strattonxpressions

[strattonxpressions]

Sally Wu

1. Name, Year, Major, and Hometown

Sally Wu, Third Year Psychology & Human Development, San Francisco

2. What is your earliest childhood memory? 

Getting Mcdonald’s soft serve with my dad before dinner, it was like our little secret.

3. What’s stopping you?

Money, mostly. And the fear of being judged… but you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

4. What is something about yourself that you’re proud of?

Putting myself through college!

5. If you could have any one question answered truthfully, what would it be?

What I’m meant to do with my life

6. Who is your celebrity/fictional crush? 

n/a (Bridgit Mendler)

7. How would you spend your ideal birthday? 

I didn’t grow up celebrating birthdays, so probably the same way I’d spend my ideal day! I’d start by walking my dog in the morning by the beach or on a calm trail, getting brunch with my best friends, then splurging on a nice dinner before a cozy movie night indoors.

8. What food that starts with the first letter of your name would you only eat for the rest of your life?

Sushi! but with no raw fish sry

9. What’s one niche interest you have that you must share with the world?

Decorating your home/room on a budget and doing rent-friendly home improvement projects! I think it’s so important to make your space YOURS and you don’t need a lot to do so.

10. What is a memory with your closest friend and how does it exemplify your friendship together and how you value friendship as a whole (250 words minimum)

A memory that stands out with my closest friend took place during a road trip we impulsively decided to take one summer. We were both stressed from school, so we packed snacks, created a playlist, and drove to the coast without a detailed plan. The trip was filled with unexpected detours: getting lost on scenic backroads, singing at the top of our lungs to our favorite songs, and stopping at a small-town diner where we had a heartfelt conversation about our future hopes and fears. That trip was a perfect mix of adventure, vulnerability, and laughter, exemplifying the core of our friendship.

This memory shows how much we value being present with each other and creating shared experiences. It highlights the trust and openness we share, as we can confide in one another without judgment. It also reflects how I value friendships in general: not only for the joy and fun they bring but also for the emotional support and depth they provide. Friendships, to me, are about showing up for each other in meaningful ways, whether through grand adventures or quiet moments of connection. That trip reminds me that true friendship isn’t just about compatibility—it’s about navigating life together, celebrating the highs, and supporting each other through the lows. It’s a bond that strengthens through shared memories, growth, and mutual respect (ChatGPT, 2025, but it sounds like something we’d do anyway).

[strattonxpressions]

Brendan Lin

1. Name, Year, Major, and Hometown

Brendan Lin, third year CDM major

2. What is your earliest childhood memory? 

KN95 black masks and monster energy

3. What’s stopping you?

Someone told me I give good advice :)

4. What is something about yourself that you’re proud of?

Horror. Let me be the dumbass character that gets killed first

5. If you could have any one question answered truthfully, what would it be?

Tattoo even though I am probably getting one soon.

6. Who is your celebrity/fictional crush? 

Smart food white chedder popcorn and skipping class

7. How would you spend your ideal birthday? 

Playing games and losing track of time with Edwin Wu :)

8. What food that starts with the first letter of your name would you only eat for the rest of your life?

学雪花飘飘北风啸啸，天地一片苍茫， 一剪寒梅傲立雪中，只为伊人飘香

9. What’s one niche interest you have that you must share with the world?

Sonny Angels are overrated and midparts blow

10. What is a memory with your closest friend and how does it exemplify your friendship together and how you value friendship as a whole (250 words minimum)

In my junior year of high school, I found myself in a situation that demanded my leadership skills. Our school's annual science fair, a highlight for both students and faculty, was facing a potential cancellation due to a lack of organization within the planning committee. Recognizing the importance of the event and the disappointment it would cause, I decided to take the initiative. I called an emergency meeting with the committee members, addressing the challenges we were facing and the implications of canceling such a cherished tradition. Through diplomatic communication, I facilitated a discussion that allowed everyone to express their concerns and ideas. As a leader, I proposed a revised plan, outlining clear responsibilities for each member and establishing a timeline for implementation. I motivated the team by emphasizing the positive impact the science fair had on our school community. Taking on the role of coordinator, I worked closely with each member, ensuring that tasks were completed efficiently. Despite the tight timeline, we successfully revamped the event, adding new elements to make it even more engaging. The science fair not only took place as scheduled but also garnered increased participation and enthusiasm from both students and teachers, highlighting the positive outcomes of effective leadership in navigating challenges.

[strattonxpressions]

CJ Carino

1. Name, Year, Major, and Hometown

Christian (CJ) Carino, Psychology, Vallejo

2. What is your earliest childhood memory? 

Crying at the mall because I had to take a picture on Santa's lap.

3. What’s stopping you?

Nothing, I'm unstoppable.

4. What is something about yourself that you’re proud of?

My professional work ethic.

5. If you could have any one question answered truthfully, what would it be?

What is your favorite color?

6. Who is your celebrity/fictional crush? 

my ex

7. How would you spend your ideal birthday? 

getting all my responsibilities delegated to people that can do a great job at it.

8. What food that starts with the first letter of your name would you only eat for the rest of your life?

Chicken katsu/bbq

9. What’s one niche interest you have that you must share with the world?

Resumes and recruiting

10. What is a memory with your closest friend and how does it exemplify your friendship together and how you value friendship as a whole (250 words minimum)

One memory is singing and karaokeing in the car during a long drive lol.

[strattonxpressions]

Arra Vargas

1. Name, Year, Major, and Hometown

5th Year Psychology Major (B.A), Minors in Education & Sociology

2. What is your earliest childhood memory? 

When I was selling goods for an elementary school fundraiser, my uncle ordered white chocolate covered pretzels that I couldn’t resist. I ate like half the box before I could deliver it to him. When he opened the box at a family party to see half of it gone I was so embarrassed as if he wasn’t going to notice.

