“I used to walk home listening to hard techno and when no one was looking, I would start shuffling. Eventually my friends at school started break dancing, but I was always into freestyle dancing, or the more correct term, street dancing.”
“I danced for almost 10 years before I started it more seriously and started training in January of 2022.“
“My main inspiration for dancing is simply to enjoy music! It's how I express myself and it's what makes me feel alive.”
“Out of all the people I have met while dancing, the one who I can call my mentor is Justin Sazon, formerly known as B-boy season, who is now an executive pastry chef at Nolita Hall in San Diego.”
“I've had many hobbies growing up but I could never escape dancing. Going to the mall, going to the grocery store, you always hear a song playing and sometimes you just can't help but do a little groove to it.”
“Although my main hobby is dancing, I currently study Aerospace Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona as of August 2022. I grew a passion for astronomy when I read a book about space in the 6th grade and it's been my dream to explore the stars ever since.”
“Growing up watching Star Wars and playing Halo also contributed to this passion. My current engineering mentor is Rodrigo Leon, an old friend from high school who is a nuclear engineer now. I don't know what I would do without him, he's taught me a lot of what I know about engineering to this day.”
“It’s my current life goal to work for NASA one day.”
“The most difficult decision in my pursuit of goals was choosing what university to transfer to. Choosing a school was difficult because it meant I had to choose between my heart and my career. San Diego is where I started training as a dancer and found my dance family. Our group name is Sauce Park because we practice weekly at a park we named Sauce Park. “
“Although San Diego is where my heart lies, I chose to go to Cal Poly Pomona in Paloma, CA instead of San Diego State University because I felt the chances for career opportunities in becoming an aerospace engineer were better. And even if it means I may now peddle back on dancing to focus more on engineering, I think I’ll be okay as long as I dance when my heart needs to.”
“Having made this decision is funny to me because long before that I made the decision to move to California from Utah, and dropped all hobbies that didn’t include dancing.”
“I would tell my younger self to learn how to manage time, and get started in STEM related opportunities in middle school. I dropped out of an engineering program in 12th grade because I didn't think I was cut out enough for it, I should have stuck with it.”
“I want to finish my Bachelors degree within 4 years max. By then I hope to have a decent looking resume filled with plenty of student projects and internships. Once I graduate, ideally I should have a job as an engineer!”
“Growing up Lao American, I was resistant to learn how to speak Lao or even learning about Laos at all. Nowadays, I take my friends to local Lao restaurants or invite them over to eat at my house or at my family’s.”
“ I've also met Lao people who didn't grow up with Lao culture, so the first thing I do is make sure they get back to their roots. I will take them to the temple, celebrate Lao New Year with them, and show them what Lao food is all about.”
“I've grown so much at a point in time when I desperately needed self fulfillment.”
“I also plan to visit Laos for the first time after I graduate so I can spruce up my Lao and be able to speak to my grandma to get to know her on a better level. In terms of dance, I have no major goals. I simply wish to keep following my heart and meeting wonderful people.”
“What I love about being Lao is our food. Most foods don't feel complete unless I have sticky rice on my plate. I love exploring other cultures and their foods, but Lao food is where home is.”
“Strangely enough however, I am completely content with starting my dance training journey as late as I have. This is because I've met so many wonderfully inspiring people in my life.
