College Essay 係列 (三十)：哈佛爆文2023

聽說過March Madness Meme嗎？

就是那種像姚明笑臉的、產生於每年三月的美國大學籃球錦標賽的觀眾臉。有笑的，有哭的，不一定。社交媒體時代，每年也都不隻一個meme產生。最火的有下麵幾個。

• 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。

很多人以為出名好。其實，人怕出名豬怕壯。社交媒體時代，網上一夜出名，還要加上來自陌生人的網絡暴力。出名自然是好事，但弄不好自己就變成了losser。但上麵這三位對付突如其來網“紅”案例值得我們學習。

中間的 Ashlyn，Villanova University三年級學生，Cheerleader。她的Meme剛剛紅，沒等網暴來襲，就被她自己放TikTok上去，”Now I am a Meme。潛在的網暴被周圍人的同情和鼓勵堵住了。

左邊的Roxanne成網紅Meme以後，主動接納現實，乘著大量USU粉絲的同情，Roxanne升入Salus University，四年拿下眼科醫學博士，其中三次實習醫生的職位也找的相當順利，Salus University還曾在2019年專版報道Piccolo Girl的順利畢業，可見網紅早就成了Roxanne的Social Capital。2020年疫情中間一畢業就能match了住院醫，而今已經眼科行醫三年了。是不是很幸運？

右邊的John，紅的的時候還是個12歲的男孩。他的故事，要放在中國父母的眼裏，那就是經典中的經典了。為什麽？因為John在2022年拿下Harvard的錄取，而他的文書故事正是以Crying Northwestern Kids為主題展開的。你想不想聽？

話說2017年3月18日，John跟著在西北當AD的老爸現場助陣Wildcats對戰Gonzaga。一開始，他的投入被CBS的鏡頭抓住。在他渾然不知的情況下，攝像師不斷地把鏡頭對準他，給轉播添料。就在西北輸球的一刻，鏡頭記錄下John情緒失控大哭的情景。這個畫麵迅速被電視觀眾抓住傳到推特上。Gonzaga球迷跟著就是一串難聽的評論。網暴就這麽開始了。

比賽結束，John的父母發現兒子 “紅”了。於是啟動社交保護程序，但為時已晚了。現場到處有人盯著小John，近處有人過來要簽名，而遠處有人嘲諷。John的好日子和苦日子一塊開始。一方麵友好的人們會安慰他鼓勵他，另一方麵很多不相關的人們卻喜歡挖苦搞笑。身邊這樣的人也總是出現，學校裏、或球場上，總有人在離他不遠處取笑。

這個經曆倒是給John一次社交鍛煉和快速成熟的機會。他理解應該把心情從陌生人，無關人等的言論中移開，隻接受親朋好友的關愛就足夠了。父母也特別給力，他們的保護模式，就是教育John盡量遠離社交媒體。這個習慣John直到現在還保持著，甚至在2022年拿下哈佛杜克西北三家錄取的時候，都沒見他在網上有Po過隻言片語。

2018年，必勝客找上John，要用他的Meme在March Madness期間打廣告，十五分鍾廣告時間，將喚醒人們對Crying Northwestern Kid的Frenzy。這可是他那一年中躲還來不及的事。但John在這個時候卻做了自主的research。他翻了一下必勝客的公司新聞，發現公司有個專門促進孩子讀書的公益基金Book It，於是決定接下廣告，並且把收到的5萬版權費捐給Book It。

這是一個非常聰明的決定。一來給了自己強大的已走出過去“陰影”的心理暗示，二來還能以這樣的善舉堵住新一輪的網暴威脅。強大了自己，有削弱了敵人，一舉兩得啊。

不僅如此，是一舉三得。四年後，當John需要寫一篇Unique Experience的文書的時候，媽媽Laura想到了這個獨特的經曆。其實，這個想法在五年前早就當說笑來著。但現在再提起，媽媽是當真的。John也當真了。那就寫了試試吧。

John所在的教會高中Loyola Academy並不是頂尖大U 的Feeder。但在這裏長大的John，著著實實是個尖子生加學生領袖。足球隊長，NMS Semifinalist。同學們還推薦他做了第一任拯救自殺少年的Hope Squad。從過去網暴經曆中走出來的John，在正確對待少年人的心理問題絕對是強項。

校外，John是個不折不扣的天使在人間。從自己的Catholic Faith出發，他堅持關注社會功能公平，幫助那些生活在社會邊緣的人群。其實這些對他來說，不僅是出於公益的善舉，更是學習的機會。在老年公寓李做義工的時間裏，他邂逅了一位藝術史學家，並從長時間的交談中學到很多文藝複興曆史知識，從此還喜歡上了AP Europe History課程。

 

就是這樣一個John Pillips，2022年RD期間幸運拿下了西北、哈佛和杜克的錄取。

今年三月，John再一次跟著老爸Jim來到March Madness的現場，並被到場的鏡頭抓住。現場的觀眾一下子認出了他。哦不對，人們先認出的是此時已是NCAA總監的老爸Jim。當視線從Jim轉到旁邊的John臉上，有人一下子恍然大悟：這不就是那個Northwestern kid嗎？他又上現場來了啊！現場沸騰了。媒體競相報道。賽後才采訪了John。這才有朽石君本篇的故事。

現在來說說John這篇被廣泛傳說的哈佛文書。我沒有找到John的文書全篇，但從媒體的報道裏，可以讀到這篇文書的幾句關鍵句。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.

 

這是一篇簡單的好故事。過去的網紅故事，很容易寖入讀者的舊時心情。把它的網暴成分作為主題，讓Adversity的情節顯得合情理。接著，自我的治愈可能隻算常見的結局，但捐贈引出從自愈到愈人的情節，堪稱是價值的升華了。既有紅，又有苦，不僅自愈，而且利他。這樣的文書故事，不要太perfect了吧！

這些內容發生在你身上的話，你能寫出什麽樣的文書？不如現在就試試。如果你還缺原料，下麵是寫在John的母校Loyola Academy網頁上的介紹文字，你可以參考一下。

 

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.”