Turns out I'm actually good at math.
/My time in high school
Attended high school in the
2000s
Overall high school experience
2/10. At least I had great friends.
Grades in high school
C's and below. I think mostly D's and F's honestly.
Favorite subjects
Nothing. See grades question.
Struggled with...
Math. Which, given my current profession, is hilarious. As for the why: probably a combination of not caring and terrible teachers, though, admittedly, math is a tough subject to teach.
Favorite extracurricular
I did do dance twice a week, but that was mostly to hang out with my friends there. Not big into extracurriculars.
Life since high school
“Subject you struggled with most?
Math. Which, given my current profession, is hilarious. As for the why: probably a combination of not caring and terrible teachers, though, admittedly, math is a tough subject to teach.”
Attended college / university at
Foothill, then UCLA.
Post-graduate education or training
Masters of Science, Ph.D. in Astrophysics.
Places lived in US
California, Massachusetts
Current occupations / past occupations
I'm a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard at the moment.
Industries I've worked in
- Accommodation and Food Services
- Academia
Did your education prepare you for your career or occupation?
Certainly college and grad school prepared me for my current profession. If I decide to leave academia, that might change. I don't recall learning much in high school, until Middle College. There I learned TONS.
Has your education or career/occupation trajectory ever changed? How?
Not yet, but it might, not sure if academia is right for me.
A little introspection...
To me, being successful means...
Doing something that is just the right amount of challenging, fulfilling and fun which also helps make the world a better place. If you're going for power, first ask yourself why you want it.
My definition of success has changed over time.
I don't think I started off my education with an idea of success at all. Certainly in college it was more about getting good grades and advancing with little thought to the value of what I was doing.
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My favorite spot in or around Palo Alto
Bay city coffee shop. I miss that place and its weirdos.
