#which is a bit of a privileged take as he has a really high gpa and i do NOT (partially for reasons outside of my control)

[clonewarsahsoka]

Being genuinely supported is crazy wow

[acecademia]

Do you feel like you are both a full time student and a full time employee? I have seen numerous professors online say that if someone is taking classes full time then they shouldn't also be working since they should be treating school like a full time job. Some professors I know in person have also said this but I feel like none of the professors like to admit that students might need to work to pay for their classes.... What are your thoughts about what some professors say about classes?

Hi, nonny!

So my experiences are super specific to my situation, and I don't think there's a one-size-fits-all kind of scenario here.

I was able to get a full-tuition scholarship for undergrad. I still took out loans to help pay for my rent and food, but my parents also gave me some money every month to help pay for groceries and whatnot. Upon graduating from my undergrad program, my parents split the college savings account they'd set up for my brother and me. We each got half. That half was enough to pretty much exactly cover what I'd racked up in debt. I did not work during undergrad. My parents and I discussed it. They had both worked through college. My mom went to a college that was 100% work-study for all students, and my dad worked a few different jobs through college, I believe, like bartending. My scholarship was awarded for academic achievement, and one of the conditions for that scholarship was maintaining a high GPA. My parents agreed that school needed to be my priority and that I should focus my energy on keeping up my grades so I would keep my scholarship. Undergrad was a hell of a lot easier because of that. I wasn't trying to balance 15 hours of class per week with a 20 hour/week job and then homework and trying to actually have social interaction or just play a video game. It let me adjust to the independence and really settle into the level of self-sufficiency that I needed to achieve.

During my MLIS, I was paying out-of-state tuition. I had my assistantship which paid me a bit every month and came with in-state tuition remission, but I was still paying about $6k/semester with the difference in out-of-state and in-state tuition. I was working 20 hours/week in that job, and with a full load of classes, it was a lot. One of my friends who didn't have an assistantship was, at one point, working 40 hours/week at a full-time job on top of taking classes full time. I legit do not understand how she did it. It took a toll on her, though, and she eventually had to cut back on how many hours she could work per week because it was not sustainable.

I'm now working even more with the PhD because the classes require more time, and in the spring, I had an extra overload TA position (and my research study). It's a lot, and I'm honestly pretty exhausted already. I need a break hahaha

ha

ha

seriously please I need a break

In an ideal world, college would be a hell of a lot cheaper, and no one would need to work their way through school. I think the work is useful if it's an assistantship or something, especially in master's or PhD programs where it's relevant to your future career goals. But that's not reality. In reality, not everyone is privileged enough to be in a position like I was where I could take out the loans I needed and also have the safety net of my parents to fall back on. I have been incredibly lucky in my life to never have to worry about where my next meal is coming from or if there will be a next meal. If something happened and I suddenly had no money, I know I could go to my parents for help. They're not rich by any means, but they're upper-middle class and can afford to help out their kids every now and then when or if we need it. I think trying to work full-time and be a full-time student is a recipe for disaster and extreme burnout, especially if you have any other obligations on top of that (like a family or spouse). But also, I'm sure there are some people out there who can handle that. I definitely couldn't, though.

I also strongly believe that, as a professor, your job is to help your students. If you have a student who's struggling because they have outside obligations, that is a student who needs support, not disdain or judgement. Work with them. That's one thing I've really loved about my MLIS and PhD programs, in particular. The professors tend to have an attitude of "look, we're all adults here, and you have a life outside of school. if something comes up, let me know, and we'll figure it out." And it's just super chill and comfortable.

tl;dr: There isn't a one-size-fits-all solution here, but working full-time and going to school full-time is insanely intense. Not everyone can afford to focus solely on school, and that is completely okay and needs to be normalized. Also professors need to acknowledge that your life does not revolve around their class because that's just really dumb

Also, my current boss told me he recommended another PhD student quit her full-time job and focus solely on her PhD, so that's a thing that happened 🙃