3. What’s stopping you?

Self-doubt, my fear of judgement from others, of rejection, and of failure.

4. What is something about yourself that you’re proud of?

I’m proud that through all of my life’s hardships, I have remained a genuine and authentic person. I have made mistakes, I haven’t loved every version of myself, but my love for others and community has always remained.

5. If you could have any one question answered truthfully, what would it be?

When, how, and why will aliens reveal themselves?

6. Who is your celebrity/fictional crush? 

NLE Choppa

7. How would you spend your ideal birthday? 

Spending time with friends in nature, connecting and having great conversations, and just having fun being away from our responsibilities

8. What food that starts with the first letter of your name would you only eat for the rest of your life?

Acai bowls

9. What’s one niche interest you have that you must share with the world?

Squishies - foam fidgets that are realistically shaped like food

10. What is a memory with your closest friend and how does it exemplify your friendship together and how you value friendship as a whole (250 words minimum)

When I got into a serious car accident that totaled my car in October 2024, I had to get 15 stitches and was financially, mentally, and physically struggling for a few months. I didn’t want to deal with the paperwork, the constant communication for accommodations between work and school. The first night I returned home after my accident, the adrenaline kept me energized and basically dismissive of my accident. I thought that I wasn’t in much pain, I thought that I didn’t need help, and I thought that the accident wasn’t a big deal. Even before I knew myself that I needed support, as soon as my best friend heard of the accident she immediately - without a doubt - got dropped off by her dad at my apartment that was 40 minutes away just to care and be with me. She was more than willing and o do whatever it was that I needed, if it meant to feed me, fill out paperwork, handle my insurance situations, etc. This act of love best exemplifies our friendship that is filled with so much unconditional, gentle, love and care. Where we would drop everything in a second to show up for the other person - even if the other person doesn’t know that they need it yet. In the moment, I told her that she didn’t need to make that effort to be with me. But as the adrenaline wore off in the next few days, I realized that her presence is just exactly what I needed, and it showed me just the kind of person that she is.

[strattonxpressions]

Katelynn Phy

1. Name, Year, Major, and Hometown

Katelynn Phy, 3rd Year Psychology and Human Development Major, San Jose 

2. What is your earliest childhood memory? 

When I was 4 years old, I almost drowned in the pool. To this day I still don’t know how to swim. 

3. What’s stopping you?

Money is stopping me because if I had money I would be able to freely do so many things, such as travel, buy food, buy smiskis, etc.

4. What is something about yourself that you’re proud of?

I’m proud of my resilience because no matter what I’ve been through in my life, I always push through and strive to be the best version of myself for me and the people around me. 

5. If you could have any one question answered truthfully, what would it be?

I would like to know What happens after death? I’m very curious about more specifically where our mind goes.

6. Who is your celebrity/fictional crush? 

Mark Lee

7. How would you spend your ideal birthday? 

My ideal birthday would be spending time with my close friends and family. It wouldn’t be my birthday if I didn’t end up crying. 

8. What food that starts with the first letter of your name would you only eat for the rest of your life?

I would choose kimchi fried rice because I could customize it every time I make it.

9. What’s one niche interest you have that you must share with the world?

A niche interest is watching competitive baking shows. I feel like I’ve watched almost all the baking shows on netflix. 

10. What is a memory with your closest friend and how does it exemplify your friendship together and how you value friendship as a whole (250 words minimum)

A memory of my closest friends is when we reconnected after being apart from each other as we all went to different colleges in different areas. Not only did the distance make it difficult, however all of us each had our own busy lives to take care of, balancing busy schedules, new responsibilities, and new friendships. It would naturally be hard to stay in touch. Nevertheless, when we finally met up with each other, it felt like nothing had changed at all. We picked up where we left off, sharing stories about our time in college, all our troubles and struggles and our dreams and aspirations. 

What made the moment so special was the deep mutual understanding we shared, even though we all were living separate lives from each other. The changes in our lives-new friends, different experiences, new challenges-didn’t matter as much because we had this foundation of support and a bond built over the years that was always there, no matter how far apart or busy we get. We didn’t need to explain ourselves or give excuses as we just understood each other. 

It’s this kind of relationship that I value the most, one where you don’t have to talk every day, but you know that when you do, you’ll still be understood and supported. My friendships have been reminders that true connections can withstand distance, and even though we’re not physically together all the time, there will always be that mutual support and understanding whenever we need it.

[strattonxpressions]

Elson Wong

1. Name, Year, Major, and Hometown

Elson Wong, 3rd Year, Math Major, San Mateo

2. What is your earliest childhood memory? 

My earliest childhood memory is when I dropped a hot dog with ketchup and mustard on my sleeve and started crying in the school cafeteria in pre-school.

3. What’s stopping you?

I’m poor

4. What is something about yourself that you’re proud of?

I’m proud of how fast I type

5. If you could have any one question answered truthfully, what would it be?

“Dinosaur?”

6. Who is your celebrity/fictional crush? 

Ziggs

7. How would you spend your ideal birthday? 

I would spend my ideal birthday with my friends and family. We would do fun activities like bowling or golf together all day.

