There’s always this one Korean girl that everyone knows because of her ethnicity. I am not saying it’s a bad thing, I’m just saying that I’ve always been that girl. My mom’s side is Korean, but my dad is half Belorussian. I’ve always adored my Korean roots. At some point, I was into K-pop and studying Korean, but these desires didn’t last because I didn’t know why I was into Korean things. I just wanted to be like everyone else. My perspective shifted when I met a girl from Seoul. She ignited the spark in me, and I finally found the passion to learn my ethnic language. I am not going to lie; I have a long way ahead of me. My grandparents taught me some words to use in daily life. My great-grandparents only spoke Korean, so my grandparents know the language. However, modern Korean is quite different. I find it fascinating how the language morphed throughout the years! My heritage is beautiful, but I encountered some bullying when I was younger. Basic stereotypes were turned into insults and cruel jokes, but they never made me ashamed of my ethnicity. Somehow, even my career choice was always a stereotype for other people. When I shared that I want to be a surgeon the very first question was always “Since you’re Korean, are you going to be a plastic surgeon?”. It used to make me mad because I never wanted to specialize in this area but now, I just laugh it off because it is truly hilarious how biased people are even in the 21st century. Being in the medical field was always my big dream. I knew that this career is right for me because I love helping people in unique ways. Why do I think that being a doctor is unique? It’s simple. A medical degree is proof of an individual’s hard work, sacrifices, and determination. It shows true passion and a genuine desire to help people. Medicine is hard, it consumes time and leaves you with scars, but it is worth it. Seeing happy grateful patients is incredible, it wipes off the exhaustion, and it gives you a second breath. Changing the world is a huge task but it is not impossible. Little by little everyone can contribute to it. The driving force of change is people and changing one life is more important than trying to imply big modifications and face resistance.

It is usually hard to answer a question like this. People try to think of their best personality traits to impress, and to appear unique. I had to think for some time before putting my thoughts into words. I had to ask myself if I genuinely value my chosen trait or just want to show the best I have. Of course, it is about money for education but isn’t it better, to be honest, and share a part of yourself with the audience? So, honesty. Before choosing this one quality I thought about being straightforward or realistic. However, at the end of the day, both characteristics come from honesty. I was raised to value honesty, but my parents were quite strict and conservative. Do you know what people say? Strict parents raise the best liars. It is not wrong. I only want to add that being honest is a choice. People lie left and right but some choose to say the truth. Brutal honesty is not always a good thing. Being a realist is not always pleasurable. Always telling the truth is not always beneficial. But the bitter truth is better than a sweet lie. I live by it. It doesn’t mean I never lie. I am not proud of it, but I believe that white lies exist. Telling a toddler that their favorite toy is not lost, it just went out on an adventure is a white lie. The difference is, I try to choose honesty as often as possible. It builds trust and reliability. The two factors that suggest a successful doctor-patient relationship. Imagine a surgeon whom you cannot trust. You need the surgery, and the physician is a professional, but you have to put your life in the hands of a stranger. Would you rather pick a reliable surgeon or a surgeon you think can’t be trusted? As for my academics, I need to be educated to be a good physician. Cheating is lying too. That is why good grades don’t always mean a broad spectrum of knowledge. Maybe my professor will never know that I cheated, but I will. I will know that I neglected my education, and it can lead to a big failure when I start working. It is a horrible feeling that can eat anyone with a sense of guilt alive. This is why I value and appreciate this trait. Not only in myself but in other people too. There are so many lies and fraud around us so why continue this circle? As a future surgeon, as a student, as a sister, and as a friend I want to be honest. I want my people to feel safe around me and know that they can rely on me.

I am a 19-year-old girl from a Middle Asian country. I am currently studying in the United States, and I must say I am quite happy with my life. To be honest, when someone asks me to talk about myself, I try to dig deeper than I should. I overthink and as a result – don’t know what to say. I love when people tell me random facts about their lives, or their personalities and I should try to simplify it too. I grew up in a relatively small city in a family of 5. Yes, I have two younger brothers, so I know what responsibility and working under pressure means. And I feel you when you get in trouble for someone else’s mistake. I always loved superheroes and science, so now I am a big Marvel fan and a biomedical science major on a pre-med track. When I was 4 my mom noticed my unhealthy tendency to keep everything extra clean and in its special places. I already had my own room, but I rarely let anyone come in because I knew they would touch or misplace something. My parents were concerned but did nothing, they relied on time. Next 8 years I wouldn’t let anyone sit on my bed because wrinkles made me very upset. I could easily cry because of that. My sleep schedule was ruined at a young age because I couldn’t go to bed if something in my room was placed wrong. By the age of 16, I successfully managed my obsession, and everyone forgot about its existence except for me. It seems like a happy ever after, right? July 2021. Something happened. I was at my friend’s birthday party; she invited quite a lot of people, but we were all friends. At least I thought so. One guy was drunk and attracted to me. Deadly combination. I didn’t know what to do. After the assault, my other friend never left my side. My organs still drop when I remember that night when I hear his name. I believe this is what truly broke me, along with the toxic relationships I’ve been in during that time. I needed help but my parents don’t trust therapists. To be fair, they didn’t know what happened. They still don’t. My obsession got worse in a flash. Some days I thought that if I do not get rid of the thread on a couch it will accidentally leave a deep cut on my arm. Sometimes after my parents have done the dishes I would cry for hours because they placed everything wrong. I had to change my bedding twice a week. If I didn’t, I felt like hundreds of little bugs were invading my body during the night. You could tell that it impacted my life. I once had a mental breakdown in school. I could stop talking to everyone for days. My parents were asking if I was okay. I just couldn’t tell the truth; it was too late. I asked to see a therapist and my mom asked me if I want to kill myself. I said no, so she told me that “then you don’t need a psychologist”. When I tried to talk again, I was told that I am too young to have serious problems. What a cliché. I was a dependent child, and I could not afford a session on my own. How am I doing right now? Better, but now I can’t get myself together and see a specialist. I still struggle but I just can’t find the courage.

