For the past few months, we have been staying inside and trying to stay productive through these difficult times. The current situation of COVID-19 has taught us many lessons through the good and the bad, such as endurance and perseverance. Quarantine amidst this global pandemic can be viewed as a low point, and possibly the bleakest in our lifetime; however, it has become a time to reflect and learn from yourself. Undoubtedly, these times will forever be remembered in our hearts, life must go on. Each person’s journey must continue.
On June 20, 2020, the PCA invited two outstanding individuals to talk about their journey through high school, college, and their prospective careers. The first guest, Clytze Sun, is a rising senior at Carnegie Mellon University. She previously lived in China and spoke about her experiences of being an international student. She also gave valuable advice on motivation, self-discipline, and independence. Her main advice to everyone is “to be happy” as she believes strongly that keeping this mindset will allow you to find your passion and do what you enjoy the most. She explained her journey in finding what she loved and how that got her to where she is today. Originally, she loved writing and hoped to pursue a career in creative writing. She even released her own book! However, after taking a few Statistics courses at CMU, she discovered a newfound interest in data science and explored ways to combine her two passions into one. She urged future college students to be open with exploring while keeping a persistent and steady pace towards their goals. Her journey is a truly inspirational one to look up to for all of us mathematically driven students looking to put a creative flair in our careers.
The second guest, Tom Bu, is a Yale graduate and will be starting his master’s degree at Carnegie Mellon University this coming fall. He gave important insight into college decisions and making the right choices throughout highschool. He explained his thoughts, personal opinions, and suggestions on college admissions, such as choices for extracurricular activities, the importance of recommendation letters, academic performance, etc. He also introduced everyone to his journey of finding his passion in the biomedical field and deciding to go into the industry after graduating as he believed that it would give him more valuable experience. Tom explained the importance of “setting up step by step goals in order to reach your final vision” in order to accomplish anything. His work and progress are astounding and as a student, I look up to him as a role model and a future example for the direction and path I want to set myself upon.
Both speakers are amazing examples of the people who work hard to accomplish their goals and push themselves to actively pursue their passions. Their attitudes and mindsets are something that we should all look to. Hopefully, through this panel discussion, we have brought the PCA community yet another opportunity to learn and reflect from one another so that we can continue to grow as individuals and expand as a community.
A huge thank you to Tom Bu and Clytze Sun for coming to speak and sharing their experiences. Thank you to the adult council for inviting these phenomenal individuals as well as the Student Council for hosting and organizing the event. Lastly, a shout out to our participants who came to listen. Please feel free to stay updated for our future events and we hope to see you there!