Assignment #1

How did you get here? What was your personal path to the UW and to Honors? What do you
hope to learn and explore with your time at UW? Where do you want to go from here? Share
your thoughts in a 1-page, single-spaced reflection.
I applied to the Interdisciplinary Honors Program before my Freshman year, but
unfortunately I did not get it. I applied again after my Freshman year because I still saw the
charm in the resources and community of the program, and this year I became part of the
wonderful program.
My freshman year at UW was one of the most eventful periods of my life. The classes
that I took, which were not necessarily relevant to my intended major at the moment,
unexpectedly expanded my insights, and threw questions at my previous decisions on major,
career, and more. My intended major when I first came to UW was Art History because I wanted
to study and raise awareness of the distinct cultural values found in cultural heritages. A year
later, with the same appreciation towards cultural heritage and distinctiveness, I am now
applying for the International Studies. The first year at UW has taught me to explore outside my
current interests and, as a result, I decided to become a diplomat who communicates with
different cultures.
I am still exploring my options for major and career. For example, this Summer, I had an
opportunity to go to Washington, DC for an internship where I got to write and publish articles
with focus on Latin American issues. During the internship I realized that I have a strong interest
in human rights, especially those of women and indigenous groups, and started to shape my
career in the fields of human rights protection. I got to have an interview with a director of a
human rights NGO, who advised me to seriously think about double majoring in International
Studies and Computer Science. He recommended the interdisciplinary approach of foreign
services and cybersecurity, as the sort of knowledge will be useful in the near future. Hence,
based from the advices of him and my research professor, I started thinking deeply about
applying to the CS major this coming Summer. My ultimate academic goal for this year is to do
very well in the courses, especially CS prerequisite courses, and raise my GPA by the time I
apply to the CS major.
I want to explore in ways of extracurricular activities as well. This school year, I want to
continue my commitment to ASUW that I started since last year, but in a more specific direction.
I want to apply for the internship for Womens Actions Commission (WAC) and, at the end of the
year, apply for its Director position. In order to do that, I want to spend this year to learn about
the challenges and experiences of women in academia, career, and in the society in general. I

would like to do so by being active in ASUW Senateauthoring and presenting relevant

resolutionsand volunteering with WAC.