THOUGHTS &
NOTES
My STORy
The Impossible
With the flick of pages, my eyes scanned each word meticulously, each one blending together to craft an imaginary world. The sound of the bell; recess had ended. I checked the book out with joy, restless, wanting to know what happened next. How would the hero rise up and overcome the odds? As a kid, I always wanted to be that hero, wanted to do the impossible.
I got my first opportunity when five-year-old me took on “Goliath,” the fifth grade opponent in my first chess tournament. My palms sweaty, I moved the weighted chess piece and pressed the wooden timer with a loud, satisfying click. I heard a tap as two pieces clicked together, the result of my opponent taking my piece. My heart sank as I realized I had just lost what could be considered the most important piece in chess: my queen. To me losing my queen was like the ninja losing their powers in Lego Ninjago, my favorite show at the time. I thought to myself, “What would the ninja do?” Inspired by the show's catchphrase, “A NINJA NEVER QUITS!,” I smiled and looked back at the black and white patterns of the board. Determined to not back down, I gave the game my all. Eventually, I was able to deal a devastating blow to my opponent when my pawn made it to the end of the board. I could barely contain myself with excitement as I said, “Queen please!”
My resilience allowed me to take down Goliath but there were other challenges left for me to conquer. As a fifth grader, I was stressing about my first college presentation. My next quest was a plant propagation class at my local community college. I spent the whole night crafting my poster, inspecting and critiquing my masterpiece as carefully as ten-year-old me could. I sat nervously waiting for my turn to present and went over my steps of how I propagated grape vines by using cuttings to make a grape vine with mixed characteristics from different species. I gasped a sigh of relief. It felt good to take my fear, and say you don’t scare me anymore.
Entering the new world of high school during COVID I joined the alpine ski team to find an outlet. I was at the bottom of the pack at first because of my lack of experience and confidence in who I was and my capabilities, especially in racing; I started skiing at an older age than most. I worked as hard as possible during the season, determined to make all time on the hill count. I went from the middle of the pack to the leader of the Varsity team which qualified me for the California State Championships. “Racer ready! 3. 2. 1.” Wind howling in my ears, the crisp snow crunching underneath, the feeling of speed. I crossed the finish line and saw I made top 10. My breakthrough left me hungering for more. Junior year I transferred into a ski academy program focused on creating the next generation of skiers. A new school, friends, teachers, and odds. This exposed my hidden fears of failure, not being good enough, and possible rejection. As I progressed through the season I tackled both physical gates and mental gates which landed me a spot on the Taiwan National Ski Team to qualify for the Olympics in Italy 2026.
My adventures have made me recognize that being a hero isn’t what it all cracked up to be in the books, like my younger self thought. Heroes have both physical and mental challenges that they’re not able to just fight with their powers. Real heroes have to embrace failure like it’s their best friend. We all have our worries and doubts. What makes a real hero is the ability to take those doubts aside, never back down, try new things, and have confidence in who you are.
Beginning of my Journey
My skiing journey began when I was 10, my family went to Mt Shasta as a fun weekend activity. At first it was not enjoyable, falling over again and again. Trying to master the pizza (Wedging your skis). However we started going more often and eventually my younger brother (Lance) and I joined the local all mountain team - Mt. Shasta Ski Team. On the team we did a variety of activities from jumps and backcountry to improving our technique through drills and race gates
Shasta High School
After a couple of years of constant skiing, 7th grade me said I was retired. I took a break for two years to play on the AAU Basketball Team and my local school and didn't think I would ever race again. However my interest in skiing was rekindled when I got into high school where there was an Alpine team. The team contained a mixture of people from those who had been skiing since they were a walking to those who had never skied ever before. The team was a great community. Eventually sophomore year came and at the end of the year I was able to qualify for CNISSF state championships. I was able to snag a top 10 finish for the Giant Slalom race. My success at states led me to further pursue skiing.
Sugar Bowl Academy
After my success at California's High School states I was inspired to further pursue skiing. So I joined Sugar Bowl Academy Junior and Senior year, a school dedicated to training skiers while at the same time keeping athletes academically engaged. Sugar bowl forced me to be more disciplined more than ever before having to juggle academics as well as athletics. Waking up early, conditioning everyday. As well as being a boarding school so no parents to rely on for help. Sugar Bowl shaped me as a person and was an amazing experience. I became part of the FIS Team and we participated in regional, national and international races. I had the opportunity to travel throughout the world through places like Austria, New Zealand, Colorado, and more and gained a broader perspective of life. I reached a point of why was I doing this, which is where I discovered the possibility to represent the Chinese Taipei National Team.
Post Grad
These experiences have made me realize the impossible is possible and not just something of a myth. With the support of my coaches, teammates, and parents I have been offered a spot on the Chinese Taipei National Ski Team to qualify for the Olympics.
As I go into college I want to learn from my peers and professors so I can create a winter lifestyle brand as a platform to inspire the next generation of leaders to achieve their dreams and do the impossible. My hope is the opportunity to mentor kids who have big dreams just like me; to become heroes in their own right.