Just A Girl

I was born on May 30th in Montrose, Colorado and given the name Alana Rose Lin. I grew up mostly in Montrose enjoying a plethora of extracurricular activities, friends, and experiences. I practiced piano, then flute then saxophone. I competed in gymnastics, and soccer, and climbing. I sang. I danced. I read. I skied. I snowboarded. I picked apples, painted my nails, and climbed trees.

Switzerland 2011

With my Taiwanese dad and his Portuguese wife Maria. My summers were rich with the cultures of Europe and Asia. Airplanes were no big deal by the time I was 10.  I learned to love diversity (and food).

I loved all things furry. I grew up with a dog, Pheobe, and a few cats, Ittybitty and Barnabee (one at a time), who soon learned to share space with my rabbit, Tootsie, and goldfish, Emmie (a birthday present from a creative friend). Now I have, or rather my mom has, a Borgi (border collie/ corgi) dog named Maisy. She's our spastic, lovable, snoring, log-shaped, 45 pound lapdog.

Maisy

I spent a lot of time with my mom's side of the family in big Thanksgivings and Christmases. With supportive (though separate) parents, cousins to replace siblings, and my grandmother as my main babysitter, I was taught to be who I am. 

"Who am I?" Tough question. I've never been great at answering it. My personality lies somewhere between that of an overly excited puppy and that of a lioness. I consider myself strong and thoughtful, but I give in easily to laughter and shenanigans. I am self motivated and strive to be the best me I can be! (It shouldn't be too hard since I'm such a weirdo and no one is just like me.) I enjoy people, music, food, knowledge, color, beauty, and laughter. 

                                                                             ~

I applied to Georgia Tech thinking it was just another school. I didn't plan on going here. I thought would go on to find my "dream school," but Georgia Tech wasn't going to be it, I thought. I applied to MIT, Colorado School of Mines, University of Minnesota... and ended up at Georgia Tech. The decision came down to what felt right, but Georgia Tech could fulfill both my passions and my curiosities. I could major in engineering and continue my love of math. I could still keep industrial design, music, and creativity. I found that the big diverse campus was the one for me.

My R.A.T. family.

Today is my third day of classes. I've already experienced the feeling of being average (a new experience for one who always scored "advanced" on standardized tests). I've met amazing people who can actually help me with homework and also have a blast doing almost nothing. I've shared my excitement over my english class with my roommate and not been called nerdy for it. I'm a little nervous for my first B, but I know that a B here is worth a lot in the real world. I think the transition is going quite nicely. I love how it just feels right here.