Aineko “Neko” Davis, Class of 2014 Alumna, is now taking on the world in her very own way. She didn’t hesitate to get herself out there as soon as she graduated college, yet there’s much she can talk about while reminiscing her UCI experience.
The Drama program and the Japanese Language program were phenomenal, just a few of the reasons why she chose UCI. Not to mention, Irvine seemed to be the perfect location–far enough to be away from parents and have some freedom but close enough to visit home if she ever felt homesick.
In general, adapting to college is difficult, regardless of how big or small of a high school anyone attended. It was no different for Neko. Her initial struggle was adapting to the quarter system and the course load that comes with it. Later, her struggle shifted to finding the balance between a studious life and a social life.
Student Parent Orientation Program (SPOP) in 2013 and 2014 were Neko’s biggest involvements on campus. Giving back, helping others get a great start to campus life is quite heartwarming. As Neko would describe it: “The program promotes the awareness of oneself and the beauty that one possesses by just being uniquely themselves. It also inspires people to see the world through a different lens so that we may all diversify and take strides into promoting a society of unity.” The aspects that the program made obvious affected her as she was coming into UCI, and she considers her ability to inspire the students she met an honor.
Talking about experiences, her favorite memories will always and forever be those shared with her SPOP family and Spoppers. She dedicated her whole summer to the program, but it was well worth it having two summers filled with “Warm n Fuzzies” and photos to share, which will remain near and dear to her heart. She’s in the process of putting together a scrapbook that will contain these pictures and lovely notes to remain a part of her life.
Currently, she’s a Disney Princess at Disneyland! Well, not quite.
Though she may not be a Disney Princess that actually walks around and takes pictures with kids, she is working at Disneyland in attractions. She is also building her portfolio in modeling on the side, keeping her headshots updated, and pursuing agents in dancing, acting, and modeling.
For the future, she has her sights set on being in front of the camera. Whether that means she’s going to be an actress, a dancer, or a model, it makes no difference. All she knows is that there’s only one place she’s meant to be and that’s in front of a camera. Besides being a future Hollywood star or a possible runway model, or maybe gracing the next cover of Allure magazine, Neko also wants to travel the world, meet new people and collaborate on projects, shows, concepts, and designs that they can use to entertain the world. Talk about total creativity! She wants to dance in Korea, model in Japan and act in Hollywood. How she’s going to do all this in three different places, we will all just have to wait and see.
College taught her to accept and love herself for the person she has grown into and for the history/ancestors that have paved her way. She’s become even more accepting of her heritage as she revisited her Japanese ancestry and the power and struggles of her African American ancestry during the time she was a student at UCI. Here she is now: a proud individual who knows where she came from and where she is heading.
Here’s what she has to say for all those who are still currently in college or exploring themselves: “College is that perfect opportunity to grow exponentially. A chance for you to see the world and become the change you want to see in it. Be inspired!”
She quotes Wilferd Peterson, “Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground. Let their spirit ignite a fire within you to leave this world better than when you found it.” She went on to say that one should always continue moving, while keeping in mind that “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us,” (Ralph Waldo Emerson) because our “Greatness can only be found at the edge of destruction” (Will Smith).
For those who are still building their adventure book, Neko urges, “Take risks, diversify, live, enrich, and grow. Take the chance to learn that there is more to someone than meets the eye. There is more to the world than meets the eye. And that there is more to life than meets the eye.”