Who Am I?
Greetings to you all! If you reached my page through the sites I am affiliated with, welcome! If you got here from somewhere else, you’re still welcome! (But it’s making me wonder who referred you or where I am secretly, possibly infamously, featured at!)
Oh ya. I’m Ko. Nice to meet you all! And I think it’s a story time:
Once in a far far land of South East Asia, called Burma (Myanmar) a child was born. It was November 1987 at 2 AM. He was raised and loved by many and known to become the person who will help people out for the sake of the rewarding joy, but also wise enough to get out of any obstacles. (Thankfully, nobody told him he would become sinister for being left-handed!)
After he attended 6th grade in his native country, reasons came up for the kid to move to Japan. Because of his parents’ job, it was a must to relocate. And so, the kid decided to follow his parents, leaving the ones he admired; his friends, grandparents, aunts, uncles and relatives. Surprisingly, he didn’t even cry a bit, but that was what it seemed from the outside, for inside him, it was hell.
The kid made friends in Japan, and also learned its language and culture. There, the kid grew up into a young boy, and into an old boy. It wasn’t long after the freshman year, he moved to Seattle, WA again with his parents. Sadness filled within him. The old boy became an old teen. And at last, after moving to OC, California in the senior year, the old teen was able to stand up for himself.
He faced obstacles trying to prevent him from pursuing his dream to attend a university and onwards to become a physician. For some curses, the schools he attended in Seattle and in Japan were deemed “unapproved” by California state, so said Trabuco Hills Highschool. He was given the choice of re-attending as a freshman or going to an adult school to take the remaining courses. The laws and regulations did not intimate the old teen; he knew moving forward strongly at all costs would be more beneficial in the long run than lingering behind.
So the old teen attended the adult school and took the remaining 3 courses so he could graduate. He was admired by the teachers there. But his ability and will were again put to the test. He was told he could graduate only if he passed the California High School Exit Exam. It was 2 days before the actual test date; if he had said no, he would have delays in graduation. Again, this did not intimate the old teen. He knew he had taken the chance and achieved well before by taking the New SAT as it came out, and he knew it couldn’t be harder than the college courses he took back in Seattle. He took the test and passed with the high percentile. So the old teen graduated from high school and became a young man.
The story did not end here. The young man was denied to participate in the guaranteed university admission as he was a nontraditional graduate and not a California resident. So the young man attended Saddleback College. He did not have any regrets. (He also later found out how some junior college courses were more valuable than of the universities’.) The time came for the young man after 2 years of studying there to apply for the universities. He was told by others that based on his background, it would be hard to get accepted into the universities he wanted. The young man just smiled. He applied to UCLA, UCI, UCSD, and UCR. First came in the acceptance from UCR; then from UCSD; then from UCLA and UCI. Some said UCLA and UCSD were harder to get in so he should attend either one. But the young man chose UCI, the closest university not requiring him to move away from the only family he has in US. And for him, all universities are equal; the good or bad reputations were made by successful and unsuccessful students, respectively.
The young man graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He finished his studies all on time as would a normal secondary to post-secondary student. He had learned many aspects of life and became wise (or so he thinks). His ability and dedication to learn things very fast made him multi-talented. The young man knows his journey into medical school applications will, eventually, end with a success. He also knows that he will one day act and contribute for the freedom of his native country, Burma, from the iron fist military regime or for the better living lifestyles for the citizens there.
