I started creative writing, specifically poetry, back in ninth grade. I’ve been a reader for most of my life, but I was kind of scared to put myself out there in terms of writing. Writing poetry helped me process what was going on with myself, and over time, I started moving from poetry to short stories and more structured writing. It’s been a good journey.

There’s a poetry book I really love called “I Cut My Tongue on a Broken Country” by Kylo Lee. It’s about her life immigrating from Korea to America, and I found it really interesting. If people ever read my writing, I hope they feel inspired to take action in their own lives. If someone wants to start writing, they should just start. If my work inspires someone to do that, then I’d be happy.

I think the person who’s inspired me the most to write is probably my mom. Even though most of her writing is in Chinese, it’s really inspired me because she’s a journalist and interviewer. I’m not really the type to interview people, but her creativity has definitely inspired mine.

For me, writing is a creative outlet. I think a lot of what we do in society always has to lead to something and there is always some goal or milestone to hit. Writing isn’t like that for me. It’s something I do just for myself, to express how I feel, even if I never publish it. I reflect a lot through my writing, and sometimes that helps me change how I see things or understand events in my life differently.

I don’t plan on pursuing creative writing as a profession because I feel like it’s very unstable, but I enjoy having it as a hobby. It is something that’s just mine, where I can express myself freely.