YEAR-IN-REVIEW.
2019-2020
As I find myself writing this reflection, we are in a time of great pain in our country – or should I say, greater pain. A pandemic has underscored inequities in society that existed long before its arrival, police brutality and systemic racism are being adamantly fought by protesters, and our nation is in a time of great unrest and divisiveness. Every year that I write these reflections, I realize that I want to say how it's topped the previous year in being the hardest one of my life, but along with the greater challenges that each new year has brought, they have brought even greater triumph and fulfillment. Over the past year, I had the opportunity to serve as Student Body President for UC and lead our Undergraduate Student Government. I was tested in ways that I didn't know I could be tested. I experienced growth in areas that I didn't even know existed. And I faced obstacles that there is no playbook for other than lived experience and learned ability to quickly make highly consequential decisions. I got to advocate for expansion of mental health resources, among a number of other things for students, and I worked with some amazing people along the way. I will always be grateful for the opportunities and experiences I gained as a result of this leadership position. While in the weeds and putting my head down in USG stuff for 50-60 hours a week for an entire year, what I did not do a ton of was think about my next professional steps or take time to figure out where I was headed when my term was over. So much of me wanted to do the job right that I did not prioritize myself, and I've noted this and taken it as a key lesson for future endeavors. This impacted my mental and physical health, as well as my relationships, all of which should have taken priority. As I've transitioned into the summer, I've begun my internship at Facebook, where I'm working on an agency planning team in their Global Business Group. The role is interesting and I'm learning a lot, however I am feeling more and more called to leave commercial business and eventually attend law school. I've begun studying for the LSAT, researching schools, and drafting personal statements with the hope of applying this fall, however I may wait until the next cycle if I decide to work for a year first. It's hard to believe that my college career comes to an end in December 2020, however I can feel God aligning my steps for the next chapter at the same time. My desire to attend law school comes not fully as a result of my past year in USG, but more so because of my increased understanding of the issues that I want to work on in society, the skill set that I believe I have, and the kind of intellectually challenging work that I know is going to allow me to grow the most. On the eve of my final semester in college, I look back at all I've experienced in my short time here with a sense of pride and humility. I have pushed myself to work harder than any other point in my life, and it has befittingly gotten me much further. I have held myself to a high academic, professional, and personal standard, and as hard as I can be on myself at times, it has undoubtedly worked. I feel like I've gotten just about everything that I can out of UC, and I look forward to enjoying the final ride this fall to culminate what has been an eventful chapter of my life. To the 2019-2020 school year, you weren't always fun, but I'll never forget your significance to my journey in life. Till next time! |
2018-2019
Over the past year I have grown more than any other point during my life. I have experienced some of my highest and lowest points personally and professionally, but it has all led to a year of many lessons for the future. The experiences that have had the most impact on me this year are running for and becoming Student Body President at UC and studying abroad in Sydney, Australia. As I look at the next year, being a part of Trials 2019 at Harvard Law School and serving as President will be the two biggest career-defining experiences of my life to date. Since October, myself and my running mate and now Student Body Vice President Abbie Smith were prepping for a campaign that we launched on March 1, 2019. The planning process for running a campaign is stressful, tedious, and after anticipating a lot of effort, still took more than my expectations. Abbie and I put hundreds of hours into articulating our vision, developing a platform, putting together a team, organizing campaign events, conducting focus groups, speaking with administrators and students, working with team members, and so much more. In the end, it was all absolutely worth it, and I would do it over again for such an amazing end result. I’ve been able to connect with a ton of students and as this school year and the first month and a half of our term comes to a close, I am extremely optimistic about what the rest holds. As a leader, I have learned so much from this experience and I know it will make me a more compassionate and effective leader as I represent UC’s student body over the next year. Drawing on my past two years in Student Government and even life experiences will allow me to put everything I have into my term as President. Over the past two weeks, I’ve also had the opportunity to study abroad in Sydney, Australia, through my Economics of Immigration course that I took this spring. The focus of this experience was studying the advantages and disadvantages that immigration has on local and nation economies, specifically in Australia as a country made up of many immigrants. A few of the things I did in Australia are visit a local nonprofit that contracts refugees to give them work and help them start their own businesses, attend a lecture from a CEO of a company that finds employment for indigenous people and refugees, and also get a tour of Watson’s Bay from a native Australian. We also got to see some of the major attractions, visit the beaches, and I went abseiling in the Blue Mountains on my own, which is by far the scariest thing I’ve done, considering I’m afraid of heights. I stayed five extra days with some friends I have in Sydney and got to experience college life at the University of Sydney by spending time with on campus and with a lot of the students. As I look forward to this summer and the next year, a lot of responsibilities are ahead of me. During the month of July, I’ll be in Cambridge, Massachusetts, participating in the Trials 2019 program at Harvard Law School. The Training & Recruitment Initiative for Admission to Leading Law Schools (TRIALS) is a unique partnership of Harvard Law School, NYU School of Law, and the Advantage Testing Foundation. It is a fully subsidized, five week summer program that prepares students for a legal career through rigorous LSAT training, lectures from prominent lawyers, public figures, and legal scholars, and work days in the field with lawyers in Boston and New York City. 20 students are selected out of roughly 2,300, so this opportunity is a great privilege to be a part of. Because no one in my family has ever gone to grad school before, my goal for this program is to not only come out of it with a much enhanced legal network, but be fully prepared to take the LSAT and embark on the application process during the fall of 2020. In addition to Trials, this next year will be filled with many challenges while I serve as Student Body President. This is by far the biggest leadership position that I have ever had, and the responsibility really is incomparable to many others. While I’d like to think that I do a lot for others, committing 110% to serving students and being willing to unconditionally put others before myself at all times will be an obligation that I have not done before. The responsibilities of the role include being the student voice in meetings with administrators, leading and managing the functions of Student Government as an organization, proactively engaging with students to understand their needs from the university, and executing the platform that Abbie and I ran on during our campaign. Doing these things while being a full-time student will be no easy undertaking, but I believe that my past two years in Student Government and the supportive network that I have around me will allow me to do my absolute best in this role. As I look back on the past year, it’s absolutely been the hardest year of my life. In addition to the toughest classes and most demanding student involvement I’ve had to date, I also lost my cousin Tyler and my grandmother in these past few months. I’ve learned the lesson that as we go throughout our journeys, life comes with its set of twists and turns, and how we choose to move forward is up to us. I will take lessons from both my cousin and grandmother with me and still strive everyday to make them proud in how I conduct myself and live my life. The next year will present its challenges as well, but I’ve also learned that we do not have to go through things alone, and the people we surround ourselves with that truly care about us will be there in both good times and bad. Between serving as President and going through the Trials program, I know that after this year I will have a better sense of direction for what I want post-graduation have a life and career that is fulfilling and brings me genuine happiness. Here's to an even greater senior year! |
2017-2018