Katie Luo Senior Reflection

I remember in freshman year when I attempted to write my senior Paw Print reflection prematurely. It probably wasn’t half bad but what I was planning to write then can’t compare to all the insane amount of intellect and knowledge I am about to spew out now.

To begin, this year, I had a revelation that I didn’t want to be a biomedical engineer, and instead— an artist. Wow, so quirky! But seriously, I think I’m truly going to enjoy pursuing a creative major.

Besides changing majors, I’ve realized I’m also a completely different person who entered high school four years ago. For example, I’ve improved my typing speed from 26 wpm to a whopping 37 wpm! Noice. I’ve also learned that change is perfectly normal. As we continue to grow we must change to become the better versions of ourselves, embark on new endeavors, and enjoy life. My advice to you is that it’s okay to worry and you should put your everything into what you do, but also remember that no matter what, it’ll work out in the end. So reader, if you’re anything like me here are some strangely specific tips to follow to make the best of your time. Firstly and most importantly, don’t forget to show the people around you how much you care. Bake “Tasty 101 Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies” for your friends (and soak in your baking skills praise). Spend time with your family in that white Prius, ice cream hopping Los Angeles. Also extremely important, you should always always always enjoy good food, especially if it’s your mom’s homemade Chinese food. Stay past 2 a.m. crying on Discord with two of your closest friends. Stay past 3 a.m. reciting deep monologues with the “Finding Nemo” soundtrack in the background. Thank your friends for the many many rides they have given you because you still can’t drive. And most importantly live, love, laugh. Just kidding… unless— never mind. Actually, though, you got this. The future is scary, but if Elon Musk could do it, so can you.

To conclude, I’d like to publicly declare that I predicted this exact moment in 2017 as a high school freshman — that is — past you thinking of the future you which is present you thinking of past you thinking of present you… My point is, time is irrelevant, my favorite color is yellow, and we are probably living in a simulation, but who cares. Make the best of the present moment anyway.

Visit me at USC School of Cinematic Arts if you want to buy me sushi and ice cream!