What I wish I knew as an Undergrad Student

I wish I visited professors more during their office hours just to get to know them.

Three things I learned during my time as an undergrad

1) Follow your passions and don't let anyone discourage you from pursuing your dreams -- I wanted to go to graduate school and asked my department counselor, who talked to me as if I was aiming too high. I joined the honors program so I can get a better counselor. If I listened to naysayers, I wouldn't be where I am today.

2) Be brave -- I read my own poetry at bookstores and I remember reading one that was especially painful and vulnerable. Someone came up to me afterwards and said I spoke directly into her life.

3) Attend cool events that have nothing to do with your major -- I went to film screenings with directors and actors present and loved hearing about their experiences.

How I chose my graduate program

I took one introductory course to Sociology and thought it was the most transformational course I'd taken as an undergraduate. It opened my eyes up to inequality in society. I decided to take a risk and apply to Ph.D. programs even though I didn't major in sociology or take more than the introductory course.

Why I chose to go to grad school

I wanted to teach at the university level.

My first career after graduation

After graduating from my undergraduate institution with a B.A. in English, specializing in creative writing poetry, I got a job as an administrative assistant in the Department of Radiology at UCLA.

After getting my Ph.D., my first job was an Assistant Professor at Biola University!

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