Weight Room

I smell rubber mats, and I’m reminded of passion, respect, and motivation. I hear rap music blasting through speakers, and I know I’m in the weight room.

Queer Identity + Skateboarding

I feel the wind blowing in my face. My right foot pushes against the ground for speed as my left foot stabilizes the deck. My body moves from left to right. I feel free.

Adventurer

Taking down Steelheart with David. Fighting the Minotaur with Percy. Casting ‘Expecto Patronum’ on dementors with Harry. Books have always been my portal to another world.

Plants + Business

My first teacher was an olive tree.

Queer Identity

Draco Malfoy made me realize I’m gay. It’s about as weird it sounds.

Magic + Neurosurgery

I’ve been dabbling in the dark arts for five years.

Sandbox + Career

When I was younger, I loved to play in the small sandbox on our porch. A beach shovel in one hand and a plastic bucket in the other, I became a one-woman construction crew. In the sandbox, I had the ability to turn a lifeless desert into anything I wanted.

Exploring the World, Building Connections

When I was about ten, I wanted a tropical fish tank of my own. My mother insisted I write a formal proposal before funding my project. Armed with a book on tropical fish-keeping, and the online insights of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, I learned about nitrogen cycles, fish compatibility, aquatic plants, and maintenance.

Crocheting + Sewing

Chain one. Double crochet. Yarn over. Pull through. Done! I set aside my newly crocheted textbook cover and reach for my backpack.

If Ink Were Ants

“If the ink of my writing morphed into ants, would they march along with my thoughts?” ~ Jarod Kintz

My Idea Notebook

My drawer has a single inhabitant, my idea notebook. A physical extension of my mind, each page frames the different parts of me. This essay embodies Ethan Samuel Lin. This essay is me.

Oaths, Shapeshifting, and Magic

In my free time, I love to research the Cosmere collection, an expansive fictional universe where Brandon Sanderson’s series of books take place. I am drawn to the Cosmere because of the similarities between the books and my own journey and life experiences.