Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (150 word limit)
If I describe to you my life, you’d assume I’m a spy.
After all, I was recruited when I was 11. My assignments require significant travel to infiltrate red carpets and junkets, relaying intel to bosses who sit atop skyscrapers.
Instead of X-Ray sunglasses, I’m equipped with only a mic and a notepad. Like an agent studying files all night, I research assets and brainstorm unique questions.
I work erratic hours and stay calm under pressure. Though I’m not setting traps for villains, I do talk with green monsters like the Hulk, Kermit, and Mike Wazowski. I train intensely as a Maze Runner, study How to Train Your Dragon, and venture Into The Woods. It pays off when I acquire exclusive insight into artists’ lives, revealing facets of depth to the public. I connect with another human and gain invaluable perspective.
Real spy or not--this job is just as cool.
Why are you drawn to the area(s) of study you indicated earlier in this application? If you are "undecided" or not sure which Brown concentrations match your interests, consider describing more generally the academic topics or modes of thought that engage you currently. (150 word limit)
Even though my parents do not read or write for leisure, they raised me on a diet of oral stories, from the epic race of 12 animals across the river to family history. The stories they told fascinated me, and as I grew older I began to look for prominent Asian storytellers. At an arts school in a cozy library, my friends and I summon Haruki Murakami, Amy Tan and Ocean Vuong through their other-worldly work. At Brown I suspect nothing will change—I will still engage with barrier-breaking books and films by marginalized artists in glass-walled classrooms, whether it’s studying Asian American Literature or Fresh Off The Boat themes in media. I scour classrooms, pages, films, stages, and the world to harness the power of literature and shed light on the countless stories of minorities that need to be told.
Why Brown? (150 word limit)
Brown is where the magic happened, backstage at Big Ma’s talent show: the fateful meeting of two brilliant minds, Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye, who formed a collaboration that still thrives today. Through the Watson Institute, Sarah shaped young lives in India; through Brown’s partnership with SPACE, Phil transformed the incarcerated. I want to follow their footsteps to give back with the power of storytelling. I have a desire to consume the world the way I avidly watch and rewatch every Kay(e) video, whether it’s researching the historical influences of my favorite books or discovering the correlation between gender and superhero interest. Brown is where I can be the passionate architect of my own studies and challenge status quo through vibrant theater with groups like Production Workshop. And perhaps the same magic will happen to me too—a collision with artists who will partner with me to change the world. (150)
Tell us where you have lived - and for how long - since you were born; whether you've always lived in the same place, or perhaps in a variety of places. (100 word limit)
When my mom was too exhausted to push any longer, I was vacuumed out with a suction cup headfirst at a hospital in Malaysia. I spent the next four years babbling a mixture of Chinese, Malay, and English while oscillating between my birthplace, Taiwan and the US. Finally, after my dad was officially transferred to America, we settled down in Walnut, a suburb in Southern California--but since 7th grade, I’ve spent most of my days at an arts school in downtown Santa Ana, a diverse, vivacious place worth the 2-hour commute to pursue my passion in creative writing. (99)
We all exist within communities or groups of various sizes, origins, and purposes; pick one and tell us why it is important to you, and how it has shaped you. (100 word limit)
There is nothing as demanding as a room of kids, with their unflinching honesty and unbridled emotions. Leading Sunday School and cell groups means that my needs do not come first--I’ve endured circular conversations of “Why?” and “Why not?” and soothed explosive tantrums. So why do I do it?
I do it for the shy girl with the lisp who hardly speaks. I do it to elicit giggles, even at my own expense. I do it because every day, my students teach me optimism, courage, and creativity. I am not just their teacher but their jie jie, their big sister. (100)