Issue link: http://latinschool.uberflip.com/i/133180
Seth Perlman '10 Seth Perlman appreciates numbers and logic. His passions include mathematics and the sciences. He studied economics at Harvard over the summer and expects to major in physics in college. At the same time, Seth is a talented writer who made a mark in his Writer's Workshop class at Latin and last year published an essay in a suburban Chicago newspaper and Polyphony H.S., a national literary journal for high school students that was started at Latin. "Good writing is important no matter what you do," says Seth, who this year is a co-editor for Polyphony. "Whether it is in an essay or a lab report, the outcome is going to be more effective if it is well-written." The attention to writing through the lower school and middle school years as well as the requirement system in the upper school – in which students must take an English course every semester – encourages students like Seth to pursue their passions in the sciences while continuing to develop their skills as writers. Seth's precision and logic serve him well as a scientist and economist as well as a writer. He feels a particular affection for persuasive essays. "They integrate logic, which is kind of fitting with my passion for science. But instead of working with numbers, you are working with words. It is all about order and structure, and I am a big fan of both." However, Seth also enjoys writing with humor and insight, always focusing on the details. Last November, his essay "On Being a Cynic on November 4, 2008," was picked up by the Forest Park Review. The essay is about Seth's experience sitting at home with his family on Election Day and watching the "Good writing is important no matter what you do. Whether it is in an essay or a lab report, the outcome is going to be more effective if it is well-written." results come in. It reflects his thoughts about Barack Obama and the reactions of his family members throughout the evening – from his mother's peripheral interest, to his little sister's growing engagement, to his father's ecstatic tears, to his own momentary transformation. "What made the essay work were interesting details about my family's reaction," explains Seth. "I try to stick to specifics when I write rather than generalities. I think it is the details that really make for great writing." And, it is this devotion to details that allows Seth Perlman to excel as writer and scientist and mathematician. • Latin School of Chicago 29