Education

I am around kids and teens a lot and they often ask me what grade I am in....and I say,

I am in grade 22.

Grades K - 2: York English Primary School & Kindergarten

I spent my early school years dressed up like a sailor and thought that it was normal.

Grades 3 - 6: Sheng Kung Hui (SKH) Holy Spirit Primary School

My primary years were pretty uneventful, so much so that I had to get in trouble to keep myself entertained. I would talk non-stop in class and would skip the after-school math drills to play with my friends. My teachers didn't believe in giving detention; instead, I used to get "lines" a lot, and after a while I got pretty good at Shortcuts.

Grade 7: Sheng Kung Hui (SKH) Tsang Shiu TIm Secondary School

I only spent one year in secondary school in Hong Kong, where, according to the school website, I was suppose to learn Wisdom ( 智 ), Perseverance ( 毅 ), Health ( 健 ) and Gregariousness ( 群 ). Anyone who knows me would know that I have none of these qualities.

Grade 8: Herbert Hoover Middle School, San Jose, CA

After a brief break from the school system to settle in the U.S. and learn some English, I attended a public middle school where I learned to bake cookies, play Math Blaster, and do other people's math homework.

Grade 9 - 12: Adlai E. Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, IL

As with every other teenager, my formative years were occupied by plans and negotiation of where and with whom I sit during lunch. And, it was inevitable that during these four years I learned more about myself.

Grade 13 - 16: Washington University in St. Louis, MO

College was...err... fun and confusing?!?! What else can I say? With a BA in Music and Psychology with a minor in Computer Science meant that I did a little of everything. The best thing about being a millennial in college was, of course, the T-10/100 connection.

Grade 17 - 22 - and still counting: Tufts University, Medford, MA

Maybe it's an attempt to escape from reality, an attempt to tell myself that I could do it, or simply, an attempt to delay finding a job; I decided to attend graduate school and get a Ph.D. in Applied Child Development. I love school so much and that's the only reason why I am still in school.... yes, that's the line I am sticking to.