Class Year: 2016
Major: Computer Science
Minor: Studio Art – Photography
1. Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m from Rego Park, Queens, NYC and have lived there all my life. I spent the first half of my schooling in the NYC public school system. In 5th grade, I had the opportunity to join the Prep for Prep program and it has changed my life for the better (Contingent XXVIII). In 7th grade, I transferred to the Nightingale-Bamford school, an all-girls private college preparatory school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
I’m at Bucknell because I believe it was the best place for me to pursue education and skills at the intersection of technology and art. I have to say that I underestimated what I’ve obtained from Bucknell, Common Ground being one of the staples of my daily involvement in this campus. I’m also a writer and the Print Presentation Director of The Bucknellian, a DJ and the Music Director of WVBU, an ITEC Technology Consultant, a member of the Student Media Advisory Board, and am currently interning as a Support Product Manager Intern for Adobe.
2. How did you become involved in Common Ground?
I participated in Common Ground in my sophomore year and discovered so many deep connections and peers who are always willing to listen and support. I felt this experience was extremely important to me and wanted other students to experience it. Since then, I’ve served as a facilitator for Common Ground 2014 and am currently one of the three directors of Common Ground 2015.
3. What made you want to become a Common Ground Director and run the retreat along with your counterparts, Aleksandar Antonov and Taylan Stulting?
The transition from a participant to a facilitator stemmed from the desire to show others the same supportive and deep experience I gained. But as a facilitator, I also realized this experience was another beneficial position because it allowed me to be a part of a team that was so closely connected to each other and relied on each other to know when we needed support and encouragement and when we needed love and kindness. Active listening and mindfulness became one of the two best skills I learned as a facilitator and I wanted to make sure this facilitators also got to benefit from the experience in a similar way. As well, another important aspect was the opportunity to practice servant leadership and I believe being a director really emphasizes that kind of leadership.
4. What impact do you hope the Common Ground retreat will have on the Bucknell community?
I hope that each year’s participants comes out of Common Ground learning about the different perspectives that are present on campus. While Bucknell is homogenous to the eye, if we look deeply, we can find and make the connections we need to succeed and graduate as an active, caring, contributing and global citizen. I do hope that the time participants spend with each other allows them to feel that they are never alone in their struggles, that they always have someone on campus that will actively listen to them when they need it, and that they always have someone rooting for them.
Favorite Place in Lewisburg:
This is tough! I have to say either the ELC Student Space or the basement of Roberts Hall (Bucknellian and WVBU shoutout).
Favorite Memory at Bucknell:
That time when Common Ground 2014 participants couldn’t be away from each other for more than five hours and we had a cuddle-puddle at dinner in the ELC Student Space the night we came back. Good times
Little Known Fact:
My mother is from Taiwan and my dad is from Puerto Rico! That surprises a lot of people.