Karen Cheng
Interview by 21st Century Scholar, Cece Taylor
Senior from Columbia City, Indiana
Media Major with Arts Mangement and Psychology Minors
Why IUB? Tell us what you’ve found to be your favorite part about being a Hoosier. How does being a 21st Scholar impact your college experience/ How has the 21st Century Program helped set you up for a successful academic and hopefully professional career?
I chose IUB because of the extensive experiences the university offers. I love how there are hundreds of majors, minors, and student organizations to join, as well as a beautiful campus to explore! My favorite part of being a Hoosier has been all of the friends I’ve made and people I’ve met through student organizations, like Asian American Association and Alpha Kappa Delta Phi. Being a 21st Scholar has positively impacted my college experience tremendously! Thanks to my scholarships, I can focus on advancing my academics and career without the frequent burdens of financial stress. In other words, the financial freedom that the 21st Century Scholarship provides encourages me to pursue my career passions.
What went into choosing your major, and why’d you settle on that particular major?
Throughout my childhood, before the rise of social media, I was always drawn to filming goofy videos with my neighborhood friends and editing vlogs. Since I was eleven years old I have uploaded on my YouTube channel various self-help and informational content, transforming into a self-taught editor. Through intrinsic satisfaction and appreciative online comments, I realized that my true purpose for creating is helping others improve their lives. I hope to achieve such a career through my Media major!
What advice would you give to your freshman self?
As an extrovert, I thrive when I have strong friendships surrounding me. However, I was one of the few students from my high school that came to IU. Like many other freshmen, I knew nobody and felt alone in the first few weeks. Although I managed to have small talk with dorm floor buddies and other students I met at Welcome Week events, it took me months to find genuine bonds. When I finally found my best friends through the Asian American Association, I felt like I finally belonged at this university. The advice I would give to my freshman self is to be patient and kind to myself while remembering that friendships take time and effort. Something different from my expectations about college is how I would make friends. I’ve never made friends through classes or at sports games, but instead, I found them through student organizations related to my interests. I'm so happy I got involved early as a freshman because I’ve made so many happy memories!
What habits have helped you become a better student?
Strengthening my time management skills through the use of planners is one of the best habits that have helped me become a better student. I write down daily to-do lists and track upcoming due dates weeks and months ahead. I find this helpful because it allows me to spend more of my mental energy on the more important things in life, and less of my mental energy on keeping track of tasks inside my head.
What’s your involvement been at IU?
I’m currently the President of the Asian American Association and a charter member of the only Asian-interest sorority at IU, alpha Kappa Delta Phi. I’m also an active member of the Vietnamese Student Association.
Have you learned anything new about yourself since coming to college -or- what have you noticed about yourself that's changed since coming to college?
Something that’s changed within me since coming to college is my strengthened ability to talk to all types of people. At IU, I’ve met so many peers from all over the world and faculty of all ages and backgrounds. From all my experiences, I feel more confident in introducing myself to new people and carrying meaningful conversations.
What are some of the struggles that you’ve had to overcome in your time at IUB?
A struggle that I’ve had to overcome in my time at IU is battling my inner critic. There were many times I would submit class projects and think that I didn’t do that well. However, my professors would then praise me for the same work. In college, I’ve had to re-work my high expectations so I wouldn’t stress myself out so much.