I was born and raised in Miami, Florida. Growing up as a student here, I remember the pressure to be everything to everyone: the honor roll student, the volunteer lead, the club president. We are told that if we check every box, the gates of the Ivy League will swing open. It’s a lie. And in 2025, it is a dangerous one. Today, I am writing from the campus of Harvard Business School, where I am completing my MBA. Before this, I managed global HR operations at Google. Looking back at my path—from a high school theatre kid in Miami, to an Economics degree at the University of Chicago, and then to Big Tech—I realize I didn’t get here by being “well-rounded.”