What inspires you? Recently, I’ve found myself inspired by the wide range of social services available in Santa Clara. Last week I attended Community Solutions’ “Love is Respect” conference and I was completely blown away by the passion and giving nature of all of the volunteers who showed up to help. It’s part of what makes me so excited to work in a social services agency as part of my own career path.
What is your favorite subject in school, and why? Psychology fascinates me, because it’s always interesting to discover the small reasons for why people behave the way they do. Sometimes people turn out a certain way because of conditions they grew up with, but other times it has more to do with the actual structure of a person’s brain—it’s just amazing to me to learn about how the way we think has evolved, and how it continues to evolve.
If you had the power to change one thing in the world, what would it be? I would definitely want to improve accessibility of education in most parts of the world, but especially in areas where young women are at a significant educational disadvantage.
If you could go anywhere, where would you go? I’ve never been to Europe and it’s been one of my big travel goals for a long time now, but hopefully I’ll be able to make it happen via a study abroad program in college (fingers crossed).
Name one big challenge in your life right now: Now that my senior year is coming to a close, a lot of the pressure of applications and essays have gone away, but with that comes the even bigger challenge of paying for college! Even though it’s kind of a daunting task, I’m really lucky to even have the opportunity to be attending college, and I’m even luckier to have a family that continues to support me.
What is your dream job? I plan on becoming a psychiatrist and working for a social work agency after college.
If you were stuck on a deserted island, what three things could you not live without? Excluding food, water, and shelter? Probably a journal, an iPod, and a good book.
Favorite book: Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner.
What do you want to do after high school? I actually just committed to attending NYU! It’s been my dream for such a long time, and it still feels a little surreal that all of this is actually happening.
Something that makes you smile: My friends continue to make me smile and do little nice gestures for me, especially on my rougher days. They’re really the best support system through every piece of stress that comes with senior year, and I’m glad I went to a school that has a closer community of kids.
