About
I am a migrant. So far, I have spent roughly 8.5 years in Taiwan, 8.5 years in California, 8.5 years in New England (MA & NH) and a couple years here in NYC. There’s a rather odd symmetry to it, but it looks like the streak will be broken by the Big Apple - I don’t plan on staying here until 2013. I still categorize myself as (northern) Californian, even though at this point in my life, I have spent the majority of my time elsewhere. I can’t decide if this is because I spent my identity-forming years there or if the culture in the Bay Area meshes with my temperament and personality the best. Or perhaps, when I move back “home” to California one day, I will find that I am no longer quite as Californian as I think I am. I shall see.
Before all this traveling and migrating, I was a fairly typical Asian. I played classical piano starting at age 4, participated in math competitions, began wearing glasses at a young age, twirled my pen between my fingers, etc. I’ve lost some of those traits over the years. Although English is my third language, at some point it became my native language; I can still speak both Mandarin and Taiwanese, though my proficiency drops a little each day due to lack of use… until I make my annual visit to Taiwan and both languages get a major boost. My favorite book on the subject of Asians mixing with American culture is The Accidental Asian by Eric Liu, with apologies to Amy Tan and her excellent book, The Joy Luck Club.
While growing up, I spent one summer at a Harker School summer program (then called Harker Academy), one at Orme Camp in Arizona, and many summers at UC Berkeley’s Academic Talent Development Program. I attended nine different schools for K-12, including Vallejo Mill Elementary, JLS and Jordan for middle school, Phillips Exeter Academy, and finishing at Henry M. Gunn High School. Then it was on to a liberal arts education at Williams College, majoring in Physics. Currently, I’m in the middle of obtaining my MBA at NYU Stern. If you went to any of these places or want my opinion about them, send me a message.
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