8. What food that starts with the first letter of your name would you only eat for the rest of your life?

eWatermelon

9. What’s one niche interest you have that you must share with the world?

Scrolling through Facebook marketplace for cars that I can’t afford

10. What is a memory with your closest friend and how does it exemplify your friendship together and how you value friendship as a whole (250 words minimum)

One memory with my closest friend is playing valorant from like 5 pm to 11 am. We played for almost 18 hours straight, and went on the biggest losing streak. We were sleep deprived but we were laughing the most. It got to the point where everything was funny and just spectating him dying would make each other laugh. I value our friendship a lot because we knew that we would be tired the next day and our sleep schedule would be ruined, but we thought that valorant and spending time together was more important than everything. To this day, we still talk about our old memories like playing Fortnite, Clash Royale, Fifa, NBA2K, and other games together that we remember. We’ve been through a lot and we both have always been there for each other when we needed, and I’m glad I have him in my life. As a whole, I value friendships very closely because I love spending time with the people around me. I’m always open to meet new people and I work to keep my relationships with others, if I believe they’d do the same to me. If I have a good interaction with a stranger, I would label them as a friend, even if we didn’t exchange names or social media. If I ever saw them again, I would wave or say hi, if I enjoyed the little time we had together. Although I don’t like approaching people, I enjoy it when people come up to me to maybe form a new friendship.

[strattonxpressions]

Welton Czhang

1. Name, Year, Major, and Hometown

Welton Czhang, 3rd Year, Animal Science, San Gabriel

2. What is your earliest childhood memory? 

the earliest childhood memory i have is when i was 3 years old and my mom sat my older brother brandan and i to take a photo with her digital camera. she would keep a photo album of pictures (consisting only of my older brother haha) but i remember she wanted me in the photo and kept trying to get my attention to look into the camera !! i was playing with this small cute baby bracelet so i was distracted, but eventually i did look directly at the lens. most of the times i don’t know where to look at in a photo, but i very clearly remember looking directly back into the big camera staring back at me. i smiled too!! proof of that is captured in the photo that she printed out and hung on the closet doorr. it’s a very cute picture and i cherish it sm bc ion hav much other baby photos of me

3. What’s stopping you?

myself. as much as ion like to admit it, i am not always at my best or immune to everything that happens to me. i can bat an eye at sumn n dismiss it, but the issue will still remain. and that is something unavoidable. its always a problem i cant disclose to other ppl bc it is an internal struggle that i deal wit and only i will understand. this is why i feel closed off sometimes when it comes to telling other ppl what is currently upsetting me, bc it genuinely is not sumn that the words of another could fix. some days are harder than others, n its hard for me to get up and change the thing bothering me jus bc i already deal wit a lot and i am at a total loss when i cant immediately fix a problem in minutes. some days, i jus wan to bask and feel the weight of it all. but i sit back up eventually and take care of it. i never rlly stop the hustle for too long

4. What is something about yourself that you’re proud of?

im not rlly proud of anything, but i am fond of the fact that one can accomplish anything that they set their minds to. i would say i am very hardworking so that any task can jus be a task set as the current objective or for the near future, and make my way through a lot of hoops and bounds to get to the final destination before planning towards another goal. thinking like this makes everything seem doable, no matter the difficulty

5. If you could have any one question answered truthfully, what would it be?

does the world revolve around me? i feel like im reading a film reel. life moves like im flipping through the pages of a book. it all comes together, yet so slowly. as if the words are falling in place and writing themselves. i think i hav already died and i am experiencing the looongest flashback possible rn as i relive everything, or maybe i hav been put into a memory of mine as i reconstruct and arrange the storyline where i live an outcome not yet explored. im doing things differently this time around 😌

6. Who is your celebrity/fictional crush? 

im not like this 😭😭 ion crush on ppl.. SAD but the ppl will not hear from me ab how freaky i amm !!

7. How would you spend your ideal birthday? 

oh em gee. how would i?? well of course wit the ppl i lov so all my friends, and also cats (hopefully they are mine, or pets my friends bring over !!) i wan to take sm cute pics of not jus me but wit everyone and i wan everyone to feel like they had the best time ever and not bc they are celebrating the special occasion ! we either cook food tgt or eat out for all meals of the day and go well into the night laughing, exchanging stories, and enjoying the one day of the year where all my friends are in one place. the ideal is surrounded by everyone who ive ever gotten the chance to kno and care for, n even if i jus hav that n only that is okay 😌😌

8. What food that starts with the first letter of your name would you only eat for the rest of your life?

OKAY. so i definitely got nerfed wit this questionn n maybe you’re expecting me to say watermelons but ACT i will say waffles, bc they are >>> yummier than pancakes, hav fun grids on em, and taste yummy n are super cool and awesome. so yeah waffles, i lov waffles YURR

9. What’s one niche interest you have that you must share with the world?

freak. so basically i lov how every show, movie, book EVER has an expansive compelling story created by authors or producers with i m a g i n a t i o n so that everything can be enjoyed by any one audience. im not going to nerd out on any series specifically, but my niche interest is learning ab diff series by consuming the material itself, or hearing ab it from other ppl so i can talk to them ab their interests :) i like hearing what ppl hav to say ab things they like ! one takeaway i always wan to carry wit me n the world to kno ab me is being someone knowledgeable on any sort of topic so that i can hav conversations wit anyone who happens to be discussing fictional or nonfictional works. i’ll be like oh! are you guys talking ab ragtime, one of the precursors to the origin of jazz 😃😃 what made you start listening to buddy bolden ?? things like that

10. What is a memory with your closest friend and how does it exemplify your friendship together and how you value friendship as a whole (250 words minimum)

im going to preface this question by saying that i dont necessarily hav one singular closest friend,, i am not picky like that ! friends unfortunately come and go, and this one is no different. but he was a close friend of mine during my upbringing :) when i think of a memory wit my closest friend, i am brought back to middle school wit my good friend sandson. never did i share sm laughter wit anyone else other than sandson. we often spent our time tgt playing sports at lunch, and if we shared classes tgt, best believe we were the two silly goofballs laughing up a storm. we were always snickering in class and getting called out by our teachers. glares from other students would be extraordinarily common, and more often than not we would get into trouble for bothering each other or other kids. he was basically that one guy friend all dudes hav that is a bad influence but makes your life 10x funnier 💀💀 ahhh so this is relatable to all my friendships today as i believe all my friends n i share sm laughter tgt ! i would go so far as to say that it is a defining feature of my friendships- always being accompanied by good company and dotish hysterics. my friends n i will always be able to find sumn to laugh ab, create our own inside jokes, n i could not hav the friends i hav today if not for the laughter. i see friendship in myself and within everybody in this light, there is never a dull moment if we keep on fanning the flame we hav wit incessant jokes

[strattonxpressions]

James Lau

1. Name, Year, Major, and Hometown

James Lau, 4th Year, Man Econ, Oakland, CA

2. What is your earliest childhood memory? 

Being called “American Boy” in China for a straight month when I was 4.

