[20-25] I’m a [South Asian] American … My parents were both born and raised in the [South Asian Country], and came over here. They met over here and they had me, which means that I have an Asian American background. However, unlike the stereotype, I wasn’t raised with the intention of going into a doctor or an engineer field. My parents were quite different than that, they just wanted the best for me.
[27-33] I never thought I’d be an engineering student. I thought I would be something with visual or performing arts. My path before that, I was performing like every year, every semester, and I found enjoyment from that. I’ve been a high honors student since high honor was a thing in my school…. I’ve always been good in classes, and it never really clicked that being good in math and science could be my career… until I made the decision to come here.
[47-51; 53-55; 60-66] When I was younger I was a tinkerer, I liked to take things parts and found out how things worked; it didn’t always turn out well, but I stilled liked it. For that transition [from visual performing arts to engineering], I have always been a well-rounded person, so it didn’t feel like a transition, it just felt natural for me to do something else, because I’d been doing everything before. It’s still a very fun hobby of mine, […] playing instruments, but for the visual side last semester I took a jewelry course. It was the very first place that I learned how to computer model. The very first project was like a broach, where you had to make a 2D sketch of whatever you wanted to carve out on metal. You carved it, but you also had to create a backing to support magnets that would allow you to wear the broach on your shirt, and that part was 3D printed, so not only did I learn how to model, I learned how to draft, and I learned some hands on stuff all in that jewelry class, and it was genuinely the best class I’ve ever taken.