1st Year | My Site

A Look Into My First Year

Fall Quarter

There is no better way to begin the year than having your family help move you in. I had a brief shock as I stood in the parking lot saying goodbye because I realized they were not going to live near me like I am used to. This year has much more in store and I am happy to hop on for the ride! Please enjoy these pictures that capture some of my first year at the UW!

I had a great time taking pictures and capturing special moments this quarter. Picture 1 is taken by my friend when we toured a Medical Laboratory Science lab at UW in early September as a part of the Health Science Scholars Bootcamp Program. In picture 2, I was at Costa's on the Ave with my mentor, Emma, and she has been super helpful with registering for winter quarter and encourages me to take the opportunities that are coming my way. Picture 3 is from an event I spontaneously registered for, and I learned to screen print designs on a tote bag. Picture 4 is taken at West Campus Fitness where I took a stimulated bike race. Picture 5 is from an afternoon walk along The Cut when the lights gorgeously glimmered off the water and I had to take a picture. Lastly, picture 6 is from a trip I took to city hall through an honors course with the purpose of accessing archived materials. It was a unique experience and a great change of scenery, since I am almost always in University District.

Winter Break

I love winter especially because of its break! I spent it at home in Wenatchee. We celebrated my 19th birthday, too! I had a great time and enjoyed moments with my family. It was a great refresher and helped me take a much-needed break and also regain a helpful view of my goals. Here are some of my moments from winter break!

Over winter break I spent a lot of time in my puffer which kept me nice and warm! I enjoyed dining out with my family, hanging out with my sisters, and just spending more time with the ones I love! I went out to the movie theaters with my sisters (pic 1). I took picture 2 of the pedestrian bridge that connects Wenatchee to East Wenatchee. I also went to a ceramics art shop and painted a piece with my little sister (pic 3). In picture 4, we celebrated my sister's quinceanera which was amazing. In picture 5 I am at the ice rink where I discovered a new hobby in ice skating! I fell so many times and got bruises everywhere but it was so worth it because I saw improvement. My parents accompanied my sister and I to an Asian restaurant where we tried new foods together (pic 6). In picture 7 I enjoyed the visit from my little baby niece, Avi, and was happy to see more family coming into town to visit for the holidays. To celebrate my 19th birthday, we went to Leavenworth (pic 8) and later had dinner as a family (pic 9). I house sat for a couple days for my 7th grade ELA teacher and got to pet gorgeous Ginger until she got tired and ran off (pic 10)We found the neighborhood cat randomly in our yard on day and it was such a relief to find that she is alive and pregnant (pic 11)! We didn't know what to think when she went missing months ago, but we are relieved that she is fine.

Winter Quarter

Winter quarter was a hefty quarter with many commitments and a lot of rain! Picture 1 is of my experience at the Seattle/King County Clinic which I loved and will be volunteering for again. I also spent some time working at Odegaard library and reading (pic 2). Picture 3 shows my view as I commute 1 hour to my dental office where I have been dental assisting. In picture 4, I finally got to meet Dubs and he was fluffier and softer than I ever imagined! We won a visit with him because out of all the dorm floors at UW housing, Terry Hall's 3rd floor was the first to reached 100% completion of the form that reviewed HFS. I joined the UW gospel choir at UW which was my first university club and I enjoyed it as a creative output (pic 5). Many evenings I would spend some time on the rooftop of Terry Hall enjoying the sunset and eating my dinner (pic 6). All in all, winter quarter was very busy, but I made sure to find time to relax and enjoy the little things:)

Spring Break

After winter quarter, I really took some time to see family and get outdoors some more. Thankfully the sun had started to peek out from behind the clouds and that made me very happy to see! I slowly transitioned out of wearing beanies and was able to wear thin jackets.

Over spring break I spent a good amount of time training at the dental office. On the weekends, I would go to Wenatchee and visit my parents and siblings. I made it an objective of mine to go to the cherry blossoms in the Quad at UW (1). The blossoms were gorgeous! Most of my break, I was in Seattle and my sister, Veronica made trips to spend time together and go on hikes (pic 2, 3). I loved that she came to Seattle and I really cherish the memories we made during her stay! There were so many people there. I went to help with a oral health awareness month video for Dr. Kim and Delta Dental. Bowen, a fellow dental assistant and friend, took picture 4 of me near the full-bloom cherry blossoms at the location! We went to get healthy smoothies and enjoyed the afternoon together as a family (pic 5). The last picture is one my sister took of me being goofy as we were walking around Seattle (pic 6).

