First Week: Harvey and Other Things

Hi everyone!
 My first week in college will go down in history. On my first day of classes, we had a solar eclipse and yes, I did take the time to go to the roof of my dorm and stare at it (with protective glasses). A few days later we receive some warnings regarding Hurricane Harvey and the damage it may cause. Classes get cancelled and everyone bunkers down. It rains for five days straight--day and night--without revealing even a hint of the sun. I suddenly had an influx of calls and texts asking if I was doing okay and if I was safe and/or if I had photographs of the flood. To be honest, up to that point I had the luxury of not even thinking about the flood; I was able to just regard it as heavy rain. But the more pictures and videos I saw of people's homes underwater or people trying to climb on top of their roofs to avoid drowning, the more my heart would hurt. It hurts so bad to know that no matter how much I wanted to help these flood victims, I couldn't
 help them without putting myself in danger. My campus was flooded in a way that kept us in and kept everyone else out. So even if I did try to go help some people, I'd probably end up hurting myself in the process. So, I waited and waited and waited for the rain to stop. As soon as a ray of sun broke through the shades of my window, I ran outside. Just that a little bit of sun completely brightened my mood and made me realize that everything would eventually get back to normal; it would just take some time.
Even though it was dry enough to walk outside again, my heart was still heavy for those who'd lost something in the flood. I just felt like I really needed to do something to help. So, I did. Today I went with some other volunteers to help members of the community. We drove to a woman's house and on the way there, all you can see is the streets lined with mattresses, couches, bed frames, pillows, and ruined items of sentimental memorabilia.
We get to the woman's house and she asks a few of us to wrap up a few canvas photos she salvaged. Then, she asked me to go outside, take pictures of all her damaged clothes, and then throw them away. I went through every article of clothing and took pictures of every label. These clothes belonged to her, her husband, and a young boy (presumably her son). I sort through all of it and it is in a trash pile and right when I'm ready to throw everything away, I come across her wedding DVD. I stopped everything and just looked at the remains of it. It crumpled in my hand and it broke my heart.
I brought the lady the remains of her wedding tape and she just smiled and tucked it away. She just said thank you and asked me to put some stuff on the curb that said, "Free to Take". This woman really amazed me. She lost everything she had and still found a way to give to others. She made me remember the value in giving my time to help someone else. And that's what I'm going to urge my readers to do. Take some time to help someone else, even if it's just making them smile.

Summer '17: O-Week

Hi everyone!
The college experience always comes with the very popular orientation process. My school takes orientation very seriously--so much so that they've turned the orientation process into a whole week of jam packed information sessions, outdoor activities, late night outings, and college traditions. The process itself is very energy consuming and can become tiresome, however, I wouldn't trade these experiences for the world.

As soon as I pulled up to campus, a flood of very enthusiastic people approached my car and immediately started removing my stuff and bringing it to my room. They were holding signs, already knew my name, and had a custom-made button for me.  There was very little time to actually set up and decorate my room before going to have family lunch. I went to meet some other friends who I knew were going to Rice and hugged my mom goodbye before being fully engaged in college (our residential area) activities. There are seven extremely long gold sheets of paper hanging from the second floor with all the events the student coordinators planned for us. First, we officially meet up with our O-Week groups and play awkward ice breakers. As the week goes on we sign up for classes, attend a several talks regarding sex, alcohol, drug usage, diversity, and college life, we play games, and participate in different traditions.

My personal favorite tradition was McGuffin. On the 3rd day of O-Week, a bunch of posters of McGuffin memes were posted all over the dorms and lounges. I assumed it was a prank from another college called McMurtury. Then, I looked up the term McGuffin which refers to a point in the story that has absolutely nothing to do with the plot, yet guides the plot. So I thought something was going happen, but nothing did so, as any rational person would, I went to sleep. At precisely 4:00 am, all I hear is people yelling "This is the best day of your life!" and banging on doors. They did this until they got everyone outside to an hour long dance party. This of course was followed by our healthy breakfast of Poptarts and RedBull. Then, we proceeded to run to different parts of the school doing activities the advisers had set up. It was a lot of fun and I appreciate that I got to reap the benefits of someone else's hard work.

I would like to thank all the advisers, co-advisers, RAs, H&D, and everyone who was involved in my RetrO-Week. It was an amazing experience and I appreciate every single minute you all put in to planning and executing it.  Also, feel free to say you're welcome if you see me in person ^_^

Summer '17: New Orleans

Hi everyone!
Even though I'm in the process of moving and am a few days away from starting school, I'm still a teenager and I like to have fun. I think it's important to make the best of these last few rays of summer sun, so I stopped in New Orleans!

New Orleans is a lot of fun with lively people and a bursting energy. It looks like an old fashion French town dressed up in Caribbean colors. There's this appreciation for individuality and creativity that I haven't seen anywhere else. There are lots of mom-and-pop shops with little to no mainstream fast food places. There are small stores that sell custom made masks and bustiers. There are legendary restaurants with delicious creole food and specialized treats. Even the living spaces are built upward in layers with different tropical plants on each floor. Everything is a piece of art and everyone here has some sort of talent. The smooth, mystical, hypnotizing vibe of  New Orleans is really something one can only truely understand through personal experience.

