Tea and Coffee

Before I came to America, I drank Puer Tea with my father every morning in my bedroom, sitting cross-legged on Suzhou-silk mats beside a view of the Lakeside reservoir.

Bojangles, Stage, Lab, Governor’s School

My home is a dynamic and eclectic entity. Although I’ve lived in the same house in Cary, North Carolina for 10 years, I have found and carved homes and communities that are filled with and enriched by tradition, artists, researchers, and intellectuals.

Soccer, Programming, and Yoga

The irresistible smell of my mom’s special made Vietnamese beef noodle is everywhere. While I try to calm my impatient stomach down, my siblings playfully chase each other around the kitchen.

In My Element

Imagine a huge, dimmed auditorium and a 5’2” Saudi female alone onstage improvising to an Irish folk tune. Even though my heart is racing and I can’t see anyone in the audience, I transport the audience to somewhere they–and I–have never been and I am in my element.

Finding Myself through Chess

My early childhood was characterized by frequent bouts of fever, multiple fractures, and highly under-developed motor skills. I was hesitant to try out anything new, uptight, nervous, and reticent. I needed to make a 180-degree change in the way I perceived myself and my capabilities in order to find inner strength enough to succeed.  That’s when my dad introduced me to chess.

Hiking (PS version)

When I was in elementary school, I came home from school every day in the fall and took a five-minute walk to a pond near my house. I remember watching the white egrets strut along the water’s edge, peering in to look for sunfish, and counting the noses of snapping turtles resting at the water’s surface.

Mom’s Coolest Eyes

My mom has the coolest eyes you will ever see. Resembling somewhere between the ocean surrounding a Caribbean island and the “share” button on a Google Doc., her eyes, and thus her genes, spell out very clearly that the OCA2 promoter should not produce melanin in her iris.

Soccer and the Common Struggle

Whoever thought that a rain delay would cause one of the most significant conflicts of my life. The impending downpour outside reflected a storm brewing within me.

Drawing with a White Gel Pen

Known as the smart, quiet girl who sits in the back of class and draws on everything, I’ve never exactly stood out among my peers. Only when I rolled up the left sleeve of the black jacket I wear everyday, did everyone do a double take.

Speaking Out for Tomorrow

On “Silent Siege Day,” many students in my high school joined the Students for Life club and wore red armbands with “LIFE” on them. As a non-Catholic in a Catholic school, I knew I had to be cautious in expressing my opinion on the abortion debate. However, when I saw that all of the armband-bearing students were male, I could not stay silent. (Written for Georgetown)

Dealing With Rejection

“Your impassioned plea made me change my personal dietary choices and got me thinking about policies to advocate for at the state level.” Wow.