1st year on campus

When I got my acceptance letter to Berkeley last summer, I knew I wanted to take full advantage of the new environment that I was going to be in. Although, stepping out of one’s comfort zone is hard and while it was something I wanted to do mentally, physically putting myself out there was very difficult.

I’m not the most outgoing person. Don’t get me wrong, when I’m with my family or my friends I could be the loudest person in the room, but when I’m in a new environment without knowing anyone, I won’t...

Yesterday, we hosted an I-House send-off event. I found myself sitting on the Glade, watching the sun dip behind the hills, and I couldn’t help but think about everything that’s happened in just three months. A year ago, I moved from Beijing to Berkeley—two cities that could not be more different. This May, I stepped into my role as an RA at International House.

I-House lounges overlook the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge, like windows into other worlds, each resident carrying their...

I’ve always looked forward to college. The summer going into fifth grade, I was dragged along to my older sister’s college tours, and while I didn’t love all the walking, I found myself in love with the concept of college. I was awed by the massive campuses, the idea of living with other students, and above all else, having a Chipotle at school. Growing older, the actual education part of college became enticing as well. I didn’t hate high school, but the rigid 12-hour day and standard core classes grew monotonous, making the freedom of what I studied and how I spent my day that came...

I’m an English major, but how did I get here?

When we are young, there are a plethora of things that we want to be, but as we get older, dreams change as we do. What I wanted to do when I was younger is vastly different from what I want to do now, but to get where I am, I went through what I like to call phases, until I found something I truly wanted to pursue.

You see, when I was in elementary school, I wanted to be a fashion designer. Although that idea died as quickly as it was formed. Not only was I a terrible artist, my ideas were...