Interdisciplinary Honors Experiential Learning Project
This article was written after conducting an interview with fellow Honors 100 classmate, Jooneil Ahn. The purpose of the project was to acquire an understanding and admiration for the diversity of the Honors Program and the Experiential Learning Projects, Clubs, Extracurricular Activities and Resources available to students of the University of Washington.
October 29th, 2013
My interview was conducted with Jooneil Ahn, another Freshman in my Honors 100 course. It was very interesting to learn how broad his interests were, and most of them did not share a single similarity. In fact, most of his interests actually conflicted with each other in his time schedule and yet he still managed to dedicate himself to each one equally. Jooneil enjoys sports, the arts, as well as is an automotive enthusiast. Jooneil also takes upon himself challenges in areas he is unfamiliar or uncomfortable with, extending his boundaries and testing his limits.
In elementary school, Jooneil picked up Tennis because he was inspired by his best friend. He gradually progressed skillwise, however, come High School, he discovered he was far from the best. Instead of backing away, he rose up to the challenge and proceeded to dedicate more of his time to honing his skills in tennis. Since then, he has joined the UW Husky Tennis Club as well as the Korean Student Union Tennis Club and practices everyday.
Jooneil also adores the arts. In middle school he picked up the saxophone and held the position of first chair for many years until giving it up for Tennis. However, as a compromise, he picked up the guitar in his spare time and has since been proficient at it, having practiced for two years privately, teaching himself. He uploads videos to YouTube and uses the “constructive criticism” to his benefit.
Finally, Jooneil is a car enthusiast. For much of his life he merely saw cars as forms of transportation and assumed no preferences. However, to date, he has found interest in the details of modded cars and drifting. This is due to his frustration with his first owned car. His sibling and his were forced to share a car, but due to his sister’s seniority, he had the choosing. Thus, Jooneil and his sister shared an automatic which he expresses is very slow. Since then, Jooneil has enjoyed learning about Formula D cars and has all the specs of major drift models memorized, as well as Japanese domestic market models. In his high school years, Jooneil took an auto shop course and said it was one of the most worthwhile experiences and courses he has ever taken. He now understands how a car works, how to fix automotives, and the important aspects pertaining to car detailing.
In my opinion, Jooneil’s dedication to the arts as well as sports, and finding his balance between the two is inspiring. It is often not easy to accomplish a balance between multiple passions while staying proficient in your academia. He has proven himself to be a well-rounded individual with great dedication and perseverance. It is also awesome how devoted he is to extending his personal knowledge. I am unfamiliar, however, with the clubs available for automotives within UW but I do understand that some engineering students are given the opportunity to work with Lamborghinis and this may be a valuable opportunity for him. If mechanical engineering is not perhaps his already predestined major, I would advise him to look more into it, as from the experiences from my friends, devoting yourself to an occupation due to family or societal pressure, or even for financial purposes, can lead to an unhappy or unfulfilling journey through college. I currently am aiming to achieve an occupation in something I am passionate about, even though I understand it is not well paying. Seeing his interest in automotives and seeing that much dedication to outside research, is something I see in myself in relation to oceanic studies. I think mechanical or automotive engineering could be a really valuable experience for him, even if it’s a minor rather than a major. I feel he needs to maintain some form of passion within his coursework to survive the rough patches of college!
Marisa Elena Patrick
My interview was conducted with Jooneil Ahn, another Freshman in my Honors 100 course. It was very interesting to learn how broad his interests were, and most of them did not share a single similarity. In fact, most of his interests actually conflicted with each other in his time schedule and yet he still managed to dedicate himself to each one equally. Jooneil enjoys sports, the arts, as well as is an automotive enthusiast. Jooneil also takes upon himself challenges in areas he is unfamiliar or uncomfortable with, extending his boundaries and testing his limits.
In elementary school, Jooneil picked up Tennis because he was inspired by his best friend. He gradually progressed skillwise, however, come High School, he discovered he was far from the best. Instead of backing away, he rose up to the challenge and proceeded to dedicate more of his time to honing his skills in tennis. Since then, he has joined the UW Husky Tennis Club as well as the Korean Student Union Tennis Club and practices everyday.
Jooneil also adores the arts. In middle school he picked up the saxophone and held the position of first chair for many years until giving it up for Tennis. However, as a compromise, he picked up the guitar in his spare time and has since been proficient at it, having practiced for two years privately, teaching himself. He uploads videos to YouTube and uses the “constructive criticism” to his benefit.
Finally, Jooneil is a car enthusiast. For much of his life he merely saw cars as forms of transportation and assumed no preferences. However, to date, he has found interest in the details of modded cars and drifting. This is due to his frustration with his first owned car. His sibling and his were forced to share a car, but due to his sister’s seniority, he had the choosing. Thus, Jooneil and his sister shared an automatic which he expresses is very slow. Since then, Jooneil has enjoyed learning about Formula D cars and has all the specs of major drift models memorized, as well as Japanese domestic market models. In his high school years, Jooneil took an auto shop course and said it was one of the most worthwhile experiences and courses he has ever taken. He now understands how a car works, how to fix automotives, and the important aspects pertaining to car detailing.
