more about cara!

Cara's Personal Story

All I’ve ever really known and all I ever may know for certain is my parents. They’re my best friends; their story and their love inspires and motivates me. If I walked into a room with all the people I’ve ever met, I’d look for them first. My future career and endeavors will always reflect my desire to support my family, all I want is for them to be healthy, happy, and living comfortably. I was born in Burma, but my parents brought our family to the United States in their late 30s. When I was just 3 years old and my brother 9, they left behind the rest of their family and a life they already made for my older brother and I to live a better one. While it’s a story not unknown to most American families nowadays, the journey of my immigrant family has shaped every part of who I am today. I currently live in a household of 6 (back in Maryland), as my parents have continued to provide my family with the opportunity to receive quality higher education. 2 of my cousins currently live with my family to study, while 3 have already come and gone. Me, my brother, and my 5 cousins who my parents supported and treated as their own all share an utmost respect and gratitude for them; we all wish to be people they can be proud of, and we work everyday to achieve and maintain this reality.

“Education is not preparation for life, it is life itself.” -John Dewey

Cara's Hobbies, Passions & Interests

My hobbies and interests lie in being creative; I’ll try anything that involves making something new - that goes from making art to music to clothes to games and more. Some hobbies that have really stuck with me are sketching/ painting and playing guitar. I’ve been making art for as long as I can remember and it is truly one of the most important things in the world to me. When I was younger, my parents would buy me mega-pack art supplies as birthday and Christmas presents. My mom would always ask me to make family portraits, and even portraits of her friends and coworkers for their birthdays. It made me so happy that she recognized my art as something valuable. While I mostly sketch and paint, I also love writing, photography, and digital design. I’ve also dabbled in charm-making, playing various other instruments, pottery, etc., and I know there’s so much more for me to explore. One of my greatest motivations in life is to explore all there is to try and explore in the world, so I also hope I can travel a lot in the future.

“The literal meaning of life is whatever you're doing that prevents you from killing yourself.” - Albert Camus

Art
Music
Writing
Photography
Digital Design
Charm-Making and Pottery
Interest in Exploring New Hobbies
Aspiration for Travel

Cara's Personality

I’m an easygoing person. I think I’m able to adapt to most situations without forcing myself to not be myself. Any interaction I have with anyone is genuine, and I treat everyone with respect and kindness. I believe in karma, which I elaborate on in “What are your top values and/or principles?”, so this guides me to be level headed and open-minded (although I’d also say these things also come naturally to me). I love people- I love meeting and talking to new people, even if things are awkward it’s just part of the process. I am indeed the type of person that wants everyone (most people?) to like me, a “people pleaser” if you will, but I’ve really learned to overcome this letting others walk all over me. I’ve come to put myself first more often, and not pursue relationships that just aren’t worth it, or value me less than the other person. Anyways personality- I’m adventurous, friendly, compassionate, and silly to name only a few traits. I actually find it quite hard to quantify my personality in words… I’m just a girl in this big big world.

“Personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Cara's Sense of Humor

Esoteric 🥸. Feminine 💅. Diabolical 😈.

“I’m not funny. What I am is brave.” -Lucille Ball

One of the proudest moments I can describe is getting into university, particularly this one! The day I got the decision letter was on my birthday, I tripped and scraped my knee on asphalt and the kid sitting next to me in the health office while I waited for bandages vomited onto my shoe, but after the brief shock and horror I had never been so excited for such a thing to happen. I thought- now that such a horrible thing occurred to me, I must be bound to be blessed with good karma. I came home from school teeming with anticipation. My second decision, aside from my state University, and one of the most important. The relief I felt was like no other, I was so happy. Not only was it karma or luck, this decision told me all the work I’d done was worth something. I was most proud to show my parents and for them to see a tangible reward for all of our family’s struggles.

Cara's Proudest Moment

My perfect day doesn’t consist of too much… if it was a day for relaxing and doing pretty much nothing it would probably go something like this:

9 - 11 AM: Wake up, shower, do makeup, put on something nice! (leisurely)

11 AM - 1 PM: Breakfast (?)(Brunch??) with my parents 1

PM - 3 PM: do anything; read, draw, go to a museum, shop

3 PM - 6 PM: hang out with friends

6 PM - 8 PM: Dinner with my boyfriend

8 PM - 11 PM: Movie? Sightseeing? Do something nice

Do anything else until I fall asleep… :)

Seeing loved ones, not worrying too much, meeting new people, having new experiences. I hope I can have many perfect days in my life.

“I am grateful for being alive today. It is my joy and pleasure to live another wonderful day.” — Louise Hay

Cara's Perfect Day

Values, goals, challenges!

Top Values/ Principles

My top values/principles lie in values and principles handed down from my parents. One of the most influential is that of Karma. I’m not really spiritual or religious but karma is definitely something that has guided me all throughout my life (I talk about it a little in “What is your proudest moment?”). Karma guides me to be kind, respect all people and have humility. I truly believe that karma plays a role- even if coincidental rather than explanatory- in my life, and I feel that I am happier and at more peace with myself when I follow the guide of karma.

who do you look up to?

Academic/ Career/ Life Goals

I look up to my parents. Arbitrarily choosing one to discuss in this response, I’ll talk about my dad. He kind of spoils me, he’s kind, generous, funny, hard-working: all the positive traits you can find on a “Masterlist of Positive Personality Traits” you can find online. Even though he’s thousands of miles away, he does as much as he can to support his parents. He supports me, my brother, and my mom with so much love. Before I left for college I kept complaining about how dry my lips were getting recently. A few days after I moved in, I took a look into his Amazon Prime cart and saw a number of super-hydrating lip balms; I started tearing up and called my parents to say I miss them.

