Carrying forward gratitude and hope for my future
Here is where I started.
A Timeline...
I am not typically superstitious, but I take fortune cookies way too seriously.
My life always finds its way to fulfill the fortune when I eat the entire cookie. I keep these messages in a drawer in my room, occasionally revisit them, and piece together my life within a few sentences.
Learn from past mistakes and quickly move on
You set your sights high, and enjoy striving for the best things in life
Luck happens when preparation meets opportunity
You will achieve your goals.
Start to My Life
For the first seven years of my life, I grew up in Taipei, Taiwan, surrounded by everything I could want. But despite the comfort, it was a routine, almost mechanical childhood: wake up, go to school, spend long hours in tutoring until 9:00 PM, return home, eat dinner, sleep, repeat. It was normal, even expected—but somewhere in that rhythm, I began to wonder what life could look like outside the structure.
Moving to America
Without understanding the weight of being a first-generation immigrant, I walked into my first day of school in America with little more than a basic grasp of English and a hopeful attitude. I went from failing my English classes to devouring 20 books a week from the local library—desperately trying to catch up, to belong, to understand.
What I Have Learned
After my sophomore year, I entered the summer unsure of where I was headed, but with a quiet determination to figure it out. Surrounded by new experiences and meaningful conversations, something inside me shifted. My relationship with learning, purpose, and ambition began to take a different shape—less about checking boxes and more about building something that mattered to me.
My Future
Penn represents more than just a college—it’s a launching point for the person I want to become. With my sights set on a career in medicine, I look forward to exploring every opportunity, both in and beyond the classroom, that will help me grow, contribute, and define my path.