Volume 67, Issue I
For many former AP World students the final project essays they wrote are a distant memory, and can hardly recall what their topic was. Sarah Kaul had a different experience and will never forget her paper. Kaul, lover of the musical Hamilton, wrote her essay about the titular character using the music as her inspiration. Kaul’s teacher, Ms. Cotnoir, sent th paper into Hamilton’s writer, composer, and actor, Lin-Manuel Miranda, in June and was met with an incredible surprise for
Kaul when the schoolyear started. Miranda had not only read the essay, but replied and told Kaul how much he loved it. He wrote her a response saying how meaningful it was to him that people were influenced by his work, told he she was a great writer, and signed the letter “siempre”, the Spanish word for always.
Kaul’s paper goes through Hamilton’s life and his main achievements and motives. Though she used the musical as an inspiration, she found historical discrepancies within it. Her journey with the musical began when friends urged her to listen to the soundtrack, and she did reluctantly, only to fall in love with the songs. By February, Kaul says she was “obsessed” and saw the musical in person. For her, the paper was easy and fun to write, because of her deep interest in the subject. Lucky for Kaul, she has the chance to keep learning about Hamilton in her AP United States History class, and will certainly have the chance to send Miranda more of her work on the founding father in the future.
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