Category: My Journey

  • My Time Machine

    At the Virginia Junior Classical League Convention one year, a student performed a speech in Latin in front of an audience of hundreds. When I say performed, I mean performed. He emphasized certain Latin words so that the cadence of this ‘dead’ language, typically only seen in print, could be heard and made alive. He…

  • O’ Latin, wherefore art thou ‘dead’?

    After seven years of studying Latin, I’ve heard every version of the same question: “Why are you studying a dead language?” As a four-time National Latin Exam Gold Medalist (summa cum laude) and co-president of my school’s Latin Club, I’ve gotten used to defending my choice. I usually say something about intellectual rigor or cultural…

  • Letter to Angela Duckworth

    Dear Dr. Duckworth, If you ever choose to write a sequel to Grit, I have the perfect subject for you. Every spring, the cherry blossoms in D.C. last for two weeks. Dr. Nguyen*, my ISEF judge, drove from Cleveland, Ohio, just to see them. While he was here, we had a short reunion. He told…

  • Research and Wheat Fields are Pretty Similar

    I could never understand why people went skydiving, climbed mountains without gear, or went cave diving. But, after doing research, I kind of get it.   The first time I entered a field of research, I was utterly lost. I felt like I was in a literal wheat field. No compass, no map, no understanding…

  • A Sonata of Connection

    Summary: While volunteering at a senior living center, I encountered Inna, a former classical pianist from Ukraine whose life stories deeply resonated with me as a child of immigrants. Our conversations and a promise to perform Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata rekindled my passion for music and highlighted the importance of connecting with others across generations. ***…

  • Learning even as a teacher

    As I navigate my educational years, I’ve realized the trueness of the phrase “To teach is to learn twice over” (Joseph Joubert). I have had many incredible teachers and mentors who embody this mentality, inspiring me to do the same. You truly cannot teach without gaining a new understanding of the topic. The act itself…