3. What’s stopping you?

Myself.. And money

4. What is something about yourself that you’re proud of?

Raving,…. And finally finding something to aim for after college ig. That's something, and raving. I like lasers.

5. If you could have any one question answered truthfully, what would it be?

What is the most important thing in my life?

6. Who is your celebrity/fictional crush? 

(Her)

7. How would you spend your ideal birthday? 

Idk my birthday is a curse so just lemme rave with people I care about

8. What food that starts with the first letter of your name would you only eat for the rest of your life?

Jerk chicken

9. What’s one niche interest you have that you must share with the world?

Raccoons and Cologne

10. What is a memory with your closest friend and how does it exemplify your friendship together and how you value friendship as a whole (250 words minimum)

Ight lemme take this one kinda serious. I don’t really know whos my closest friend but I know I got people around me that kinda cares. I don't remember just one time but theres been a lot of time when I have gone through a rough patch and just needed someone to talk to and spend time with so I get to stop thinking. A bad habit I kinda do is suppress what I feel and it kinda boils over eventually and when it does I need someone to be there so I can keep myself in check. I guess most recently ive been able to kinda talk to some of my closest friends for like a extended period of time and that was really like calming for me. Even if I was dead tired or colder than a mf, I didn’t want it to end. I would give up a lot of things and even sleep to just talk for a few more minutes. I guess I just value friendships as something thats important to me. I've realized as I got older that not everyone is actually there for you and people aren’t as they make themselves out to be. You just gotta find the right ones and keep them, and thats all you really need. Also helping the people around you. Yeah. OK thats all you getting.

[strattonxpressions]

Tony Zhong

1. Name, Year, Major, and Hometown

Tony Zhong, 4th Year Managerial Economics, double-minor in Technology Management and Communication from Huadu District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China

2. What is your earliest childhood memory? 

Getting no huzz

3. What’s stopping you?

My height

4. What is something about yourself that you’re proud of?

Jobs not finished, nun to be proud of

5. If you could have any one question answered truthfully, what would it be?

When will the 49ers win a Super Bowl like please I can’t wait any longer

6. Who is your celebrity/fictional crush? 

Rosé from Blackpink and lwk like used to have a crush on Lucy Heartfilia from Fairytail

7. How would you spend your ideal birthday? 

A premium AYCE sushi meal + concert

8. What food that starts with the first letter of your name would you only eat for the rest of your life?

Tacos Tacos Tacos

9. What’s one niche interest you have that you must share with the world?

Trying new oatmeal shakes from the brand oatsovernight (I don’t even like oatmeal but this brand is fire y’all should try it!)

10. What is a memory with your closest friend and how does it exemplify your friendship together and how you value friendship as a whole (250 words minimum)

My closest friend at UC Davis is Makenna Hanna Yokoyama. We met through our orientation group (Jet is in it too) and later found out we both lived in the trenches of the regan halls together. I knew immediately that she was definitely someone I could get along with and she even went out of her way to knock on my door and wake me up for orientation (I did not even end up going). Throughout freshman year, we hung out with each other pretty much EVERY SINGLE DAY and I don’t know how I never got sick of her. Without her, I probably wouldn't have met 50 people here at Davis. Our first major memory together is when I invited her to a party on her birthday during the second week of school. I personally don’t remember much from that night but that accelerated our friendship and ever since then, we’ve celebrated each other's 19th-21st birthdays, with her 21st being in Las Vegas! I am extremely grateful for her because of all the opportunities she has given me. Whether being able to go down to socal to travel and stay at her place; or to go to Las Vegas with her family and her home friends; meeting each others friends and family; going to kings games and concerts; going to good friends every single time we want to eat; or just staying up at each other's dorm or apartment yapping our lives away. My experience at UC Davis and college in general would not be the same without her and she plays a crucial role during the golden years of my life.

[strattonxpressions]

Amy Gonzalez

1. Name, Year, Major, and Hometown

Amy Gonzalez, 5th Year, Managerial Economics Major, Technology Management, Communications, and Data in Society triple minors, from the Bay Area

2. What is your earliest childhood memory? 

One I can remember in full detail: I remember having a terrible eye allergy reaction, it was so bad I couldn’t open my eyes and it was on the last day of preschool. Instead of going to school, I was taken to urgent care and of course, my teachers surprised the class with a water park extravaganza that day ;-;

3. What’s stopping you?

Something stopping me at the moment is my inability to walk without crutches since I recently got injured haha!

4. What is something about yourself that you’re proud of?

I am pretty proud of myself for getting to college and seeing it through as I am first generation!

5. If you could have any one question answered truthfully, what would it be?

Are you okay?

6. Who is your celebrity/fictional crush? 

Kakashi Hatake or Dominic Fike

7. How would you spend your ideal birthday? 

With the people I value the most, doing something fun!

