Yen D
UCLA - University of California, Los Angeles
B.A. in Gender Studies
What has been the biggest overall lesson that going to college has taught you?
The degree you have now might not have anything to do with what you will be doing years later down the line.
The institution is made to keep certain minorities out hence, gatekeeping academia and job opportunities.
Education and Academia was not necessary until Western power introduced capitalism, industrialization and the global market to foreign countries.
What did you learn about yourself?
I'm just that b!tch who is going to call things out.
At the end of the day, being creative and making art is my drive.
Rate your experience
at college:
2020 & 2021 were extremely challenging under the confinement and constant menace of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hopefully there were some silver lining and lessons learned.
Tell us about the highlights or accomplishments of this academic year 2020/21, in spite of all!
> I went to Six Flags (complied with safety protocols of course) on my birthday this past May with my friends!
> I started to game a lot and played my first ever FPS game. Pandemic or no pandemic, gaming still connects people virtually.
> I got accepted into a writing lab fellowship and got my first ever paid gig as an actor.
> I wrote, directed and produced my own short film for the first time ever and am currently going through post.
> I felt like I had a closer community despite the pandemic during my last year of college.
> I ended up triple minoring and still finished college on time.
> I graduated with Latin Honors surprisingly and my parents got to attend my in person celebration on the university campus
Thinking of the whole 4 years, what were the greatest challenges you faced? How did you overcome them?
Mental health is always an issue but I overcame it by being brutally honest with myself and chose to leave pre-med to pursue film and fight for representation and visibility.
Encountering transphobia on campus and academia happens but I established a strong network of queer, trans and gender-non conforming folxs on campus.
I left my on campus theater because it was not good for me mentally. I chose to adventure off campus and ended up accepted in multiple fellowships.
What were your proudest accomplishments or highlights from attending college?
Dean's list, Latin Honors, College Honors, Triple Minoring, made two short documentaries and one of them got screened at a film festival, Honors research, etc
If you could go back in time 4 years ago, what would you tell your 18 year old self? If you could do-over, what would you do differently?
Fuck it. :D We're all going to die anyways
What advice would you give to an incoming freshman?
Good luck with Covid and post pandemic.
You can choose to be part of the system or go against it.
Now that you have graduated, have you formulated any new short term / long term goals?
Nope.
How did being a Bella Scholar contribute to the success of achieving your goals?
I would probably be sitting here with a lot more student loans.