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During my time in YearUp, a program that provides internships after training, they had a final project for the end of the classes. It was a choose your own project, meaning they allowed me to choose which prompt to do. Since it was a basic Java class, it was preferred to do this in the console. However, I wanted to do more than a command line execution. It was a program that created a user profile and checked its credentials. I spent hours looking up how to have a choose your own user profile picture, as I wanted my program to look good. I had no experience in GUI creation, but I was passionate to get it done. The amazing thing about programming is that you can make it look like whatever you want it to be. Wanting to make it look sleek and functional, I customized the buttons and UI so it would not look like a basic and boring program. I was really proud in what I made. It looked amazing, and everything was working. It was exhausting scrolling through endless StackOverflow questions and finding bugs, but I had worked on this for a week and wanted it to be perfect. While everyone else made a command line interaction, I was the only one wanting it to be have GUI features in a window. This project taught me a lot about problem solving, as it was no easy feat working on this with little experience. As a DevOps engineering intern turned contracter, working in technology made me focused more than ever in pursuing this field. I loved how you can solve problems just by simply writing code. For example, I am now automating test cases for a project instead of someone going through the test cases by hand. Don't want to write out that long excel sheet? Let Python take care of it. Want to send out happy birthday emails? Scripting is the way to go. Technology is creative in a way since it forces me to work around problems. It pushes me to improve myself as my problem solving skills have definitely improved since coding. It inspires me because I can help others from basic, repetitive tasks into something that can be automated. Problems can be solved just by coding. I treat programming like a puzzle, as it certainly enhanced my skills in pushing myself to get through a problem. Technology is ever changing, and I know that being apart of the tech field will help others in so many ways.

As a Burmese-American child of immigrant parents, I always had one foot stuck at Myanmar and the other at America. I was never truly "American" enough as I spoke more than one language, was not white, or raised in the suburbs. On the other hand, I knew Burmese but it was a struggle even forming sentences as I jumbled Burmese and English words together. I grew up eating rice, but wanted mashed potatoes since it was what I seen on TV. This strange experience of being in two different cultures made me strongly attach myself to my Asian identity in the future. This strong attachment to my Asian culture was because of my confidence in who I am. I was usually the token Asian in class. My self esteem was at an all time low since I felt like the "odd one out". As I had grown, I didn't care that I was the only Asian there. I belonged in that space. I was proud of taking up space. I didn't need to prove myself to people. I was proud of who I am. AAPI culture means everything to me as my experience made me a stronger person. I dipped my toes in not only Asian culture, but in other cultures as well. My quality in cultural diversity grew as I was always that one friend that taught others different cultures. Living in a predominantly white area, my friends were usually not used to other cultures. I would be the first to educate them, to be outspoken when a microagression happened, and to show them new music and foods. My friends had truly grown for the better once I introduced them to other cultures. They were more respectful. They called out other people if something was culturally insensitive. They learned about the priviledge they hold and how they can use that priviledge for the better. I believe diversity is a key part in broadening your point of view. As for me, I was certainly outspoken in educating those in cultural diversity.

When I first started working at McDonald's, I had a $13 limit when it came to food during my lunch breaks. I was-and still am-a big foodie. I felt like I was living the dream. Every day I would walk up to the counter and try something new in the menu. First it would be a fish fillet then a big mac then a 20 piece nugget combo. Then...all that McDonald's took a toll on my health. Mentally, I felt sluggish and slow. I couldn't process as much, and I'd always ask people to repeat themselves. It even affected my mental state, as I felt like I was unacttractive. Physically, it was worse. I felt a chub forming as I always checked the mirror, staring at my body. I had fatter arm flabs. I already had a round face, but I could feel a fat chin forming at the crevices of my jaw. I knew that things would turn way worse if I kept this habit. I had to take a change. I started ordering salads with no ranch or dressing, and slowly transitioned into a vegetarian diet. I stopped drinking soda. Mentally, I felt like I was on my toes. Physically, I felt like I was in great shape. Who knew food could have such an effect? This experience was etched in my head as it was something I would never forget. It proved to me why healthy living should be an integral part of my life. I pursued healthy living not only physically, but also mentally. During my years at McDonald's, I was feeling lazy and sluggish. Something as simple as taking walks, meditating, and eating healthy truly have helped me mentally. I was more disciplined due to the habits that was taken. I stopped comparing myself to other women with perfect bodies. I was proud to be who I am, because I was taking a conscious effort in improving myself. Healthy life style is important to me because it made me a happier person. When comparing my mental state before to now, healthy living was a key component to my happiness. I hope to keep persuing my healthy lifestyle, as it has certainly helped me for the better.

I felt like I was at the lowest point in my life. My first love had broken up with me, and I had trouble making friends in college. I missed my mom's Burmese cooking, and I resorted to eating ramen almost everyday. I had cried so much during my first heartbreak that my eyes were getting puffy and swollen. I looked like a whale ready to implode. When I woke up, I saw one of my roommate's cat sleeping on top of me. She was laying on my chest, purring like a soft hum of a machine. I cried again, but not out of sadness. I felt happy in a way that these cats were there for me. They honestly made my college years a little bit better. They knew when I was sad and would always nuzzle their heads against my legs when I cried. Sometimes they would sleep with me to bed. I felt a little less alone during my time at college. Without those cats, I would have been truly alone. Even though cats were harder to trust humans than dogs, they instantly trusted me. I realized that pets have that beautiful effect of making your day a little bit better. Even in the worst of days, I always felt better with my roommate's cats with me. Pets may not know that you failed that big test or had your heart broken, but they could always sense when you're upset. It was my first real interaction with pets at that time, and that experience made me yearn to adopt a pet in the future.