I often find myself being described as someone who has a sense of humor, and walks around dressed awkwardly unironically. I’m also a theatre kid at heart. This self portrait was taken when I was testing out hairstyles for Little Shop of Horrors, a show that I was recently a part of. I love dressing up ridiculously, and poking fun at myself. Combined with that and the background for why I have the red wig, it sums up how other people would describe me very well.

The one thing I could not live without is traveling. Being able to meet new people, discover new places, and learn the different cultures is an amazing experience and opportunity to learn more about the world around you. During the pandemic, I wasn’t able to travel much, and after two years, being able to re-visit one of my favorite countries and explore new places was an incredible experience.

The seven deadly sins are pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. While loneliness is not one of the sins, loneliness can quickly turn into envy and anger. In the photo I took, I depicted my friend Angie experiencing loneliness, as I believe that when people are lonely, it can lead to the path of several of the sins.

Right after our first day of tech for Up the Down Staircase, everyone was heading home, when I got a shot of Nyla walking. The lighting was odd since it was 9 PM, there were barely any lights, and the only light available casted a yellow hue. I thought it was interesting to see how the final product seems to depict isolation when the photo is in black and white.

I took this photo while I was at school, right after I finished a rehearsal of Mamma Mia! It was a beautiful, ethereal sunset, where the sky was filled with swirls of blue, purple, and pink. The colors are slightly off, but it’s still incredibly beautiful. There are no filters or editing done to the colors.

I found this tree that had berries and leaves of all different colors in front of a cleaners. I loved how it represents the changing seasons, the bits of green leftover from the summer, while the orange, reds, and yellows are showing the change into fall and winter. It brings me so much joy to see so many colors.

This photo depicts a part of the city of Los Altos, between Lincoln Park and Down Town Los Altos. I moved here when I was around 5 years old, and for the past 13 years, this city has been my home. When I leave in a few months for college, I’ll be saying goodbye to everything that I’m familiar with.

This photo of Nicole was taken by me when we went to San Fransisco, and visited Pier 39 on the insistence of our mutual friend. Nicole is one of my few friends that I made throughout high school. She’s incredibly special to me, especially since most of my friends are from elementary and middle school, and it’s incredibly hard for me to make new friends. Nicole works incredibly hard, and she’s always’s there to listen and laugh with me.

I am half-Japanese and half-Chinese, and Asian culture is a large part of my life, especially considering that my family owns two sushi restaurants. Ever since I was little, I would wait in the back of the restaurant, entertaining myself while my parents worked. As I grew older, I began to help around, especially during COVID when I would package take-out orders. Sushi is a huge part of my culture, which is why I chose to photograph a dish from the restaurant.