Justin Liu.

“Hey, When you get better, the next time you are over here, lets get some creme brulee. My Treat.”

<3

When I was at CalSo, the orientation for the incoming classes at Berkeley, seated in a large auditorium, they asked us to stand up when they said a statement applied to us. I stood up for being someone for gay rights, for being from Northern California, and various other things and felt fine for doing it.

But then the announcer said, “Stand up if you have a visible or not visible disability.”

When you’re asked to stand up in a room full of hundreds of people and know that you’re going to be one of the only, if not the only, one standing, it’s scary. 

And it’s even more scary because I got to tell everyone I’m different. I’m not normal. I’m “disabled”, someone who is unable to do something.

And so when I stood up, I felt nothing but embarrassment and shame. And I thought that was fine, because that is how I was supposed to feel.

But when I see the way people treat the person with Autism on my floor, the way that they almost seem to fake kindness and secretly be uninterested in what he really has to say or that what he has to say has less value, it made me realize something. No one should look at anyone any differently because they are disabled. 

I am not ashamed of my disability. Society had made me ashamed. Now I am not ashamed of my disability. I am ashamed of society. Well, some parts of it at least.

Ian Utz.

Although this happened a while ago, I’ll never forget it.

I was having a really bad day and ran into my room crying. He came by later and asked me what was wrong, and told me, “You shouldn’t cry, you’re so pretty and it doesn’t suit you.”

:)

Devon Berwick, Tracy Lee, Justin Liu, Noodles Teng, and Maggie Yeh. And all my other friends who’ve taken time to see me this break. 

I don’t pretend that I have had a good first semester at Berkeley. I might even exaggerate it’s horribleness sometimes, but hey, I’m a drama queen. But the reason that I go through all the crap is to have days like today. Days when I’m laughing constantly at everything anyone says because we are just that stupid hilarious. Days when I see one of my best friends roll down the window and scream “I HATE DAVID LIBERMAN!” so loud that it’d almost be embarrassing if it wasn’t so funny. Days where we don’t have to do much and can have no idea where we’re going or what we’re doing but we’ll still have a good time. Days where I feel like I belong somewhere, like I’m home. Like people love me and I have people to love.

When I was sitting in the backseat with Noodles and he said, “I love us” it made me realize how much I loved us, too. I love having parties with everyone. I love hiding under a tiny umbrella with Viola and Tracy. I love hugging a disgruntled Maggie. I love making bio references with Devon. I love talking (and miscommunicating) with Noodles. I love that Justin can always tell when I’m the least bit off beat. I love knowing that I can be myself.

And its just days like these when I remember that I’m blessed. I may have no new friends, but I have a helluva lot of frickin’ awesome homies for life. 

A wedding dress designer.

While I have always loved fashion, it never seemed like a realistic possibility. My mom always described my love of clothes as just that: a love for stylish items, not the drive to create such things. But when I find myself on the street looking at women and men and thinking about how each garment could be altered to be more stylish, more edgy, more innovative, more beautiful, I know that there is something more beyond a love for the chic. 

But there is the problem of the real world impact. I will be the first to admit that I do find the fashion industry full of superficiality and immorality, and realize that while I would love making women feel beautiful, who really remembers the clothes they wear when they think about the important moments in life? Women who wear clothes to award shows end up in best dressed lists in magazines, but beyond that, what recognition is there for pieces of fabric thrown on the human form?

But I thought…what about a woman’s wedding day? A woman should remember that day. I know that if someone asked me what the happiest day of my life was, even if I were to win a Nobel Prize, I would say my wedding day. And even if marriages have or end in turmoil, no one should think about that on that day. If I could be a small piece of what should be the happiest day of a woman’s life, that would be something worth doing for the rest of my life.

….And then theres the thing about me wanting to also be a scientist. But that’s a story for another day.

Jenni Milan.

“Hannah is a wonderful person, and even though it’s been almost half a year without new people to be friends with, i’m pretty sure you’ll meet another one who feels the same.”

:’)