8. What food that starts with the first letter of your name would you only eat for the rest of your life?

Asada fries

9. What’s one niche interest you have that you must share with the world?

411 cases and Human physiology

10. What is a memory with your closest friend and how does it exemplify your friendship together and how you value friendship as a whole (250 words minimum)

A favorite friend memory I have is staying up all night on top of the Hutchison parking structure to watch the sunrise! It was two of my friends and myself, we spent the entire night BLASTING music with my speaker, paying uno, talking about the most random things ever, finally seeing the sunrise, then going to the dorms and knocking out. This was probably one of the best college memories I have because it was so random, impulsive, and grounding. I share a lot of similar interests with these two individuals, and it was awesome bonding with them. Overall, this experience was grounding as I finally felt accepted for being me.

I value friendship a lot. I feel like it is very important for someone to have some type of connection and support in one way or another. At the very least, friendships allow for momentary distractions which is also pretty valuable.

All this resulted in my interest in becoming Pledge Master. I wanted to be able to provide the pledges with an “automatic friend,” someone they can feel comfortable, seen, or heard, or at the very least be someone they can distract themselves with! I love talking to people and making new friends. I seriously do not judge people. It's interesting to hear about how other human beings are living their lives and what experiences they have undergone. In addition, I enjoy being “there” for my friends. I always want my friends to know that I will have their backs no matter what (sounds so cliche but it’s true). I will always be a listening ear, I will always give them my perspective on things if asked, I will always help them in any way I can, and if anything, I will always be there for moral support. What I value in a friendship definitely includes respect, humor, open-mindedness, and communication. I value trustworthy people who reciprocate my respect and overall energy. Establishing mutual respect for one another provides a strong foundation for a strong friendship to be built. With no respect, there's no strong foundation. Everyone is entitled to live their lives the way they want and as long as it's not hurting anyone else, who are we to judge or stop them? Humor and open-mindedness are also other attributes I value in a friendship. I gravitate more toward those who can laugh hard times and stressors away, which is no easy task, although this is not something cutthroat. In a friendship, I value those who can understand that everyone has a different perspective on life and that everyone is different. Lastly, communication is also very valuable to me in a friendship. People who understand that mind-reading is impossible. I am a very straightforward person, I do not beat around the bush about most things. If someone is able to communicate their feelings and thoughts, there will be no misunderstandings as we will be able to talk about problems and solve them! There are accommodations for everything and people who are willing to put in effort to accommodate are people who I value as friends.

[strattonxpressions]

Brandon Vu

1. Name, Year, Major, and Hometown

I am Brandon Vu, a second year NPB major from San Jose.

2. What is your earliest childhood memory? 

This is gonna be lowkey kinda foul, but I think I remember it so well for a reason. My earliest childhood memory is at this Lutheran preschool I went to. Every day we would be forced to go to mass. Now I am Catholic, not Lutheran, and also I was like 4, so nothing that happened was processed by my brain. All I can remember is that it was a pretty dark room and that they would give us pennies to donate to the church? I think it was to train us for when we actually had money. But us…being 4, just sucked on those pennies (and maybe ate them 😳), so I think it was a bad idea to give us coins lol 😭

3. What’s stopping you?

I believe what’s stopping me is just a fear of change. I like consistency, consistency is comfortable. If you hide in a box, you never know what dangers await you outside. Now this is very limiting. It’s even hard to walk up to people sometimes because I don’t want to be a burden, I don’t want them to disrupt anything they’re doing, because that would be me introducing change to them, disruption is change.

However, if you hide in a box, you’ll also never know what else you’re missing out there. When I do manage to crawl out of that box, it is scary sometimes, but it is also when I have the most fun, unique experiences. So despite what’s stopping me, I’m trying to stop it…from stopping me lol. I love this question, thank you Chrinny and Lauren for writing this. ❤️

4. What is something about yourself that you’re proud of?

One thing about myself that I am proud of is doing weekly check-ins with my friends every week. Now I may miss a few people every once in a while, but I think it’s just really nice to catch up with people every week, especially since I’m not able to see/call them every week either. It’s a simple thing that I think goes a long way. It’s nice to see what they’re up to, how they’re feeling, the adventures they go on. Especially since some things are not meant/comfortable to be said publicly, it’s cozy to have the opportunity to talk about stuff like that. It helps me be more social and active with my friendships.

5. If you could have any one question answered truthfully, what would it be?

If I could have any one question answered truthfully, I think it would be the question below this one “who is your celebrity crush?” I think it’s just such a fun question and it doesn’t really do much harm. It’s not super invasive, but you can still learn a lot about somebody from it. Now I don’t know why people would be dishonest about it in the first place, or if they ever would be, but maybe it’ll make people remember their answers better.

6. Who is your celebrity/fictional crush? 

Oh girl that list is way too long to list 😳. I had a long think about this before while I was talking to Ella, and I believe I came up with a definitive list for the time being. I was planning to only list a few of them, but I’ll list all 25 >:) (the joke is on me because I’ll have to set up the tumblr page with my dumb long answers 😵‍)

So without further ado in no particular order (last updated in November 2024)

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan

Glen Powell 

Dev Patel 

Florence Pugh 

Manny Jacinto 

Jessica Henwick 

Diego Luna 

Iman Vellani 

William Jackson Harper 

Janelle Monae 

Pedro Pascal

Adria Arjona

Andrew Garfield

Ana de Armas 

Ke Huy Quan

Karen Fukuhara

Will Poulter 

Ayo Edebiri 

Harvey Guillen 

Geraldine Vishwanathan 

Daniel Radcliffe 

Isabela Merced

Karan Soni 

Katy O’Brian 

Willem Dafoe 

Good luck me in January trying to format this on tumblr :D

note from january: wasn't that bad 🤷‍♀️ also this list is outdated and i refuse to fix it 😤

