Other

Model UN

I started doing Model UN in sixth grade and since then, I’ve never stopped; I turned from a shy, quiet girl into a confident speaker and leader of action. Upon coming to NCSSM, I sought to revitalize Model UN at NCSSM as president, seeking to spread to my classmates the same positive outlook on life that Model UN taught me. This year, all weekly meetings, payments, and conferences were student-led and -organized and have grown to 90+ members.

Softball

I started playing softball when I was 9, and have been playing from travel ball teams in Wilmington to Chapel Hill to now in Durham, where I play as the varsity pitcher for the school softball team. The team energy and spirit are positively contagious; I find myself uplifted as well, which is why I will always be playing softball until high school graduation. Even then, I will try to play softball in college, and as a coach for local middle or high school softball teams as my coaches did for theirs.

Dance

I started dancing at age 5, and grew up dancing ballet, modern, and jazz until I came to NCSSM. Every year, I dance in the Chapel Hill Ballet School’s flagship student recital. Bbecause dance is a universal art, I’ve come to make friends from all across the district, school, grades, dance experience, and backgrounds. When I go to college, I will continue this interest in dancing whenever I have time.

Taekwondo

Similarly to dance, I started my taekwondo journey at age 5. By the time middle school started, I had already gotten to my second-degree black belt. From learning to make friends with people I’ve never thought was possible to overcoming embarrassment to joining the prestigious demo team representing the artistic skills of our dojang, I’ve learned that everybody has their own special talent to bring to accomplish a goal, which is why teamwork and friendship are the keys to life. My taekwondo experiences are one of pride and nostalgia; my friends and masters taught me discipline, hard work, and confidence at a young age, which has made me physically and mentally stronger today.

Namu

Since the summer of 2023, I have been working as a waitress at a local restaurant, Namu. I work on the weekends, 6 hours per day on the busiest night shift. I’m responsible for ensuring accurate and timely delivery of orders to customers while maintaining dry stock inventory accuracy and cleaning tables, bus bins, and washrooms around the restaurant. From a seemingly simple job, I have learned that respecting each other is universal and that making money is not easy. This is why I’m committed to working hard, no matter how big or small a task might be.

Moge Tee

For the summer of 2022, I worked as a cashier for Moge Tee. Working around 30 hours per week, I was responsible for processing and fulfilling daily orders at the cashier, conducting regular shop cleaning, and directly talking to customers. Although this was my first ever job, I learned important communication skills, basic finance and management strategies, how to take care of a small business, and the secrets behind bubble tea.