[deonisms]

━━ ( booboo stewart + cis male + twenty one ) oi , have you seen deon damgaard around he lives in flat 14 in bedroom 2 ? i was meant to meet them this morning at bean me up before our lecture but he didn’t show . no ? well , shit . if you do see them , can you tell them i’m looking for them ? they’re a 3rd year robotics engineering student from gainesville, florida & you’ll know it’s them because they might just remind you of the faint smell of something burning, the restless clicking of a tongue piercing against teeth, boisterous laughter muffled by thin walls, dark circles combined with blindly bright grins, the warmth of overheating machinery . just be careful, he can be a little tactless, gullible & mercurial sometimes . —- oh don’t look like that , they’re usually eccentric, innovative & intuitive most of the time . ✏ pepper , twenty three, she/her, est

ABOUT THE MUN. hey demons, it’s ya gurl pepper

djkdsjk hello it is me again,,, simply out here being a slave to my own inspiration. honestly, i love ismael but i was torn between him, theo, and deon before apply for this rp and i am just feeling deon a bit more atm. i might still bring ismael in later as my third muse but for now it’s going to be all chaotic energy with one mr. deon! but omg okay a bit about me, i love the bachelor/bachelorette so hit me up if you want to mourn the death of pilot pete’s last braincell. i have a yorkie who literally runs my household as she should. i am honestly a hoe for a good aesthetic, like pinterest runs my ass. and i love sparkling water, which is controversial i know but perrier? god. fuck me up.

BIO. i need a himbo! i’m holding out for a himbo at the end of the night! he’s gotta be strong, and he’s gotta be fast, and he’s gotta be dumb and polite! suicide tw, depression tw, death tw !!!

Deon Damgaard was born from a tryst of passion. In other words, an affair. A very exciting affair, if that makes things any better. Said affair was between his mother, a talented young pianist, and his father, an influential, very much married businessman. You see, his father saw his mother play once and instantly fell in love. He came to every single one of his mother’s performances after that, and every time he did he left her flowers. Extravagant, beautiful flowers, the kind of flowers that make an impact on a woman, apparently. And they must have, because before long Deon’s mother was falling just as in love with Deon’s father as he was with her. And obviously you know what happens next. Deon.

Now, the thing about passionate love affairs is that they’re love affairs for a reason. There’s the love part of course. But there’s also the affair part. And that’s where things get complicated. Because despite being utterly, and completely in love with Deon’s mother, his father was still married. And he had no intention of ending his marriage, even for love.

But Deon’s mother didn’t know that at first. You see, Deon has inherited his mother’s easy optimism. The woman was in love and she believed with absolute surety that the love of her life would ultimately choose her. And so she waited for that day. And waited. And waited.

She spent most of the first few years of Deon’s life waiting, but the longer she waited the less Deon’s father even bothered to come around. The thing with falling in love hard and fast is that you can fall out of love just as quickly. And that’s exactly what Deon’s father did. He fell out of love like it was nothing.

So there was Deon’s mother, with a baby she shared with a man who didn’t love her anymore. One that carried his last name against his wishes, one that even had the name that he’d said he’d always wanted to give a son. One that she loved, truly. But that love wasn’t enough. Because Deon’s mother was in pain. More pain than a little baby like Deon could understand. Enough pain to end her own life.

Deon was six at the time. Not old enough to know what the big deal was, but old enough to understand that something was wrong. Especially when he  quickly found himself in an orphanage. His father never claimed him of course. Deon doesn’t even know if he mourned his mother. Or if he wanted to come to her funeral. All he knows is that he wasn’t there.

There’s not much to be said after that, or at least nothing as poetic as the beginning. Deon was put into the foster system and he was never really wanted again. Well. Maybe that’s not completely true. The truth is no one ever wanted to adopt him. But he always hoped someone would. He’d be passed from family to family to family, bright eyed and hoping like the optimistic child he was. But they never wanted him. Some said he was too hyper. Others said he was too curious. More than a few just said he was too odd, and Deon always found that strange. That he was too odd to keep. Too odd to love.

