has clearly emerged as an underlying current in many of John's activities. "My Catholic faith is the most important thing in my life, and I want to develop and share that with others," he explains. During his sophomore year, he was a founding member of Loyola Academy's Dignity of Life Club and traveled to Washington, DC, for the annual March for Life. Last year, he worked with Campus Minister Rev. Stanislaw Czarnecki, SJ, to found Loyola’s Christian Life Community, which seeks to build relationships with God and with one another. "I love learning about and studying Catholic theology and philosophy," he says. "My brothers and I read and talk about all things theology and the Catholic faith. This has grown beyond just a hobby or interest to become the fundamental viewpoint from which I see the world." John says learning about social justice issues and the different circumstances people on the margins of society live with through Campus Ministry's Pax Christi programming has taught him how to manifest love in deeds more than words. He fondly recalls time spent volunteering at Sunrise Senior Living, where he had a lengthy conversation about the art of the Northern Renaissance with a resident who had been an art historian. When asked about his favorite classes at LA, John highlights AP European History with Mr. Bill Brandstrader '88. "The combination of interesting course material and incredible class energy has made AP Euro a fantastic class. Mr. Brandstrader never fails to bring incredible energy that makes the already exciting content even more inviting." John is passionate about the humanities and sees himself studying history, theology and philosophy in college. And while he’s not sure what profession that may lead him to, he is certain of this: “I want to be out in the world bringing joy and light to other people’ lives. In a world so often obscured in suffering, I want to bring God’s love and hope to each person I come in contact with.”