7. How would you spend your ideal birthday? 

Oh oh! I’ve actually been planning for my next birthday! My birthday is on January 17th. Fortunately for me, PADDINGTON IN PERU RELEASES ON MY BIRTHDAY 🥳. I absolutely love that little bear. I think Paddington 2 is the pinnacle of human creation. My plan is to get my best friend and we’re gonna watch it and then we’re gonna grab Tims? and Davis Creamery afterwards. I think I enjoy nice simple things like this, I don’t need something huge, just to have a nice time. Also Severance season 2 premieres on my birthday and I love that show. 

note from january: paddington 3 was delayed a MONTH and MY BIRTHDAY WAS ON GRILLING

8. What food that starts with the first letter of your name would you only eat for the rest of your life?

If I had to choose a food like that, I would choose banana bread. Bread would be too boring of an answer for this question and I’m allergic to bananas. I honestly can’t think of anything else because bananas is one of my favorite words. Now you may be asking…Brandon wouldn’t you be allergic to banana bread?? This is a true statement. The last time I had banana bread back in 2020, I had an allergic reaction. Now my allergies aren’t deadly and should only happen if I eat raw/unprocessed bananas, and it is possible that the banana slices on top were the reason why I had a reaction…but I love banana bread the few times I had it. This is a huge gamble because this could lead to me just dying, but I think it’s worth it for banana bread 😤.

9. What’s one niche interest you have that you must share with the world?

This is going to get unbelievably nerdy but the one niche interest I have that I must share with the world is the enlightenment of Gwenpool. You may be thinking to yourself “a pink girl deadpool? Pass 🙄” NO. You don’t understand. I used to be one of you. But then I picked up The Unbelievable Gwenpool by Christopher Hastings and Gurihiru. It’s a really cute, really fun book about this girl from our world who gets sucked into the world of Marvel Comics. She learns the importance of self worth and how even if it feels like everything you do is inconsequential to the grand scheme of things, it is still important to someone. It’s both a metacommentary on comics and also a commentary on existentialism that everyone should read! Now someone buy me the gwenpool skin on fortnite. I don’t play it but I want it 😤

10. What is a memory with your closest friend and how does it exemplify your friendship together and how you value friendship as a whole (250 words minimum)

My closest friend is a girly pop named Grace. We have been friends since high school, being partners in Speech and Debate and hanging out all the time. And coincidentally just ended up at the same college together. Last year, we went on a lot of late night walks, ice cream runs, and dinners at Tim’s. It was a lot of fun.

Since school started this year, it had been a while since we were able to hang out just by ourselves. Last time was in September during the summer; school has had us sooooo busy. Especially because we live on opposite sides of Davis, it’s been very difficult to coordinate things.

Last week she was like “hey do you wanna grab lunch or something?” and of course I said yes. So we journeyed downtown in search of food. We were catching up, you know the usual. You gotta build up. And then we stumbled into Boheme’s. I wanted to see the halloween stuff. We ended up in this crafts nook of the store. Everything in this was hella cute, leather jackets, other types of jackets (I don’t know fabrics/clothing lol) and they were all super reasonably priced. We were too broke to buy anything real but we did start digging through the stickers for…a good while lol. We were helping each other find cute stickers for each other’s friends.

We then went to Davis Noodle City and had a lovely meal with a good yap sesh. Obviously what is said in the yap sesh stays in the yap sesh, but I think just the wide variety of emotions that went through the yap sesh was really nice. It was goofy, it was silly, and sometimes it was serious and provocative. We then went to Davis Creamery and got a flight of Matcha, Pumpkin Chai, Avocado Coconut, and Vanilla Caramel Latte. It was absolutely transcendent. Just a lovely lovely day with my best friend.

I think our friendship just perfectly defines what I look for in friendship: versatility. I love how we were able to flow between all these different vibes. In Boheme’s we were laughing at how the hella slayful jackets were also next to the “grandma-core jackets” to our more quiet, contemplative tea spilling in Davis Noodle City. I feel like with Grace I can go through the full range of emotions without fear of embarrassment or judgment. It’s an absolutely lovely feeling and what I look for most in fellowship.

[strattonxpressions]

Charleen Madayag

1. Name, Year, Major, and Hometown

Charleen Madayag, 4th year Molecular & Medical Microbiology, and Manteca, CA.

2. What is your earliest childhood memory? 

Being an ipad kid on the living room floor.

3. What’s stopping you?

My laziness and not being able to wake up early, I waste a lot of time just bed rotting when I could be applying to jobs :(

4. What is something about yourself that you’re proud of?

I’m proud that I am able to persevere and stay persistent (or I’m just stubborn).

5. If you could have any one question answered truthfully, what would it be?

Am I going to have my dream house?

6. Who is your celebrity/fictional crush? 

Shay Mitchell and Nueve Lio

7. How would you spend your ideal birthday? 

With my close family and friends in my backyard, a fire in the middle of us, and we’re talking about past memories at night.

8. What food that starts with the first letter of your name would you only eat for the rest of your life?

Mangos (my first name is Mariah).

9. What’s one niche interest you have that you must share with the world?

I’m obsessed with Howl’s Moving Castle. I would match the book to movie scenes in my free time and I know almost everything about the movie.

10. What is a memory with your closest friend and how does it exemplify your friendship together and how you value friendship as a whole (250 words minimum)

A memory with my closest friend was when we went on our first trip to San Diego together. Overall, it was a fun experience going to the beach, her getting a tattoo, eating good food, and just exploring a new environment with someone you consider your closest person. Though, the most memorable part was the fact that we were finally doing the plans we dreamt of when we were kids. It was definitely a surreal experience being so young and planning different trips with my best friend, thinking these times were going to be far in the future, and then finally being able to travel to places we only saw online as an adult together.