Of course most of them didn’t expect Deon to be eavesdropping when they said these things so Deon couldn’t really fault them. They didn’t mean to hurt him. And so she could never truly hate them. He couldn’t find it in his heart to. But it was painful, to get his hopes up each time only to have them dashed away. Whether that be by being tossed aside like nothing but a nuisance or tossed around like nothing but a rag doll. It always hurt to seek love and give love and yet never get any in return.

The bright side in Deon’s eyes was that at least he never made any friends. Because could you imagine how hard that would be? To pack your bags and have to say goodbye to your family and friends every time? It’d be too much to bear. So Deon counted his blessings. There weren’t many but he cherished the ones he had.

One of which was school. Deon didn’t have much at all, but at the very least he had school. Because everything had a price. Toys. Food. Even families (Deon wasn’t completely ignorant to the fact that his families got paid just to take care of him. For a lot of them that was the only reason they kept him around in the first place.) but school? School was free, and he adored it. Okay, maybe not all of it. English and foreign languages and god, history, all of that was painfully boring. But science? Science was the one thing that he had to look forward to throughout most of his childhood. And it continued to be that one thing into his young adulthood.

The majority of Deon’s said young adulthood was spent sporadically behind bars. Let’s just say Deon fell into the wrong crowd. It wasn’t on purpose, Deon has just and likely always will be the kind of person who is eager for friendship. All these kids had to do was be even slightly nice to him and ‘sure, man! i can totally hotwire that car for you!’. That’s not to say Deon was completely innocent himself. Most of his arrests for theft, graffiti, and street racing, were products of his own doing. But sometimes, Deon just happened to be the guy abandoned at the scene of the crime. He never gave up his friends, no matter what the cops threatened him with, but he unfortunately never had the privilege of having his loyalty returned.

Deon stayed out of juvie by the skin of his teeth. It was mostly due to the fact that he lived in a lot of different small towns for majority of his adolescence. Deon could usually endear the small town sheriffs to him with his incessant chatter, and well meaning demeanor. He honestly made friends with more than a few of the cops that had arrested him, and there are more than a few that Deon would still call up today and chat with.

Despite his dabbling in crime, Deon graduated from high school with an almost spotless GPA and partial scholarships to more than a few universities including Harvard, MIT, Yale. Deon was kind of startled by all of the offers, but he did have more than a few projects during his years of schooling that caught the universities attention (including making a car that ran on used vegetable oil, a charger that could charge your phone to completion in less than a minute, etc). But with all the offers, Deon picked Larnswick. Why? Well, mostly because he’d never been on a plane but also because he picked his university by playing eenie meenie miney mo dkdskj

Deon showed up to flat 14 with one pretty light suitcase, a rat in his hand, and a beaming grin despite being in a new strange country. He’s here on a full scholarship, but doesn’t really have any money of his own so he works a lot of jobs, or rather he gets fired from a lot of jobs. Every month or so you can see Deon in a new uniform for a new establishment, and every once in a while Deon will tell you the wild story of how he got fired from said establishment. Honestly he could really do well in a job as a handyman, but jsdkj he hasn’t thought of that yet. 

HEADCANNONS. if i get shot do i own the bullet? like can i keep it?

fun fact, i originally made deon as an npc in a house party para i was doing with my friend sdkjsdjk he was genuinely made to be as annoying as possible but then my friend actually really liked him so now he’s a whole ass muse. that said if he is annoying... it’s because he was legit designed to be i’m sorry folks sdkjdskj fingers crossed he’s not though! but grating traits he has: never stops talking man, says man, dude, bruh, and bro, constantly. CONSTANTLY. you’ll be having a conversation with him and he’ll just blurt out something completely off topic??? HE’S SO LOUD TOO! And incredibly inappropriate god

that said deon was also inspired by jason mendoza and i literally teared up writing that because i’m pmsing so sdkjsdkj let’s move on!

