What a strange thing! / to be alive / beneath cherry blossoms. Kobayashi Issa
My freshman year was defined by a sense of newness and possibility, mixed with the general uncertainty that comes from searching for identity in a new place. Looking back, I can see that the questions of identity and community guided most of my decisions, although I was generally too focused on the everyday struggles of time-management, social obligations, and homework to realize it. I learned a little bit about who I am-- that I love studying brains and nebulas and twisty, existential puzzles of the universe; that I have a certain propensity for adrenaline; that I'm more of an introvert than I thought. I learned quite a bit about who I am not-- that I'm not a morning person, or a charades person, or a calculus person; that I don't want to go to medical school; that I might never discover a musical talent and that's okay. At this point in my college journey, I was definitely ambitious but I had a very narrow view of what it meant to be successful and it mostly had to do with getting the highest scores and filling my schedule to the brim with activities and extracurriculars, and just moving full speed ahead at all costs. Ultimately, I ended the school year with more questions about myself than I started with, but I had started to find my footing and explore the many opportunities that UW has to offer.
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