1. I would start with "Hi, my name is Xen and I'm 19 years old" but would it be that interesting? I don't think so. Let's just start with something more appealing. Did you know that Stegosaurus’s brain was the size of a walnut? Only 3 centimeters in length and 75 grams in weight! You are probably questioning why I would tell you this random fact. I just love dinosaurs and wanted to share something about them, as simple as that. Interestingly, the fact I shared is related to brain size. I chose it unintentionally, but I am sure it is because anatomy compels me. Be it an animal, human, or Grey’s Anatomy. That makes sense because I am seeking a medical degree to be a doctor — a surgeon to be precise. I have always had big ideas. I always wanted to help people, save them, or even change their lives. Two little brothers and hard-working parents teach you how to be responsible for yourself and others. My biggest ambition was to create a serum for immortality. Stop aging and get rid of diseases. Cell regeneration at its finest. For someone else, it might sound insane, but I truly believe that nothing is impossible. I was raised to be a believer, to scale good and bad, to see rationality and logic, and to apply different perspectives. If you have all these skills, why would you stop improving them? Why would you decide to use them for yourself and not for humanity, for the greater good? The feeling you get when you know you are going to help a soul is unimaginable and that’s what keeps me moving forward. 2. The first time I heard about humanities and STEM I was confused. I was pretty good at both and did not understand how separation works. High school changed my mind. I realized that I was good with languages, but the STEM field makes my eyes shine bright like a diamond (even though I know they don’t shine, they reflect). I tend to be organized. I like order and precise information. This is what makes STEM so attractive to me. There is accuracy and precision. Everything that this field includes is a different world, however, they intertwine in the most unexpected ways. I understand that STEM is challenging but I also believe it’s worth it. Simply because I think that this field helps people the most. It is humanity’s fuel for success. I want to highlight information technology. Computer network architect, server management and administration, and network security are some of the jobs that you can get in this field. They even sound important. There was a time when I wanted to join these incredible people. I still count IT as one of the paths. From my perspective, you don’t have to invent a revolutionary something to make a change. Contributions can be small but systematic and I guarantee they will turn the world around. I would start with a small group of ambitious people and then evolve into an international company. I want to be honest. I don’t know what the focus of my company would be, but it must be something that helps people. Humans are a priority, and the work should be dedicated to society, not earning money. That’s how you earn trust and make a difference. 3. My whole life I was facing discrimination. I am a mixed woman. Being mixed means that both parties exclude you for impurity, and being a woman means every cliché you can think about. My greatest challenge is to do what I enjoy without being judged. I have one even when this battle started. By accident, in kindergarten, my friends were mostly boys. Three times a week some of them left in the middle of the day to play hockey. It sparked my interest. I convinced my parents to let me try this sport and I loved it. What was the most common phrase I heard from people? “I didn’t know they have a girls' team” After telling them that I train with boys they always asked how my parents could allow me, a girl, to play with boys, the strengths and skills are uneven. My mom could not handle the pressure and prohibited hockey from me but made my brother play it even when he didn’t want it. He never loved this sport the way I did. So, the main question is what happened next? What did I do? Even when I was young, I knew it was not right. I knew that I deserve to play hockey as much as my male friends. People do not want to accept other views, especially if they come from a kid. I’ve been there, I know it is not a way to fight this. But I decided to take action and just prove everyone wrong. I was on a team for 5 years and in my second year, I became a team captain. I won awards as a leader and as a player. I showed everyone that the fact that I am a girl means nothing. I finally received recognition and compliments, not advice and sexism. From this one event, I found a way to be seen. I found a way to fight. And since people don’t want to listen, I just show them that they are wrong. I draw their attention and they don’t have a choice, but see that my race and gender do not affect my success.