It's always super cliche to say that time flies, but I guess it really does when you're having fun. Past Sunday marked the end of my sophomore year as I submitted my last essay for an International Studies class. And just in case you want to know, only 731 days left until my graduation! Mark your calendars everybody: May 18th, 2019 :) Looking back on the past two years, I've learned so much more about myself and my relationships with others. I had a chance to come to terms with my upbringing and its effects on my personality as well as influence on my thinking; my fear of failure shows academically or even in any mundane context. As an extroverted introvert, I realized my strengths and weaknesses when interacting with people- great in small doses, but energy draining when I'm forced to socialize for long periods of time. I'm extremely thankful for the professors that pushed me to write better, be assertive in my abilities, and speak up more during class discussions. In academic settings, I always feel like the "other" and I hesitate to speak up most of the time in class. At times, it's because I'm part of the minority at Macalester: Asian American, immigrant, first generation college student, Southerner. However, I recently came to the conclusion that my inner fear of failure also contributes to my timidness in class. Even though I read or know as much information as the next student, I hesitate to speak up because I worry I might analyze the information incorrectly or I hold an unpopular opinion. Now, I'm slowly learning to speak up and participate in class - even if I'm unsure of myself and am thinking as I speak aloud. The worst that can happen is disagreement or an incorrect answer; I will not be judged as a person based on my wrong answer once in an hourlong class... The month of April is Asian Pacific Awareness Month at Macalester, where it's filled with lectures, events, and performances from student organizations. The photo below is of the Bonners that attended the APA Month showcase. I can't emphasize enough the impact of the Bonner community has on my life at Mac. We share similar values, are from similar backgrounds, go through thick and thin together, and I can always count on them to be there!
I'm currently back in Atlanta for about 12 days, but I will be back in the Twin Cities for the summer. I have been selected to participated in the MacNest program at Macalester, where Macalester connect students to local startups in the Twin Cities for summer internships. For 10 weeks, I will be living with 11(?) other MacNest students on campus in the Summit House as a community. During this time, I will serve as the Marketing Intern for HabitAware, a small startup in Minneapolis which makes Keen bracelets that is a form of wearable technology. Here's the description from their website:
"Keen is a smart bracelet, co-created by a "trichster," that helps people become aware of subconscious behaviors like hair pulling, skin picking, nail biting (collectively known as Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors, or BFRBs) and thumb-sucking.At HabitAware our mission is to:
Plans after MacNest have not been solidified yet, but there are tentative plans for Jennifer and I to visit Chicago (and Jennifer's family!) again, fly to Atlanta together and stay for about a week, and then plan to attend KCON LA in mid-August. With less stress and deadlines, I'm hoping to resume updating the blog every two weeks for the summer. Sorry for the late update this time around!
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about mecollege student. junior. international studies major. over-the-top foodie. archives
February 2018
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