A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.
-Coco Chanel
So who is Sophia Peng and what does she want?
Unfortunately, I can’t tell you. Not because I don’t want to, but because I don’t have an answer. Well, not a very complete one at least. Not yet.
As a 21-year-old senior, I am only just beginning to discover and develop my passions and ambitions, so my identity is hardly concrete (and it may never be, who’s to say I'll ever going to stop discovering and growing?). But what I can tell you is what I’ve learned about my world and myself in the past 21 years. So who am I as of 2014? Through all that stress and hard work of dedicating the better part of my life to education and my goal to become a doctor, I have realized that there’s much more to me (and life) than just that one dream.
Despite my love for science, I can’t help but love others things as well. I’ve found passion in making music, in riding roller coasters, in laughing, in re-reading books, in drawing, in eating, and more recently, in writing. Writing brings all the aforementioned activities together. It allows me to not only express my emotions about them, but also to preserve them. For years, I have been writing not for me, but for others. I have written countless things for classes, applications, and jobs, but only a handful on the topics I truly care about. But at the start of college, I started keeping a journal again, writing down details that I notice as they pass me by. Keeping track of the things that capture my attention helped me realize the importance of expressing and preserving my inner thoughts. Writing allows me to share both my hopes and concerns and this e-Portfolio provides a glimpse of the issues and events that have inspired me to argue, fight, and be an active citizen.
At a first glance, the pieces I have chosen to feature may seem disconnected and random, but in truth, each is quite versatile and can spark a variety of discussions. Many are cross-listed under multiple tabs because as unique as each piece is, none can be (or should be) be interpreted in exclusively one way. I hope as you read them that you come up with your own thoughts and ideas. Whether you agree with my views or not, my goal is to shed knowledge on important topics and to show how they are integral to who I’ve become.
Though only a few are strictly classified as personal stories, they all in some way reflect opinions and thoughts that can, and often do, influence my personal writing. Each and every essay divulges a bit of information about me, information that contributes to and shapes my growing identity. Whether it's about the dangers of genetically modified foods that we eat or when I cried because I felt ugly, my writing describes how my relationship with the world has changed me.
Ultimately, my e-Portfolio shows you what matters in my world. And with already so many wonderful things to love and be passionate about, what more can I want? I want to be a doctor, but more importantly, I want people to understand and believe in me. I want people to understand why these topics matter (personally and worldwide), what influences my goals and actions, and who I am as a result of these interacting factors.
Unfortunately, I can’t tell you. Not because I don’t want to, but because I don’t have an answer. Well, not a very complete one at least. Not yet.
As a 21-year-old senior, I am only just beginning to discover and develop my passions and ambitions, so my identity is hardly concrete (and it may never be, who’s to say I'll ever going to stop discovering and growing?). But what I can tell you is what I’ve learned about my world and myself in the past 21 years. So who am I as of 2014? Through all that stress and hard work of dedicating the better part of my life to education and my goal to become a doctor, I have realized that there’s much more to me (and life) than just that one dream.
Despite my love for science, I can’t help but love others things as well. I’ve found passion in making music, in riding roller coasters, in laughing, in re-reading books, in drawing, in eating, and more recently, in writing. Writing brings all the aforementioned activities together. It allows me to not only express my emotions about them, but also to preserve them. For years, I have been writing not for me, but for others. I have written countless things for classes, applications, and jobs, but only a handful on the topics I truly care about. But at the start of college, I started keeping a journal again, writing down details that I notice as they pass me by. Keeping track of the things that capture my attention helped me realize the importance of expressing and preserving my inner thoughts. Writing allows me to share both my hopes and concerns and this e-Portfolio provides a glimpse of the issues and events that have inspired me to argue, fight, and be an active citizen.
At a first glance, the pieces I have chosen to feature may seem disconnected and random, but in truth, each is quite versatile and can spark a variety of discussions. Many are cross-listed under multiple tabs because as unique as each piece is, none can be (or should be) be interpreted in exclusively one way. I hope as you read them that you come up with your own thoughts and ideas. Whether you agree with my views or not, my goal is to shed knowledge on important topics and to show how they are integral to who I’ve become.
Though only a few are strictly classified as personal stories, they all in some way reflect opinions and thoughts that can, and often do, influence my personal writing. Each and every essay divulges a bit of information about me, information that contributes to and shapes my growing identity. Whether it's about the dangers of genetically modified foods that we eat or when I cried because I felt ugly, my writing describes how my relationship with the world has changed me.
Ultimately, my e-Portfolio shows you what matters in my world. And with already so many wonderful things to love and be passionate about, what more can I want? I want to be a doctor, but more importantly, I want people to understand and believe in me. I want people to understand why these topics matter (personally and worldwide), what influences my goals and actions, and who I am as a result of these interacting factors.
Photo Credit: Ricky Kim