Q: WHY ARE YOU SO PASSIONATE ABOUT PIANO?
A: When I was young, I was a very shy girl and, at first, piano was something I did just because my parents thought was a good idea. However, I started to excel and so I started doing all these competitions but I never truly enjoyed them. But when I went to middle school, they needed a pianist to accompany the choir and I thought that would be fun. I kept doing jazz choir and made so many friends from the experience. As a result, I became President of Jazz Choir and took on a very active role. Because of all the competitions, I travelled a lot and met so many new people from different places. Overall, it really just benefitted me as a person and developed my musical abilities.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR SPIRIT ANIMAL AND WHY?
A: I’m a Quokka because, typically, I’m an upbeat, happy person but if someone messes with me, I won’t back down from a fight. Similarly, Quokkas live on an island and humans are not major disruptors in their lives so they don’t view us as predators. They are super friendly to everyone they see and even smile for selfies. But if you hit them or get too close to their kids, they will bite you. I’m a lot like them in every aspect.

Q: WHEN DID YOU DECIDE YOU WANTED TO BECOME A DOCTOR?
A: When I was little, the one thing I said I would never become was a doctor. I hated the idea of it and all the work that went into it. In freshman year, I started to volunteer at a hospital for physical therapy and it was a great experience. I also took the Biology Course and studied for the SATs. One of the components they used to have was the anatomy section and I found it so fascinating. As I continued volunteering in physical therapy, I needed something more challenging and complex to do. As a result, I started to shadow doctors and researched different types of doctors. I just loved that I could help others and be challenged intellectually at the same time.