Sometimes the beauty of New Orleans can be so captivating, it can make all other things disappear. I had been walking up and down Bourbon Street for a long time constantly looking up at the European architecture. When I looked down, I was finally able to see the line of homeless people and their various scattered items all over the sidewalk. I could finally hear them calling out to other hypnotized tourists for help; I could finally see them creating little scams to trick visitors into giving them money. It was saddening and added one more thing to the list of things I had never seen before. Although homelessness to this extent is disheartening, I still have pride in the street performers, street merchants, and -- yes -- even the scammers of New Orleans. Instead of sitting at home doing nothing or stealing things, they work their hardest to earn cash through tips. That is so admirable and displays honor and mental strength. Even those struggling in New Orleans add to its Creole charm.

Summer '17: Moving Out

Hi everyone!
As most of you know, I'm moving to out of state university and today is the official day of the move. It's such a bittersweet moment. I feel sad because I know I won't see my friends and family for a long time. It kinda breaks my heart. I also feel happy because I know I'm going into a new chapter of my life where I will be literally unstoppable;it's the portion of my life when I fear nothing, can achieve anything, and will have everything. It's just so bittersweet.

I'm so grateful for Summer '17 and all of its experiences. I've been having so much fun spending time with my friends and loved ones that sometimes I'd forget to write about it. This summer I've graduated from high school and college, went to my future roommate's home, hosted two out of state visitors that I met in China, quickly befriended people that I've known for 2 years (but didn't know they were so amazing until these last 3 months), designed some collegiate gear, changed my hairstyle, and packed the beginnings of my new life in a few boxes. This summer came and went so quickly and fortunately I can say that I lived in every moment of it. 

To my friends and family, 

Thank you for supporting me in all my dreams and endeavors! I appreciate it more than you'll ever know. I love you all sooo much and I can't wait to come back and see you during break <3

Summer '17: Georgia (Still on My Mind)

Hi everyone!

I recently returned from a trip to Columbus, Georgia and it was something unlike anything that I've ever experienced before. The entire trip is what some might refer to as unusual, but let's be honest – I'm not your typical girl. 

The Motivation 

Why go to Georgia? I went to Georgia to watch my future roommate graduate from high school. This is an interesting situation because we just met in February at Rice University and then again in April (totaling 5 days of being in the same place together), yet here I am a couple months later spending time with her and her family in their house. 

         Getting to Know Columbus

I'm from a large city in South Florida so I'm not used to small populations, rural spaces, nor (ironically)southern hospitality. It's something different, but it's special. And once you get used to it, you can't imagine being without it. I've met a lot of people and all them were so sweet and welcoming. One of my new friends even hosted an after-hours Korean Barbecue in her parents’ restaurant. It was delicious and the way she and her family consistently served us food reminded me of how I was treated in China. Columbus has so much love to give and it will continue to show you love until your heart is full.

                    The Result

Now, I have a whole other family that lives in Georgia and I have a new found appreciation for small town living. This trip also reminded me to continue to fearlessly follow my heart. As for my future roommate, we were simply meant to be the best of friends. 

"As soon as I saw you, I knew an adventure was going to happen"

-Winnie the Pooh

Day 1

Friendship Time: 2 Months

Friends for 3 months (going on 4)

Summer '17: Senior Awards Night

Hi everyone!

Tonight was Senior Awards Night at my school and I'm proud to announce that I have won in the Broward County Literary Fair, been deemed the 2017 English Scholar by the English Department, and I've been awarded the Silver Knights scholarship for excellence in English and Literature. I was also awarded the National Honor Society Stole, the Silver Cord (for 250+ hours of community service), the Golden Cord (for GPA 3.75 or higher), and the Blue Cord (for graduating with an Associates of Arts degree). I was so honored to be recognized for all my scholastic achievement and community outreach. It felt so great to sit with my friends in the front row and cheer for them when their names were called. I felt so loved when various support sections of the auditorium would applaud and shout when my name was called. It was such an overwhelming energy of love and support.


I am so proud of my classmates and I’m especially proud of my friends. Two years ago, we left our homeschools to start better lives at Broward College and now we are graduating high school with AA degrees and multiple honors together. I’m glad to say I’m friends with National Merit Scholars; I’m friends with talented artists; one of my friends is low key a STEM major and a model. I even have one friend that has had perfect attendance since kindergarten! These unique characteristics, although interesting, are not why my friends are amazing. My friends are amazing because they are humble and intelligent people with genuine hearts and charming personalities. I feel so fortunate to have met and befriended all of these wonderful people and I can't wait to see how we succeed. I’m proud of my class because I know each and every one of us is ready to take on the world and achieve greatness.

Summer '17: Graduation

On May 9, 2017, I graduated with my Associates of Arts degree from Broward College. I am so proud of myself. I feel like I've actually accomplished something and there's so much more to be done. 

The graduation process itself was long and draining (between the standing in lines, signing agreements, and trying to locate my support section),  but it was so much fun. The hustle and bustle of everyone combined with this energy of school pride and achievement was addictive. The best moment was when I was walking up the stairs of the stage and I could look out into the arena and see all the people who came out to support my peers and me. There was so much love in the room and the happiness was infectious. I've never smiled as much as I did when I received by degree.