My current career/life goals mostly lie in giving back to my family. Before anything else, I’ll do anything that allows me to help my family live comfortably. I don’t particularly have a dream job but I’d love to do something that I don’t dread doing everyday… I hope to have a lifestyle that can at least support a nice dinner on most weekends and allow me the flexibility and time to be creative. Definitely something I’m always thinking about.

3 areas for Personal Growth

Approach to conflict

Dealing with stress and/or frustration

Using less social media, better time management, and being more extroverted.

I try to avoid conflict as much as I possibly can. I only really ever engage in conflicts that I feel will benefit the both of us if resolved. You know how sometimes it just isn’t worth it to pursue a certain argument, or to do so with certain people? I really won’t bother unless it’s worth my frustration and our benefit. I try to be as level headed as possible and see things from the other person’s point of view, and then work things out from there.

Stress and frustration are totally inevitable at this time of my life, as it is for everyone. I try to discipline myself to not get too worked up about certain things, I try to prioritize my health and mind. Luckily I have a few shoulders that I can lean on; I find it comforting to just have someone by your side when things get too stressful/frustrating. Usually, they’re able to bring me back down and find logical solutions.

Communication

Personalities or characteristics

What qualities do you value or appreciate most in a person?

For my communication style, I like to be very open so that hopefully others will feel comfortable enough to reciprocate. I’m more extroverted so I’m not afraid to reach out and communicate with others.

I tend to get along with personalities more similar to mine, but I think I’m a very outgoing person. I like meeting all types of different people and I hope to do more of this in the future, especially once I’m a KPL sister! I don’t think I particularly clash with any personality type, other than that I usually avoid mean or really loud people…

I appreciate a person with humility, manners, and kindness. You can be extremely smart or physically attractive- but it’d be a total loss from my perspective if you don’t have these traits to a certain degree. I value my own time, as well as others’, so I really appreciate when people take time out of their day to be with me, to do something for me, etc. I also value peoples’ humor. I find recently that it doesn’t really matter if our humor matches or if someone’s humor is objectively “good”, but certain niches of humor can really reveal a lot about a person to me, and I’m definitely more likely to become closer to you more easily if our sense of humor aligns.

Getting to know cara
as a pnm!

Why do you want to join Kappa Phi Lambda?

What are you looking for in a big sister?

What do you hope to gain from being a part of Kappa Phi Lambda?

What kind of support do you hope to receive from your line sisters, Active Sisters, Alum, etc.?

Do you have any goals you would like to accomplish as a PNM or future Sister?

What do you hope to contribute to Kappa Phi Lambda?

How would you want to use your platform as a Sister of Kappa Phi Lambda?

Are you more of a leader or follower? Why?

What are some of your strengths? Weaknesses?

To be a part of a sisterhood. Coming into college, I was really scared that I wouldn’t be able to make friends. Although I’ve grown to become more independent and appreciate being alone more, I’ll usually never refuse company. In Maryland, I had a very tight-knit group of 3 other friends and I really wanted to not just expand my social circle but find people I can bond with at a deep level, and a sisterhood is the epitome of this. Joining an Asian-interest sorority like KPL, particularly KPL, will hopefully allow me to connect and learn with other girls, in the cultural aspect, academic aspect, interests aspect, and just-living-life aspect.

As above, I hope to gain strong relationships with the sisters. I also appreciate how KPL will allow me the opportunity to be of service to my community through service and cultural events. As a collective of girls with high achievement and diverse skills/majors, cultural backgrounds, and personalities, I hope I can be a proper representative for this reputable community of women. I’ve already been able to discuss with sisters about my future career endeavors, so I hope that becoming a sister will enhance my opportunities to acquire a range of not only professional but personal skills and experiences.

I hope to have a big Sister that I can learn a ton of valuable things from. Like the traits I hope to have in all my sisters, I want someone who can push me to grow and excel academically, socially, and in just as many ways as possible.

I hope to be very close with my line sisters, Active Sisters, and Alum. If I were to take a measurement, I want to be friendly enough to comfortably reach out to them one day 10 years from now, if not be #bestiesforlife and stick together all throughout college and beyond. I think it’s amazing to be able to have someone you know, or better yet have someone you can rely on in various places in the world, which no doubt the sisters of KPL are/will be. I hope to have sisters that can support me academically and emotionally; who can help me push through difficult times and celebrate achievements with me.

As a PNM/future sister I would like to meet and connect with as many sisters as possible. It is a rare and valuable opportunity to become a sister, so I want to take as much advantage of it as possible. I also hope to participate in more service acts for the community.

I hope to contribute creativity, active participation, and more to Kappa Phi Lambda. I’ve always wanted to be part of an organization that I can dedicate ideas to which would be helpful to many people. I think I would be able to come up with lots of new ideas for events, participate in traditions, and more.

I would use my platform as a Sister of Kappa Phi Lambda to inspire other girls to blossom in their communities. I never thought I would join a sorority, but I’m so glad that I’m taking this leap to try and be active in a tight-knit, driven, and philanthropic organization, because that then reflects on who I am as a person and also gives me purpose.

I’m not afraid to take the lead, but I also don’t mind letting others lead. Even if others are leading, I will speak out if I feel that something will or will not benefit the group. I feel that I am proactive in identifying and tackling challenges. I also love to learn from others! In such situations, I am definitely a follower- and I’m totally cool with that!

I’ve mentioned that I used to struggle with being a “people pleaser”, or letting other people walk all over me. This is indeed one of my weaknesses but I think a strength of mine is to be self-aware and work on traits that I know need improvement. Therefore, I think I’ve definitely become more extroverted, independent, and just stronger/more confident in myself as I’ve worked on these issues the past few years