has a septum piercing, a tongue piercing, a smiley piercing, a nipple piercing on his left nipple and several tattoos, most of which he’s done himself after buying a tattoo gun (honestly you shouldn’t let deon tattoo you because he just does whatever comes to him at the time but also LET DEON TATTOO YOU!). honestly probably has more than a few earrings too, and he’s very proud of all of his piercings honestly. 

loves colour and neon especially, but also loves to wear a lot of black like he’s a whole ass mess. his favourite colour is yellow btw. generally just wears what he likes, but he pretty much never looks polished. 

his favourite number is 0!

wears a lot of rings and jewelry as well, you will rarely find your boy without something on his fingers.

has a rat named titty boy that he calls titty for short. his name is titty boy because he only eats hot cheetos and likes to watch the real house wives. as sad as it sounds he was one of deon’s first genuine friends so he loves him like BIG. takes him everywhere like he usually has him in his bag at lectures. titty can be found scurrying around the flat having the time of his life at any given moment that deon is in there.

built a little helper bot and named him douche bag, or rather deebs for short. also loves him big. deebs is constantly getting updated by deon honestly, but your boy actually probably won a prize when he made him because he’s actually?? very like advanced for what he is (he runs on used oil from fast food chains, has a near nonexistent carbon footprint, facial recognition, etc). deon literally made him so that he could help him remember to take his pills (deon has clinical depression and adhd unfortunately, so he needs deebs around to give him that nudge), and he can do that and more now. deon kind of wants to see if he can break him into the service animal industry, cause he figures he could be good for people who need service animals but have allergies to fur.

gets around, mostly because he is attracted like everybody and feels no qualms about telling them that? and omg he’s another muse of mine that’s bi btw, no one is surprised. but honestly isn’t really a player just cause he’s too dumb to be one man. like if he was suppose to call you and he didn’t he literally just forgot sdkjsdkj

does not talk about himself at all! ever! like legit learning anything about deon’s past is like pulling teeth! 

like i said deon has depression, but like most people probably don’t know that because again,, your boy is close lipped. that said he doesn’t try to hide it, like if you see him taking his pills you see him taking his pills. there are times though that deon will just not be found for a week or two when his depression gets bad and usually at those times his door will be locked and will not open for the entirety of that week like MAYBE at night when everyone is asleep so he can pee but that’s it! he usually emerges from these occasions chill and chipper as he usually is with sdkmds absolutely no mention of it. i don’t know if he has any friends he’s close enough to that he’d talk to about that though you know, like honestly from deon’s perspective *deon vc* i don’t wanna bring anybody down, man...

says man and bro and bruh and dude WAY TOO MUCH like they punctuate most of his sentences sdkdjs

surfer dude energy. skater dude energy. stoner dude energy.

smokes A LOT of weed. LOVES to party! that guy you see at every house party and have to wonder like??? how is he passing ANY of his classes sdkjsdj

honestly when i usually write deon he’s an MIT graduate so dskjds he definitely got an offer from there that he casually responded to like ‘oh shit, thanks man, but i’m cool!’ sdkjdsjk also probably has gotten more than a few offers to work at like google but refuses to work there until every image that shows up for the search ‘donald trump’ is just the angry orange. it’s his own negotiating point and he refuses to budge on it.

sometimes you can catch deon sitting in his car blasting sara barailles and crying in the university parking lot.

and finally, in ode to ismael,,, deon has a crush on claire from the bon appetit test kitchen. like he wants to marry her. his twitter is just nonsense stream of consciousness stuff and then occasionally ‘@clairesaffitz MARRY ME CLAIRE’. people have probably tried to point out to him that claire doesn’t have a twitter but deon always forgets djhddfjk

knows all the words to TLC’s waterfalls and will sing it to completion whenever it’s on.

will come to your flat and like fix your heater if it’s acting up. literally just hail deon down if you need anything fixed and he will do it for literally nothing. he just likes to help, and to be wanted around tbh rip

swears A TON omg i almost forgot deon swears constantly dkjds he doesn’t see a problem with it honestly, and he’s never like angrily swearing honestly it’s usually excited swearing but sdkjsdkj he’s a potty mouth nonetheless and if your muse doesn’t swear deon will pay them money to do it despite being BROKE. “will you say fuck for a dollar?” sdkjdsj despite the fact that he’s in england rip. 