In my opinion, Jooneil’s dedication to the arts as well as sports, and finding his balance between the two is inspiring. It is often not easy to accomplish a balance between multiple passions while staying proficient in your academia. He has proven himself to be a well-rounded individual with great dedication and perseverance. It is also awesome how devoted he is to extending his personal knowledge. I am unfamiliar, however, with the clubs available for automotives within UW but I do understand that some engineering students are given the opportunity to work with Lamborghinis and this may be a valuable opportunity for him. If mechanical engineering is not perhaps his already predestined major, I would advise him to look more into it, as from the experiences from my friends, devoting yourself to an occupation due to family or societal pressure, or even for financial purposes, can lead to an unhappy or unfulfilling journey through college. I currently am aiming to achieve an occupation in something I am passionate about, even though I understand it is not well paying. Seeing his interest in automotives and seeing that much dedication to outside research, is something I see in myself in relation to oceanic studies. I think mechanical or automotive engineering could be a really valuable experience for him, even if it’s a minor rather than a major. I feel he needs to maintain some form of passion within his coursework to survive the rough patches of college!
Marisa Elena Patrick
In return, my fellow classmate and now friend, Jooneil Ahn, wrote an article on the interview he took with me.
October 29th, 2013
Through my interview with Marisa Patrick, I was able to learn all about her admirable interests and hobbies. It was interesting to learn about how Marisa developed her interests and how accomplished she was in all of her interests. After realizing how accomplished Marisa was in each one of her hobbies, it’s a wonder to how she managed to fit everything into her schedule. Marisa’s broad range of activities include the Ocean, sports, and the arts. Learning more about Marisa made me realize that Marisa is a very praiseworthy and passionate individual that anyone could look up to.
At the young age of eight, Marisa moved to South Dakota from Washington. Marisa lived on a farm in the Midwest and she described the Midwest as being unpleasant, smelly, boring, and in the middle of nowhere. The farm she lived on was essentially isolated from everything, surrounded by 20 miles of flat land, and had a shopping center that was two hours away. The weather in the Midwest was no better. There were weekly tornadoes in the summer and unbelievably huge snow storms that prevented people from leaving their own homes in the winter. Essentially Marisa disliked every aspect that the Midwest had to offer. Through living in the Midwest, Marisa was able to develop her appreciation and fascination of the Ocean. By freshman year in high school, Marisa was finally able to return to Washington and from there she began to pursue her interest of the Ocean. Marisa began to involve herself into big name organizations such as the Seattle Aquarium, National Geographic, and NOAA. Amazingly enough, Marisa actually developed computer programs for National Geographic and has even appeared on a TV show called Alien Deep. She even had the rare opportunity to be selected to travel globally, sail on the Nautilus ship with Bob Ballard, and explore the Mediterranean Ocean. Without a doubt, Marisa’s interest for the Ocean shows no bounds and is pretty clear why she wishes to major in Aquatics and Fishery Sciences and minor in both Marine Biology and Oceanography.
Marisa was no less accomplished when it came to the arts. At seven years old Marisa had the motivation to learn both the flute and tuba. While it may seem that her interest for the Ocean may take up a majority of her time, Marisa has been able to achieve just as much if not more in the arts. In high school she retained her position as the “section leader” for all four years and even taught music theory, tuba classes, flute classes, and marching band techniques. Along with the tuba and flute, Marisa also plays the ukulele, piano, lap harp, harmonica, and electronic synthesizer. Marisa’s musical talent doesn’t stop at just instruments. She is also part of choir which she had started since she was six years old and in high school managed to lead mezzo-soprano for all four years. She was not only outstanding with her musical ability in her school but she also won state competitions and even went on to national competitions. While Marisa’s passion for music is clear, her interest for the arts does not stop there. Marisa also taken lead roles as an actor in plays and even writes poetry and short stories. It’s unbelievable how talented Marisa really is as she has achieved so much in just about every aspect of the arts.
Along with the arts and the Ocean, Marisa even manages to fit sports into her schedule. Marisa just doesn’t like sports but she loves sports. At eight years old Marisa played as a hockey goal keeper and continued to play this position at a higher skill levels as she continued to grow up. Marisa is clearly an all-star athlete as she also is involved in soccer and rugby. Even at the University of Washington, Marisa has been able to show her athleticism by qualifying for the hockey team and playing for the women’s rugby team.