Spring Quarter

Throughout Spring quarter, I enjoyed fun times with friends, and worked hard to finish the school year and plan my summer quarter. I was working at Odegaard many nights and also training as a dental assistant!

These pictures capture special memories that I made during spring quarter at the UW. Minh and I are in picture 1, and as part of a research assignment we counted the percent of items that were inaccurately thrown into the compost bin. The objective was to find a better approach to ensure students know what belongs in the compost bin and quantify the problem. Isabel and I are in picture 2 with a lucha libre stunt guy that was at a UW event. His name was Thiccy Ricky! In picture 3, I am waiting for the bus to come because I was running a little late to my mandatory Sankofa Impact x UW Honors study away meeting. It was storming outside and the bus was taking 20 minutes longer than expected. Needless to say, it all turned out ok and I made it on time! I enjoy nature and the outdoors, so I often would walk around UW campus to admire the flowers that were now in full bloom (pic 4)! In picture 5, my coworker, Murphy, took a silly picture of me while we were at the Odegaard front desk. I attended my first Mariners Baseball game with my friends Minh and Isabel (pic 7)! Afterwards we went to Danbo Ramen in Capitol Hill and had a blast (pic 6).

Summer Break (pt. 1)

After finishing all of my spring quarter finals, I went to my scholarship celebration with my parents and had lunch (pic 1). Right after, I moved out of my one and only college dorm, Terry Hall, with the help of my dad and mom (pic 2). During my 1 week long break in Wenatchee, I spent time decompressing in Wenatchee. We have a hiking trail that we always go to in our family called Saddle Rock, so I went and enjoyed the view of the Wenatchee Valley (pic 3)! I also got to congratulate my cousin and best friend as they graduated from their college and high school (pic 4, 5)! I love ceramic art and am grateful that I got to spend time with my sister painting ceramic plates for my dad's father's day gift (pic 6). Before I knew it, it was time to leave my cousin's graduation party and get to SeaTac for my summer quarter study away program!

Summer Quarter Away

My study away trip with Sankofa Impact x Honors program was full of firsts--my first time on a plane (pic 1), my first time trying gumbo (pic 7), my first time in an art shop dedicated to African art. I was fulfilled by the experiences I had meeting new people and other leaders across the US that work towards equity. Throughout our pilgrimage we had some unexpected challenges such as a crack in the roof of our bus, as depicted in picture 6. We met wonderful people such as Dr. Carolyn McKinstry from the bombing on the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham in picture 4. We also met Mamady, a man from Africa who collected and documented African inventions and art to educate tourists and people in Galveston, Texas (picture 5, 8). In the end, we finished the educational trip in Washington D.C. and toured the HOR and Senate House at the Capitol Building (pic 3)! This was a unique, and impactful life and learning experience for me. Saying goodbye was bittersweet but I will always have a connection to all of my cohort, especially Dr. Beloved (pic 2)

Summer Break (pt. 2)

My summer has been a blast. I have had many moments of togetherness with family and rest. I have been working as a dental assistant at Dr. Lina Kim's dental offices and her Floss Boss mobile dental clinics. I reached my 500 training hours, and am working with Dr. Kim to train on some things before being paid. I have been volunteering for community events with the Korean Women's Association, which has been a great learning opportunity, and heart-warming. In picture 1, my niece, Avianna, is being a rockstar at her first dental appointment! In picture 2, my parents and sister had Ramen Danbo together for the first time and it was an amazing meal! I went on a few hikes this summer (picture 3, 4). I went paddle boarding for the first time with my cousin, Bris, who is also moving to Seattle for UW Bothell (pic 5)!! It was my cousin Mario's first time ice skating! My older sister got us tickets to the Olivia Rodrigo concert at the Climate Pledge Arena, and we sisters got to go (pic 6)! I went ice skating with my cousins at the ice skating rink in Wenatchee and I will forever cherish those memories (pic 7). I made tinga tostadas and other recipes in my new kitchen (pic 8)! I have spent some time in Wenatchee with my family. I took my sister to breakfast at the Huckleberry (pic 9) and I got to celebrate my cousin's baptism(pic 10)!