David An
Class: Junior
Major: Information Systems (intended)
Hometown: Bellevue, WA
Zodiac: Sagittarius
Relationship status: Taken
David loves his hats. This year, his hat of choice has been his white U.S. Open cap. He is almost never seen without it. That and his watch as pictured above.
If you were to describe your three years at UW with one word each, which words would they be?
Freshman: camaraderie; sophomore: blur; junior: panic…sounds a little aggressive, but it’s true.
Could you elaborate on one of those words?
Okay, so panic. Since I thought I was gonna be doing business ’til the end of freshman year, I had tunnel vision in what I thought I wanted to be doing for the next four years; but after taking a few computer science courses, I realized I was decent at it…not exceptional, but pretty good. And I found it genuinely interesting! After pursuing my interest in CSE, taking all the prereqs and not getting in, it was already the end of my sophomore year. So at this time when everyone seemed to be declaring their majors and getting internships and figuring out what they’re doing with their lives, I was in this purgatory phase of not being in my major and questioning my loyalty to CSE because it was so difficult to get in. But now I’m in this, ‘I have to get in some major I find somewhat interesting,’ so I’m turning to Informatics or HCDE in hopes that my technological background will allow me to succeed on either of those trajectories.
And this feels like panic?
Yeah, this is kind of like my last breath, um, god I could rant about this for a long time…but I just feel that the way the major-system is set up here is so strenuous on those who don’t know exactly what they’re doing when they come in. Because you take one year to take classes and figure out what you’re interested in, and then you take another year refining and applying; but if you don’t get in, you kind of have to start over and the clock is ticking and money doesn’t grow on trees.
Alright, well let’s take a grander look at your time here.
Okay.
Throwback to freshman year: how was it different from how you had imagined it in high school?
I came in with such a skewed view of college—I believed it was how the media portrayed it. I considered rushing my freshman year, but after talking to some people in the frats, I decided it wasn’t for me. My year was a much tamer experience than I thought it would be. And I thought it would be way harder to make friends, honestly. I roomed with a high school friend as a comfort just in case I didn’t hit it off with anyone, but everyone on my dorm floor was super inviting. It wasn’t hard to find friends at all despite what people might say about the dorms. Academically, I felt that my high school adequately prepared me. And I definitely fell into the trap of “oh college is so easy since you don’t even have to go to class.” So in that sense, I wish I had taken school more seriously freshman year. But I was still able to take a broad spectrum of classes in topics I thought were interesting, so that was enriching.
If you could give a shoutout to one of the professors you’ve had here, who would it be and why?
Richard Allen Baros. He was my English 111 teacher. I really liked that he treated us as peers rather than students. We had a lot of cool, in-depth discussions that always felt as if I were talking to a friend with no reservations rather than in class.
If you had a day of absolutely no academic obligations (essentially break), but couldn’t leave campus, what would you spend your time doing?
If it’s nice outside, I like to unwind in the quad…listen to some music, sleep (he laughs). Longboarding down Memorial Way is always a fun thing to do. And I love me some Kalua Pig, so I’d eat that if I couldn’t go to the Ave. But to be honest, I would probably spend most of my time on the IMA (tennis) courts.
David plays club tennis at UW, captained his high school varsity team, and plays in USTA and intramural tournaments! Rumor has it, Federer calls him for some tips every so often.
Ah yes, you lover of tennis, you. How long have you been playing?
Mm, ten years?
What is it about the sport that you love most?
Hm, well I started playing seriously in high school. And when I was deciding between the sports to play in high school, it was between baseball and tennis. At that time—since I had been playing baseball through childhood and adolescence, tennis was like a new love…we were in the honeymoon phase. That infatuation carried me through high school, and over time, I came to appreciate that it was a pretty independent game that required you to be mentally and physically tough. I like that you really get what you put in; you see the results of your hard work since it’s just you out there. I also like the strategic aspect. It’s not all about hitting it as hard as you can. I like the fact that you can manipulate your opponent to do things that he/she otherwise wouldn’t to put yourself in a more favorable position. Gosh I don’t wanna sound cliché, but it’s like chess, essentially.
You moved out into an apartment your sophomore year, what do you miss most about dorm life and do you recommend dorming?
I miss the connectedness and accessibility of my floormates/friends. It was incredibly easy to organize events, so playing sports or going out to dinner was always a breeze. I also, most definitely, took the convenience (location-wise) for granted. I would definitely recommend dorming. Don’t believe the stigma that dorm people are boring and everyone stays in their own rooms. It’s really what you make of it. If you’re willing to put yourself out there, chances are people are willing to talk. First and second week, everyone’s trying to make friends, so you’ve got to take advantage of that opportunity to build your network of frands (David likes to pronounce words like this). I’m still friends with a lot of the people I met through the dorms and I’m living with some of them—so that goes to show how great friendships can be formed just by going to your neighbor’s room and saying hi.
David’s apartment is littered with bottles and cans like you’ve never seen. Despite this, David is a fairly organized person with beautiful handwriting and glasses from the Randy Jackson collection.
If you could bring any store or restaurant to the Ave, what would it be?
I guess, like, McDonald’s because U Vill is simply too far away.
What do you like to order at McDonald’s?
If I’m going cost-efficient, I like to get two McDoubles and a McChicken and combine them to make a *bleep.* If not, I’d probably go with the classic Big Mac Meal with an Oreo McFlurry for dessert.
If you could go on a McDonald’s lunch date with any athlete, who would you choose?
Let’s go with, uh, Gaël Monfils. From France! Because he is a pure athlete out on the tennis court. What he lacks in technical ability, he makes up for with sheer speed and love for the game. And he’s so spectacular when he plays. He’s always happy on the court and makes the crowd smile. And deep down…he knows it’s just a game. I’d love to hang out with him for that reason.
David has been called out by some for having RBF, but have no fear! He is one of the friendliest dudes you could ever run into on campus. Patriotic, too.