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2022-2023 Zot Blog: Meet Whitney

Pro tip: In the UK, never ask an Englishman if he celebrates the Fourth of July. Do not say I did not warn you… Jokes aside, this summer has been memorable and my favorite because it began by tutoring math to juniors in high school, traveling around Europe, attending SPOP 4, and then spending five wonderful weeks in UCI’s Summer Freshman Edge program. But before I continue, I wanted to give a warm welcome to you, our Zot Blog readers! My name is Whitney Noh (yes, I was named after the famous singer, Whitney Houston), and I am from Glendale, CA. Because I want to pursue a career as a high school math teacher, I hope to eventually become a Math Major through UCI’s CalTeach program. An interesting fact about me is that I have donated my hair (cut 12 inches off) more than six times to nonprofits that created authentic wigs for children who have suffered from hair loss.

As previously mentioned, my summer was eventful and full of stories. After traveling around Europe, I came home in time for SPOP 4! Something interesting that occurred during orientation was at 12 a.m. in the morning. My friend and I noticed a raccoon staring at us behind a tree. As we began our walk around the campus, it started to follow closely behind us. We ran to my dorm building and promptly closed the door behind us. It was quite unnerving!

While in UCI’s Summer Freshman Edge program, I spent five weeks living in the stunning Middle Earth Tower and experienced a glimpse into student life at UCI. In my upcoming blog posts, I look forward to sharing my experience in this program and giving tips in my upcoming blog posts. The program encouraged me to be excited about the upcoming school year and learn how to balance my academic and social life. One unforgettable moment was when we experienced a black out. My friends and I wanted to make light of the situation and started banging on people’s doors and saying, “FBI, come out…there are lights on the sixth floor!”

Although I am nervous to begin my first year at UCI, I look forward to immersing myself into the campus culture and taking advantage of all the resources and opportunities available at this prestigious university. While I hope to gain clarity while exploring UCI’s CalTeach program, I also hope to build strong relationships with professors and friends, take advantage of the resources and opportunities at UCI, and enjoy each moment at this institution. I hope that as I share, my experiences will resonate with you as we all are navigating a year as an Undeclared Major. We are on the same boat, and I hope my blog with my stories and moments of vulnerability will help you get back up on your feet and pursue your goals. We each have a special place at UCI! I am excited to begin this journey with you all!

Zot! Zot! Zot!

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2022-2023 Zot Blog: Meet Nick

Words are silver but action is golden a twist on the quote “ words are silver but silence is golden”, I accidentally misheard from my parents as a kid has been a principle that I have followed for years. Rather than the original message of not doing anything is better than doing or saying too much at all, I took my version as you could say all you want of plans and promises of grandeur, but none of that really matters unless you actually take action and really get to it. Don’t just say that you will go for the opportunity, really go all out and make that opportunity yours and make the best of it. One by one, using each golden opportunity to pave out your own “golden” brick road.

Hello hello everyone and welcome to my first ever Zot Blog! I am Nicholas Chou, an incoming freshman and I want to be a psychiatrist. Also I hope you enjoyed the little story about the quote and what it means and tells you a little bit about me, I think I’ll try to incorporate it into my blogs, something that means a lot to me, something I follow, or something that would sum up that specific blog. I’ll also try to tell my blog like I’m sharing a story because I really enjoy its free form and casual way I can personify my thoughts, experience, and advice I pick up each month.

Alright back to me, I am currently undeclared pushing to get into psychology/psychological sciences! I love learning, especially when I really like the subject. I also really enjoy trying all sorts of new things. This summer break being the longest (and hottest) I have ever had. And being the end of my 4 year high school experience, I decided to spend it all to relax and prepare for UCI. I’ve picked up a lot of hobbies. I’ve tried learning guitar, mahjong, karaoke, cooking, woodcarving, thrifting, gym, rip sticking, rock climbing, dragon boating, and much more!

Once my school year starts, there’s a lot of things to get used to, living outside of my house, the quarter learning system, and getting used to the new environment. I’ve got lots of plans for coming into UCI. But worrying about every little detail of something new is something I and I noticed others often do. But what I’ve learned is that ultimately I could plan all I want, I could try planning to the very second of each event, but ultimately; things often don’t go to plan. Oftentimes there are things you didn’t expect, things you didn’t account for, or things that didn’t happen at all. So what I’m trying to say is, if you are stressing about this new experience we are all about to go through, don’t. Don’t worry about it, you’ll be fine; you will be alright.

Overall, I am happy to be starting off on this rollercoaster of college I’m strapped in for and I hope you’ll stick around for the ride.

Have a great day.