With this being our first trip, it reminded me of how even though so much time has passed, my best friend and I are able to go back to each other and still feel close. As most of my time and energy went towards college and hers toward her job, drifting away was definitely a fear of mine. Though, going on this trip solidified our friendship for the both of us. Even though I consider myself a high maintenance friend with my love language being quality time, growing up made once in a while hang outs our norm. Going to San Diego, it was able to bring us that nostalgic feeling of still being kids with your closest person, exploring a new city together. Even though distance and time has brought us apart, I knew we would always be together.

[strattonxpressions]

Colleen McKenna

1. Name, Year, Major, and Hometown

Colleen McKenna Psychology Tracy

2. What is your earliest childhood memory? 

My earliest childhood memory is being at preschool.

3. What’s stopping you?

I am stopping myself.

4. What is something about yourself that you’re proud of?

I am proud of how I take care of myself and my boundaries.

5. If you could have any one question answered truthfully, what would it be?

When am i gonna die

6. Who is your celebrity/fictional crush? 

NA

7. How would you spend your ideal birthday? 

At the beaCh with a big sandwich and a coke

8. What food that starts with the first letter of your name would you only eat for the rest of your life?

Chicken

9. What’s one niche interest you have that you must share with the world?

My fav show is rick n morty

10. What is a memory with your closest friend and how does it exemplify your friendship together and how you value friendship as a whole (250 words minimum)

One of my closest memories was with my friends when we went on a trip to San Diego this summer. This trip exemplifies our friendship together because we all agreed to hang out and go on a trip together to spend time and have fun!This memory exemplifies our friendship because we all had a really good time together And a lot of fun.This memory shows our friendship together because we all made each activity that we did fun and unique in our own way.It is a really big memory for me to watch the fireworks on the Fourth of July and we were just having fun being ourselves. I value our friendship because they are always there for me and I am always there for them. We went on a hike and went to the beach and my friend showed us parts of her hometown which is a special thing to experience. I value our friendships because we all stay connected and got clsoe to each other because of our past job at dutch bros. I love all my frienfd because This was a big memory because I was able to meet my friends Mom and get to know her family more and just more about her hometown. It was special because I was able to meet her family and we were able to stay at her hometown house too. Overall, this memory is significant because even if we are all new friends, it reminds me that these are friends that I will have for a while and hopefully forever. I am grateful to think back about this memory and just remember Fourth of July being in San Diego with them.

[strattonxpressions]

Bry Pulido

1. Name, Year, Major, and Hometown

aii, I am Bryannarenee Pulido. I am a 4th year Communication major and Technology Management minor. I am from Bakersfield, California.

2. What is your earliest childhood memory? 

I literally cannot recall my earliest childhood memory. 😭

3. What’s stopping you?

Ermmm not saying no more :p

4. What is something about yourself that you’re proud of?

Something I am proud of is making it this far as a first generation latina.

5. If you could have any one question answered truthfully, what would it be?

Who would you choose in a room full of people that you have ever built a connection with?

6. Who is your celebrity/fictional crush? 

DPR IANNNNN

7. How would you spend your ideal birthday? 

My ideal birthday is spending it with my family and friends.

8. What food that starts with the first letter of your name would you only eat for the rest of your life?

I would eat burritos or bolillos.

9. What’s one niche interest you have that you must share with the world?

I like to listen to true crime podcasts. At one point, I wanted to be a forensic scientist.

10. What is a memory with your closest friend and how does it exemplify your friendship together and how you value friendship as a whole (250 words minimum)

A few memories with my closest friend would be happy and sad moments. One being going on a late night drive while listening to music. At one point into the hangout as I was driving, my friend spotted a giant orange construction cone. I was driving and we got to a red light. At this point, I thought we were going to get caught or the light was going to turn green. My friends then proceeded to get out of the car and take the giant cone. At that point, I was making sure no cars were behind us. We ended up taking the cone home and putting all of our names on it. This memory shows how my friend took me out of my comfort zone. Another thing would be at one point in my life, I lost someone very close to me and to be honest it hit me really tremendously. My friends really stepped in to help my family to the point they were with us the whole time through the grieving process to make sure my family and I were okay. At this moment, I have never felt so grateful that I had help to process my feelings and a very amazing support system. This truly shows that actions speak louder than words in relationships and with the right people you are highly valued! The value of our friendship is a dynamic of having fun and being there for each other when we need it the most.

[strattonxpressions]

Madison Liang

1. Name, Year, Major, and Hometown

 Madison Liang, 3rd year, Design & Communication majors, LA (arcadia)

2. What is your earliest childhood memory? 

um idk if i can remember my earliest but I remember putting on puppet shows with my sister and role playing as Gunther and Tinka from Shake it Up

3. What’s stopping you?

idk. what is stopping me? ig myself. my lack of determination

4. What is something about yourself that you’re proud of?

I'm proud of the way that my parents see me.

5. If you could have any one question answered truthfully, what would it be?

how would i be able to expand my dogs' life spans so that they could live as long as humans

6. Who is your celebrity/fictional crush? 

peeta mellark from the hunger games specifically. not josh hutcherson

7. How would you spend your ideal birthday? 

boating somewhere jaw-droppingly beautiful, eating my favorite foods with the people that i love

8. What food that starts with the first letter of your name would you only eat for the rest of your life?

mango sticky rice

9. What’s one niche interest you have that you must share with the world?

i have a very strong fascination for sharks and the ocean (specifically the mysteries of the ocean and the creatures living in there)

10. What is a memory with your closest friend and how does it exemplify your friendship together and how you value friendship as a whole (250 words minimum)

something I greatly value in a friendship is being able to share anything with a friend, and being met with love and support. For example, I appreciate being comfortable enough to pour my heart out and engage in deep conversations, and being able to get comfort in times of need. I have a lot of memories that reflect this, and I won't get into much detail, but when something traumatic happens, I really appreciate it when my friends know exactly what I need, sometimes when I don't know myself. Like during tough situations, when they will hold my hand, give me a hug, and help me through the situation with words of love and support. Knowing that I have a support system and friends that I can turn to if ever needed is something that, I think, makes a friendship so strong, and is something that I really cherish. This goes both ways, meaning I will also do my very best to be that person for my friends as well. Sorry that this is kind of a very vague response, but it's hard to name, or think about, only one specific person that fits this because there are a lot that come to mind, which I am so so incredibly grateful for, but I think having this in a friendship is incredibly comforting, meaning that I'm very happy to know that I have a loving support system that I can rely on if ever needed.