PERSONALITY. do u are have stupid? hell yeah brother!

honestly one of my most kindhearted muses. like deon wouldn’t hurt a FLY! he catches spiders in his hands and takes them outside sdkjsdk. like even if you’re a dick to deon he will still be nice to you! never gets mad at ANYBODY, like it’s so rare to see deon pissed man he has the heart of a surfer dude

just freaking says things man. doesn’t think before he says anything ever. no brain to mouth filter at ALL.

that said he’s a lot smarter than he looks and acts skjdsj but he’s also so stupid, it’s a bit contradictory honestly because deon is a DUMBASS! but he be knowing things man i can’t explain it. like he has no brain to mouth filter but like if you tell deon a secret no one is ever going to know. 

PAINFULLY loyal to his friends like to a fault! even if you betray deon or abandon him he legit will not do the same to you, like if you were ever his friend you will be his friend until the day he dies. 

generous. would give the shirt off his back to someone if they needed it

humble? like deon knows he’s good at what he does because people keep telling him that but he doesn’t do it because he’s good at it he does it because he thinks it’s fun and like rewarding, like seeing deebs beeping around just makes him happy.

doesn’t have a competitive bone in his body when it comes to academic success or professional success but when it comes to mario kart or ddr or tWISTERand suddenly nothing else matters in the world

lowkey still desperately wants friends and to be accepted, and cares a lot more about what people think of him than he lets on, rip

you absolutely could manipulate deon whenever you wanted to, he would skdjdsjk probably never catch on man. it’s like ‘fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, come on man... fool me THREE TIMES?? bro.’ dkjdskj

lowkey sad sometimes because it be like that, but he will hide it the minute there’s someone around him. 

one of those muses that is like... are you pretending to be dumb or are you really that dumb? and like legit i don’t even know the answer man and i’ve never actually got to play him long enough to find out so i’m hype for that!

WANTED CONNECTIONS. *tries to crowd surf at a ted talk*

BROS. give deon some a group of close guy friends he will adore them with everything in him!

A NEIGHBOR THAT’S ANNOYED BY HIM. whether you’re trying to get inside and deon is talking your ear off about the toe he found in his subway sandwich, or it’s just the damn loud music he’s always playing (if you hear cotton eyed joe at two am, it’s definitely deon) you have a right to be annoyed by him. you are valid. 

CONFIDANTE. despite the amount deon likes to talk he’s actually a really good listener and will keep all your secrets forever! so confide in him man, he’s got you. or the other way around someone deon feels like he can confide in and talk to?? a concept. 

EXES. give me someone who broke his heart! i’ve never gotten to play brokenhearted deon but it would be fun. or someone who’s heart he accidentally broke, honestly he wouldn’t know it until it was too late sdkjsdkj.

CRUSH. give me someone who has a crush on deon that he is completely oblivious to. give me someone who deon has a crush on that he doesn’t know what to do with! honestly for the most part deon is either very blunt and forward or awkward and dumb with a crush, but either way it will be entertaining for all involved. 

DAD FRIEND/MOM FRIEND. deon is a whole mess honestly, and he just needs someone who will make sure he doesn’t die you know? because he’s used to taking care of himself generally but he really will get himself into dangerous situation because he’s just stupid. some random stranger offers deon crack at a music festival? deon will take it! it’s so nice that they offered him some! *deon vc* yoooo, thanks man!

