Hometown:

Los Angeles. Frequently mistaken as being from the Bay Area #wasian

Why UCLA?

I love the range of experiences on campus. Most people know UCLA for our high-visibility programs, but I appreciate the tiny intimate moments… an concert performed in the Early Music studio by the Danish royal family organist who was vacationing in California, a lecture on generational racism after apartheid given by the first Black chancellor of the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa, collections of antique glass eyeballs tucked away in the Biomedical Library, etc. My parents also met here (in the Music department), so the campus holds a special familiarity for me.

Favorite Spots in L.A.:

Botanical gardens, taco trucks, tide pools, the Museum of Jurassic Technology, the Magic Castle, tiny neighborhood markets, any farmer's market in general, Sasoun Produce, Kilcoyne Lilac Farm, UCLA Sunset Rec family pool in the summer.

Favorite Movies:

My all time favorite is U.H.F. Runner-ups include The Ref, Tombstone, The Big Lebowski, The Nightmare Before Christmas, My Octopus Teacher, Sinners, Princess Mononoke.

Favorite TV Shows:

Nature documentaries, dinosaur stuff, Ted Lasso, Lupin, Heated Rivalry (oh hush, it’s fantastic)

Favorite Food:

Anything soupy/stewy: pho, daal, ramen, cioppino, boeuf bourguignon, etc. Also desserts that are not-too-sweet.

Favorite Music:

Nine Inch Nails, Toots and the Maytals, Sam Cooke, Weird Al Yankovic, Julieta Venegas, The Goldberg Variations as performed by Glenn Gould (I love both the 1955 and 1981 versions equally), Dieselboy, Led Zeppelin, Pokémon Journeys Theme Song (it's a banger)

Favorite Books:

Calvin and Hobbes, My Grandmother’s Hands, The Art of War, The Handyman, Never Split The Difference

Favorite Podcasts:

Blindboy Boatclub, On Being, The College Essay Guy, What Now? with Trevor Noah, Drunk Art History, Bitches

Favorite Quote:

“You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.” – Bruce Lee