Hi, my name is April. I’m pretty much an open book. Ask and
you shall know.
Me in a nutshell: I was born and raised outside of San
Francisco in a small Pacific town of Daly City. *Yes, for those who are public
transit-ers, that’s the last stop on BART.* I lived on a cliff house overlooking
the beautiful Pacific coastline. I’ve moved a lot since then, from SF, to Pitt,
to Antioch, to Viva Las Vegas, and right back here to Pittsburg. If you ever
ask me, I will tell you, “I HATE Las Vegas.” Hate’s a strong word, but being
under the age of 21, Vegas was never a great place to be. Once you saw
everything, the lighted city in the desert grew boring. I did have one
interesting part of my life happen there though. I got my first job to help my
mom out with finances, and became a lifeguard at a very nice, and very new,
waterpark. It was a fun job, but it didn’t pay very well, so I worked at a
local mall for two, yes, TWO, stores. That’s three jobs for a newly-graduated
high school student. Because of this though, I realized I didn’t want to work
minimum-wage retail for very long and needed to get back to school. I made my
way back to California, and here I am, a year later, college-freshie at age 20.
21 in March by the way. Weirdly enough, my mom had me early, hence the name
“April.” So, if you ask, “Were you born in April?” the answer is no. Having
your name be a month just magically forces people to ask you that question. But
I digress.
I still work retail, this time aiming in the healthcare
area, as a designated hitter, and hopefully soon, a Pharmacy Technician at
Walgreens. Speaking of long term goals though, I’m not exactly sure what I want
to do. My mom wants me in healthcare, preferably a doctor or nurse. But whose
Filipino mom doesn’t want their kid to take on healthcare anyways? I wanted to
work as a marine biologist or veterinarian, but I’m not so sure anymore. I’m
currently thinking of pediatrics and I thank my first job for that bright, and
educationally-expensive decision. College scares me. It's probably because deadlines
freak my procrastination-filled self out, so wish me luck.
Goals for the semester: Keep on schedule and work hard for what I
want.
Quote: “A goal without a plan is just a wish.”- Antoine de
Saint-Exupéry
Hi April! What would you feel is the greatest difference between Daly City and Pitt/ Antioch. I know distant isn't as great as from here to Las Vegas but Im sure there are pretty big differences. But wow 3 jobs? That is a challenge and takes some great skill; and shows a great amount of love helping your mother. Remember that hard work when times get tough, you feel like giving up or even stressed from being indecisive. I would try internships and mentorship programs to help you with your decision, getting that experience before you throw all your time in one major will probably help. You got this!
ReplyDeleteI think the biggest difference would be the weather. Wow, oh wow is it FOGGY. I'm talking "The Mist" foggy. I used to be terrified of that movie because of this. Its relatively cold all year too because of the coastal breeze. And thank you for saying that! I really am a family-oriented person so it's great to hear your input. Thank you also for sharing about internships. I may just look into that.
DeleteHi April,
ReplyDeleteFirst, I think it would be the most amazing home to grow up on a cliff house. Seriously how fun was that?!
Next, Vegas is terrible, even being over 21. I really want to like it but, like you, I really don’t! It’s a terrible place if you don’t gamble (at least I think so).
Though you say you’re procrastination filled, you’ve shown great motivation by working 3 jobs as a new high school grad. I’m sure you’ll do well, just try to keep focused.
Hi April, it's nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteThe house on the cliff in Daily City sounds beautiful (when your view isn't obstructed by the fog). You definitely aren't the first person that I have heard hate Las Vegas, especially when you live there. I feel like when you live in a tourist destination it gets really old, really fast. I've been to Vegas a couple of times as a kid, and I liked it a lot. I thought that the casinos were decorated really well to give you a nice theme of the place you were at (Excalibur, the Venetian, Paris), but then again I was a kid and memories always seem better the farther away you get from them. One thing I do remember that was pretty gross about the strip is that there were what seemed like millions of calling cards with naked women on them littering the streets. I'm sure if I went back now I wouldn't find it nearly as magical.
Like you, school makes me nervous because I am a serial procrastinator, and it causes me a lot of unnecessary stress, but if you think that you have a passion for pediatrics I say ignore that fear and go for it!
Good luck this semester and the rest of your (probably very long) academic future, and, like I need to do, stop procrastinating!
Hey April! Nice to meet you! I saw that you were looking into medicine or Pediatrics? After years of working for Stanford Children’s Health, I recently was able to quit my career so I could come back to school full time. So if you ever have questions, I know quite a bit of the ins and outs of peds, and the dynamics to the career choices in healthcare. Healthcare is a potentially growing field, but there is a lot of new tech that is putting more pressure on providers (that are not adept to change and do not know their way around computers). I think if you keep up with tech, have grit, and have a good memory, go for it! It sounds like you are no stranger to dedication and hard work. You can go so far in life!
ReplyDeleteHi April!
ReplyDeleteWelcome back to Cali and nIce to meet you! I can def see vegas getting to be old and uninteresting. I get sick of that place after a week. I also procrastinate with my school work but I feel that I have produced my best work when it is last minute. When I try to work ahead, I feel like my work is blah. Good luck, you will do fine!
-Patrick
Hi April,
ReplyDeleteYou sound like a driven person! I think we all have a little bit of procrastination in ourselves. For myself, juggling a hectic workload, a horrible commute to SF, school and my kids, I find that whenever I have a little bit of "free" time, I end up pushing things off just so I can have a little bit more time for myself. I'm sure that once you start attending classes that directly relate to your desired profession, that procrastination will melt away. Good luck to you this semester! I look forward to reading more of your posts.