I still remember the day I woke up with a series of alarms from police cars surrounding my house, the confusion on my baby sister’s face, and my parents’ helpless eyes. The autumn leaves were changing color as I was changing my role in my family. To live in a new environment requires courage, persistence, and integrity, and I wasn’t fully prepared to be a mediator between my father and civic attorney at the age of seventeen. Conflict...

One of my greatest contributions to my community of Rosedale in Azusa, California is that I created an English learning cellphone application to help non-native speakers communicate. I live in a neighborhood with diverse cultures, a so-called “melting pot” where 40% are new immigrants. As an immigrant myself, I know that non-native with a strong grasp English reduce their social isolation. Therefore, I proposed a plan to develop a mobile app that is able to provide a language aid for immigrants. ...

I intentionally messed up my first audition, when I was 11. Instead of sitting across the table, the casting director approached my mother and me. I remember hearing the flirtatious tone he adopted while speaking to her and standing too close to her. Looking up, I could see his devilish grin, and the room’s ambience made me uncomfortable—that’s how my story with film begins. The night after the audition, I lay staring at a dark ceiling. The world...