ENEMY. i just find it funny that deon wouldn’t know they are enemies. he’d wave to them and say hi and they’d be like I HATE YOU and he’d laugh like it’s a joke dkjdsk it’d be very one sided but very entertaining. 

CHILDHOOD FRIENDS. deon has traveled all around america so give this to me friends! could even be friends from high school or something or middle school, whatever it is i’m game. 

FWB. just really chill buds who also have sex. deon will try to high five them after sdkjdsjk maybe someone involved is catching feelings or maybe they’re just going to always be friends who have seen each other naked, and you know what that’s okay too. 

alright that’s all i’ve got for now friends, because i’ve been up since 7am and i am slowly losing steam sdkjs but we can always brainstorm! like this and i’ll slip and slide into your dms!

[kae-karo]

[1] hi!! so idk if you've seen dan speaking at the mental health panel or not, but there was one part that hit me really hard and id love to know your thoughts on it! basically he was saying that often content creators, and people in general, are struggling with their mental health the most when it seems like they're thriving (uploading constantly, getting good grades, etc) but everyone thinks they're fine. which is literally my life rn but i can't take a break from overworking myself bc i need

[2] to get into college. do you have any advice abt how to provide for my future while still taking care of myself? also, i just want to thank you for running such a healthy and positive blog bc it has helped me thru some difficult times, and you seem like such a thoughtful and caring person!

hi dear! oh no :( I'm so sorry, that's such a hard position to be in - I havent been in school for a few years, and not in high school since 2012 yikes lmao, so I'm sure things have changed a bit but hopefully I can still give some advice that helps?

I'd say first and foremost, talk to a trusted adult you know in person about how you're feeling - whether that be a parent, older sibling, favorite teacher, advisor, etc. they may have advice more specific to your situation that might take into account details I dont know. and while this is my first piece of advice, it can also be the hardest? sometimes facing our demons and being honest about them with others who have only seen our "good side" can feel impossible, but it can be a crucial step to help build a support system that you can go to when you feel you're struggling

the next thing I'd say is, on a small scale, start taking time for yourself. I know that's like. the hardest thing to do when you have like 6hr of homework a night, minimum, plus clubs or sports or other activities that take time, but literally even sneaking five minutes between some bits of homework to do something that's calming and centering for you can make a difference - if you can grab five minutes to go sit in a space you feel comfortable, away from your work, to breathe and think about something other than your work, that can be helpful

the next one is sorta like. tangential, but take care of your body as well - you're still a growing and developing human, so this is ESPECIALLY important, but drinking lots of water (and not too many sugary drinks/chemical drinks) and eating veggies and getting enough protein can literally make such a big difference in your brains ability to function at it's best. the other important thing here is sleep - every body is different, so keep in mind what your body does best on and (when you can) aim for that. between hydration, good nutrition, and sufficient sleep, you're laying a foundation that can help your brain be more successful throughout the day

I wish, ultimately, i had a perfect answer for the fucked up school system (esp in America which is what I'm most familiar with), but it honestly sets you up to fail. what (unintentionally) worked well for me was having a blow-off class or two - classes that were easy for me (like sign language, or French 1 after I'd already taken Spanish for several years) and could help boost my GPA without stressing me out as much. if you can find those classes- and definitely look for the ones that are easy for YOU, don't just ask around for the easiest classes - that can be a really nice break in your day and help relieve you of some after-school stress

here's another "honesty is the best policy" situation - if you find yourself struggling to understand a concept, or homework is taking you so much longer than some of your peers (or the teacher says theres only an hour of hw a night and you end up spending far longer on it) talk to the teacher! tell them you're struggling, and ask if you can get some help understanding a topic. be specific about what you dont understand (dont just go "I dont get it") and explain your thought process - this can help teachers understand where you're veering off the path and what you might be missing. and, more importantly, if you're coming in for help, they're more likely to be lenient with you because they know you're trying (yes I'm aware that was more a "school help in general" bit of advice but in case that's something you're struggling with)

