From Pokémon Trainer to Harvard Student

“Have you caught ’em all yet?”

This was the last question I expected to hear in my Harvard interview. “Catching ’em all” is the goal of each Pokémon game, which has captivated me for over a decade. The prospect of taming wild creatures, battling with them, and conquering new lands still excites me to this day. But my passion for the Japanese franchise went beyond pushing buttons on my Nintendo DS and dishing out $40 each year for the latest journey.

I participated in many online forums dedicated to the games, offering theories and sharing sentiments with like-minded fans. Eventually, I wanted to go beyond the comment section and share my enjoyment with a wider audience, so I created my own website, Pika News Network. I had no experience with website building, just a love for writing and collecting those pixelated monsters. Alongside some guest writers, I posted almost weekly for about four years, attaining over 30,000 page views from nearly 130 different countries.

For a 14-year-old, these statistics were unbelievable, but I never sought to become the New York Times of Pokémon. It was something I enjoyed, but when it became too time-consuming, I made the difficult decision to let the website go and focus on schoolwork. It felt like giving up a part of me, but my education was my main priority.

The project was short-lived, but my love for the series and for writing wasn’t, so I struggled with deciding whether or not to discuss it in my college resume. I wasn’t convinced that Harvard was in need of a Pokémon Trainer. As a school of great prestige, I knew it wanted to see leadership roles and well-rounded involvement. I was afraid Harvard would instead see a teenager’s ramblings about a kids’ game. I didn’t want to be perceived as childish or someone who wasted their time on fruitless endeavors.

At the same time, I knew writing about Pokémon was a part of me. I was giddy with excitement when new details about upcoming titles were announced. My mind ran wild with possibilities as I analyzed each new trailer. Each comment on my website — positive or negative — only pushed me to keep improving, and I took every page view as an indication of trust. I was proud of what I accomplished, and I was committed to giving Harvard an understanding of who I am in every sense. Thus, Pika News Network made it on the resume.

But I never expected any of this to be a talking point in what was arguably the most important interview of my life.

When my interviewer brought up Pokémon, I had to pause for a moment and make sure I was hearing her correctly. To my surprise, she had familiarity with the subject matter, and her reaction was the exact opposite of what I expected. She was intrigued and interested and wanted to know my motivations behind the website and the lessons I had learned from the writing process. More importantly, she mentioned how including Pokémon in my resume grounded me as someone genuine and human, which validated my decision. Maybe I did have a chance at Harvard after all.

It then became clear to me then that I didn’t need to conform to a particular mold or attempt to be anyone other than myself. It was okay to be a high school valedictorian while enjoying the thrill of hunting rare creatures on a screen. It was okay to write a 4,000 word paper about how life imitates art one day, and talk about the villains of this fictional realm the next. It was okay to be me.

Nobody should ever feel like they have to adhere to a particular path or match a stereotype to achieve something; instead, they should be fearless about what makes them unique. There is no correct route when one has genuine passion, and whatever shape that may take, it is neither shameful nor inadequate: it is something to be celebrated.

And while I haven’t caught ’em all yet, I have attained something far greater. I sit here writing this from the comfort of my dorm in Canaday as the first in my family to attend college in the United States, let alone an Ivy League institution. With each day that passes and every ounce of effort I dedicate to my work, I know I am honoring the sacrifice they made decades ago: leaving everything behind in Romania to offer me a better life in the United States. Had 14-year-old me not manifested his enthusiasm for yellow mice and talking cats through writing, perhaps I would’ve ended up on a different path. The future holds many mysteries, but I will not stop playing or writing, reminding myself to be truthful to who I am. If I can encourage others to “catch” their passions and share them with the world, then this Pokémon Trainer will have won the most important battle of all.

Bobby S. Degeratu ’25 is a Crimson Editorial comper living in Canaday Hall.

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