India, July 26 -- Over the last sixteen years, I've helped many students, girls and boys to shape their college essays, one Google Doc at a time. We've never met in person. Our connection is virtual. But through Zoom calls and email threads, I've learned how open a teenager can be when you create just the right amount of space. I've read essays that carry the weight of parental silence, the pride of a national medal, the loneliness of being a misunderstood sibling. More recently, students have begun writing about their position within the family, how they're spoken to, what's expected of them, and how invisible they sometimes feel at home.
Yet, for all this honesty, there is one subject that almost never shows up. Romance.
Nobody writes a...