I am honestly shocked at how accomplished Marisa actually is. I was pretty confident that I had been able to accomplish a good amount in my time before college but Marisa has clearly brought it to the next level. I don’t even understand how she is able to fit so much into her schedule. I am blown away by Marisa’s talent in just about everything she does and with her drive and motivation she is going to be very successful at the University of Washington. Because Marisa is such a proactive individual I think it is safe for me assume that Marisa has already found all the clubs and activities at the University of Washington that she wants to involve herself into. Looking at her past in the Midwest, I am surprised how she managed to deal with her environment. Marisa is someone that just about anyone could look up to as role model as she continues to pursue her passion even in the academic setting and follows her passion regardless of societal pressures. My general advice to Marisa would be to make sure that she knows her limits and make sure that she does not overload herself. My guess is that Marisa already knows this but I think reiterating this advice is important because Marisa clearly has many interests that she is very passionate about. I also think that Marisa should think about getting involved in a study abroad program. Marisa has already taken six years of Spanish and she has some Spanish or Latin American roots I her family. I also understand that family is a big part of Marisa’s identity. It’s important to immerse oneself in a culture in order to truly appreciate it and I think it would be a good idea for her to think about a study abroad program in Spain or even a direct exchange with a university in Argentina.
Jooneil Ahn
Through my interview with Marisa Patrick, I was able to learn all about her admirable interests and hobbies. It was interesting to learn about how Marisa developed her interests and how accomplished she was in all of her interests. After realizing how accomplished Marisa was in each one of her hobbies, it’s a wonder to how she managed to fit everything into her schedule. Marisa’s broad range of activities include the Ocean, sports, and the arts. Learning more about Marisa made me realize that Marisa is a very praiseworthy and passionate individual that anyone could look up to.
At the young age of eight, Marisa moved to South Dakota from Washington. Marisa lived on a farm in the Midwest and she described the Midwest as being unpleasant, smelly, boring, and in the middle of nowhere. The farm she lived on was essentially isolated from everything, surrounded by 20 miles of flat land, and had a shopping center that was two hours away. The weather in the Midwest was no better. There were weekly tornadoes in the summer and unbelievably huge snow storms that prevented people from leaving their own homes in the winter. Essentially Marisa disliked every aspect that the Midwest had to offer. Through living in the Midwest, Marisa was able to develop her appreciation and fascination of the Ocean. By freshman year in high school, Marisa was finally able to return to Washington and from there she began to pursue her interest of the Ocean. Marisa began to involve herself into big name organizations such as the Seattle Aquarium, National Geographic, and NOAA. Amazingly enough, Marisa actually developed computer programs for National Geographic and has even appeared on a TV show called Alien Deep. She even had the rare opportunity to be selected to travel globally, sail on the Nautilus ship with Bob Ballard, and explore the Mediterranean Ocean. Without a doubt, Marisa’s interest for the Ocean shows no bounds and is pretty clear why she wishes to major in Aquatics and Fishery Sciences and minor in both Marine Biology and Oceanography.
Marisa was no less accomplished when it came to the arts. At seven years old Marisa had the motivation to learn both the flute and tuba. While it may seem that her interest for the Ocean may take up a majority of her time, Marisa has been able to achieve just as much if not more in the arts. In high school she retained her position as the “section leader” for all four years and even taught music theory, tuba classes, flute classes, and marching band techniques. Along with the tuba and flute, Marisa also plays the ukulele, piano, lap harp, harmonica, and electronic synthesizer. Marisa’s musical talent doesn’t stop at just instruments. She is also part of choir which she had started since she was six years old and in high school managed to lead mezzo-soprano for all four years. She was not only outstanding with her musical ability in her school but she also won state competitions and even went on to national competitions. While Marisa’s passion for music is clear, her interest for the arts does not stop there. Marisa also taken lead roles as an actor in plays and even writes poetry and short stories. It’s unbelievable how talented Marisa really is as she has achieved so much in just about every aspect of the arts.
Along with the arts and the Ocean, Marisa even manages to fit sports into her schedule. Marisa just doesn’t like sports but she loves sports. At eight years old Marisa played as a hockey goal keeper and continued to play this position at a higher skill levels as she continued to grow up. Marisa is clearly an all-star athlete as she also is involved in soccer and rugby. Even at the University of Washington, Marisa has been able to show her athleticism by qualifying for the hockey team and playing for the women’s rugby team.
I am honestly shocked at how accomplished Marisa actually is. I was pretty confident that I had been able to accomplish a good amount in my time before college but Marisa has clearly brought it to the next level. I don’t even understand how she is able to fit so much into her schedule. I am blown away by Marisa’s talent in just about everything she does and with her drive and motivation she is going to be very successful at the University of Washington. Because Marisa is such a proactive individual I think it is safe for me assume that Marisa has already found all the clubs and activities at the University of Washington that she wants to involve herself into. Looking at her past in the Midwest, I am surprised how she managed to deal with her environment. Marisa is someone that just about anyone could look up to as role model as she continues to pursue her passion even in the academic setting and follows her passion regardless of societal pressures. My general advice to Marisa would be to make sure that she knows her limits and make sure that she does not overload herself. My guess is that Marisa already knows this but I think reiterating this advice is important because Marisa clearly has many interests that she is very passionate about. I also think that Marisa should think about getting involved in a study abroad program. Marisa has already taken six years of Spanish and she has some Spanish or Latin American roots I her family. I also understand that family is a big part of Marisa’s identity. It’s important to immerse oneself in a culture in order to truly appreciate it and I think it would be a good idea for her to think about a study abroad program in Spain or even a direct exchange with a university in Argentina.
Jooneil Ahn