[strattonxpressions]

Nathan Galedo

1. Name, Year, Major, and Hometown

Nathan Galedo, 4th Year Aerospace Engineering, Vallejo

2. What is your earliest childhood memory? 

I used to live in San Francisco at the time, and I remember walking with my grandma to the local Pacific Super, just to get gummi choco or mini m&ms just before the checkout, and I’d watch the m&m container go on the circular conveyor belt. I also miss the smell of everything too, as far as Asian supermarket smells go, the fish and dewy smell, very nostalgic, and I miss it.

3. What’s stopping you?

Nothing really!

4. What is something about yourself that you’re proud of?

I’m proud of how far I’ve come to be more confident in myself towards others.

5. If you could have any one question answered truthfully, what would it be?

Can’t think much of one very well, but if I were to be asking this to myself, I would ask am I happy?

6. Who is your celebrity/fictional crush? 

Can’t really think of one. But, I’m just gonna lob Arden Cho.

7. How would you spend your ideal birthday? 

I would spend my ideal birthday by driving up to Bodega Bay with family and/or friends, listening to Kings of Convenience, buying bags of oysters, lemon, and tabasco, heading to our airbnb, listening to jazz music, sitting on the patio, and I’ll have a cake from a French patisserie. Dream birthday would be different, but this, this is ideal.

8. What food that starts with the first letter of your name would you only eat for the rest of your life?

A Napoleon, a flaky puff pastry filled with custard and or pastry cream. #1.

9. What’s one niche interest you have that you must share with the world?

Not that niche, but my interest in van life, I think that’s kind of cool. Like the videos you see of people living in a decked out Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, and being able to camp all around the world and live in it, with pull-out tables and awnings, lavish interior, cool amenities, and travelling across the coast, or even doing road trips in Europe, I would want to share that with someone.

10. What is a memory with your closest friend and how does it exemplify your friendship together and how you value friendship as a whole (250 words minimum)

A memory I have with my closest friend, rather closest friends, is travelling down to LA with them for my 21st birthday. Not only did they bring me to Disneyland, but also brought me around town to meet their friends, to enjoy each other's company, eat amazing food, and become closer with my faith. My favorite place to eat that they brought me to was Harucake, not only because I’m always sharing videos with them of it, but more so, they know I love food. They’ve brought me to places I would’ve otherwise dreamed of visiting myself if not with them, and I’m so appreciative that they know so much about me, that they think of me in such a way. The most memorable might have to be them bringing me to their church, and meeting like-minded people who genuinely live the way they do because of their faith. I think I put a lot of emphasis on living through believing, and my friends recognize that about me, especially in the ways that I want to live and how to live, believing in good people, life, love, and other things that come with being alive. Them knowing me so much so, changes my definition of friendship in so many ways, rather, them knowing me for me, and also knowing them that it’s so effortless to be around and just get together once again. Having to be seamless in hanging out with someone, and having natural friendship and affinity for all of us to be together, is something that I appreciate and value so much in a friendship as a whole, where I don’t have to try as much to be someone’s friend, but rather, be friends with them whimsically and naturally.

[strattonxpressions]

Sean Batoon

1. Name, Year, Major, and Hometown

Sean Vincent Batoon 4th Year. Design Major Tech Management Minor Hometown : Pacifica CA

2. What is your earliest childhood memory? 

I broke my arm dancing on a chair as a baby.

3. What’s stopping you?

The idea of failure, money, and being comfortable.

4. What is something about yourself that you’re proud of?

Being able to be me and not be ashamed of what other people think about me.

5. If you could have any one question answered truthfully, what would it be?

6. Who is your celebrity/fictional crush? 

Hanni Pham. next question.

7. How would you spend your ideal birthday? 

Surrounded by friends and loved ones.

8. What food that starts with the first letter of your name would you only eat for the rest of your life?

Sandwich, because I can use different ingredients for my sandwich.

9. What’s one niche interest you have that you must share with the world?

Making trap beats. Shoutout @ prod.sbeezy

10. What is a memory with your closest friend and how does it exemplify your friendship together and how you value friendship as a whole (250 words minimum)

Last year, a close friend of mine went through a particularly rough patch due to some family issues and work stress. Knowing this friend needed support, I made it a point to be available. Often, this meant just listening. This friend isn't someone who opens up easily, but they know they can trust me, so little by little, they began to share their feelings and frustrations.

I remember one evening when my friend called, sounding more disheartened than usual. We decided to sit together and just talk. By sharing my experiences and troubles to show how imperfect I was, my friend expressed feelings of uncertainty about difficulties at home. Although I couldn't solve their problems, I listened attentively, offered empathy, and sometimes advice when it seemed right. I reminded them of their strengths and the challenges they had overcome in the past, trying to bolster their confidence.

After that we became a lot more closer on a deeper level regarding our personal issues. I believe these consistent, small gestures of making myself available and showing I cared helped my friend feel less isolated. By being a stable presence during an unstable time, I hoped to give them a sense of continuity and normalcy.

This experience reinforced my belief in the power of simply being there. Supporting my friend wasn't about grand gestures but the willingness to accompany them through their lows and remind them of their worth. It’s these moments of quiet solidarity that define friendship for me, highlighting its role as a source of strength and comfort.