After browsing all the student organizations, I decided to become a member of The University of Minnesota chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ). This student club has actually flourished my passion and interest in journalism. We have regular meetings and tours to different media and journalism organizations around the Twin Cities such as The Star Tribune, WCCO-TV and The Minnesota Daily. I’ve met many prestigious journalists worldwide from The New York Times, CNN, Washington Post and BBC. What I really love about this club is that I can always hang out with people that have similar interests and backgrounds as me. 

Through SPJ, I also got the opportunity to become involved with UMN’s Folks Photography Club. I participate in this club because they have many cool photography events around campus and the Twin Cities, and I enjoy making and meeting new friends who are passionate and creative-minded like me. One of the best things about this club is that we meet once a month, and at every event we have guest speakers who are professional and award-winning photographers who come to share their experiences. Interestingly, we usually have different themes every time we meet including architecture, landscape, aerial and portrait photography. The theme and style of photography I enjoy learning about and taking photos of the most is portrait. I like how portrait photography is more lively and captures human interaction and feelings. Joining this club is when my love for photography really began and this passion has allowed me to explore my interest in possibly becoming a photojournalist. I love the fact that photography and other visual storyteller platforms are just as powerful as traditional journalism. 

Below are some of my favorite photos that I’ve taken with the Folks Photography Club:

​Lastly, but more importantly, I’m also a member of Bridges International which is a Christian community on campus which seeks to help international students through service activities and social networking opportunities. I’m really fond of this community and the sense of family that we shared together within the past two semesters. Through this organization, I’ve had opportunities to travel to different parts of Minnesota. As a result of our travels and community engagement, I really feel connected to this new community and the international students around me who’ve made me feel at home. So I’m really grateful to be a part of this amazing organization.

I look forward to becoming more involved and continuing to make positive impacts on campus during my time here. I’ve already got a head start this upcoming school year because I will be working as a mentor for international students and a Gopher Guide during international student welcome week. I hope these experiences will serve as a bridge to better my leadership skills as well as strengthen the global community that I’m trying to build at the University of Minnesota.