now heres....maybe some controversial advice. take calculated risks. example: if a teacher has a policy where they drop your lowest homework grade in a class and you're doing alright in that class, but you have a day where you're saddled with WAY too much work for another class where you're struggling, it's okay to say "okay, today I need to go to sleep by 10pm, I can either finish this difficult homework or complete homework for the class that will drop a grade", sometimes it makes more sense to skip that one homework and get a zero to spend time dedicated to the class you're struggling in and get rest. in a similar vein, there is also a limit to studying - there is a point where you physically cannot absorb more knowledge. it is so much better for your brain - both from a focus and memory standpoint - to get a little extra sleep than to stay up late studying well past the point where you will retain knowledge.

now....again, I havent been applying to colleges in ages so my advice might be a bit stale, but colleges tend to look for good grades but also challenging classes, or improvement over time in classes, etc etc. they want to know you're working hard, and that you have diverse interests. college apps are a bit like resumes honestly, except you cant lie about your GPA. but like. you can fluff everything else. literally EVERYTHING becomes fair game with college apps. you can talk about fanfic or a fandom you're in if you phrase it the right way, like there are barely rules lmao. and you can make yourself sound very appealing

so my advice would be basically this: work hard, but learn your personal limits. figure out how much sleep a night makes you feel awake and focused the next day (again, it varies!) and aim for that as much as you can. try to eat nutritiously when you can, and drink lots of water. dedicate time to your homework and studying, but be sure to take regular breaks and ACTUALLY shift your brain away from your work during those breaks. and it's also good to dedicate time to life activities - like I said, colleges want to know you're a diverse person. spend time in clubs you like or playing sports if that's your thing, or do things unconnected to school. and remember, you can fluff that all up on a college app! but also remember - you have to live with you for the rest of your life, and there are so so many paths to a good job or a college education if that's what you decide you want, be sure to prioritize your health as much as you can. the education system tricks you into this never ending cycle of "if I just push through ___________ I'll get to ___________!" and taking that through your life can be really challenging and exhausting. I need to acknowledge that some of this is easy for me to say - I was a good test taker in high school, I went to college, and I bullshitted my way through (that's a whole other story lmao) but like. I need to acknowledge that, by some privilege and luck, I do have a college education. so when i say this next thing, please take it with a grain of salt, but there is more to life than chasing what society tells us to chase - there is family, there are friends, relationships, hobbies and interests and love and dreams and spending hours playing video games and SLEEP and getting sunburned cause you spent too long out under the sun photosynthesizing and collecting pens or shiny rocks and ANIMALS there is so so so much in life and I hate with such a burning passion that, for the first 22 years of our lives, we are told the ONLY thing in life is getting through college, getting a degree. again, I need to acknowledge that I say that with a background of privilege, and that education can help people get out of bad situations, etc, but there are many paths to education and they dont all require you to put life on hold to get there

let me tell u a story real quick, cause my education looks (from the outside) "easy" (turns out I had depression and eating disorders of all kinds yeehaw !!!!). my sister did NOT have an easy time in school - my parents could afford it, so she had a tutor for some of her challenging subjects, but she also dealt with anxiety and depression the entire time. she didnt get into the college she wanted to, but got put in a sort of program where, if she got good enough grades in some community college courses, she could get into the school. so she worked her ass off, dove even deeper into her mental health issues, but eventually did get in. and then she had challenging classes and didnt have a great support system, and she ended up failing out of many of her classes, to the point where she got put on academic probation. so she took a year off, got a job at a daycare, and I have literally never seen her happier or more well-adjusted. shes going back to school now, for early childhood education, and working part time at the daycare while she takes a light course load at school

another story for you - my aunt graduated high school and went straight into the workforce. she came from a dirt-poor family and couldn't afford it. she bounced around a bit, but eventually found company that she worked well with. they paid for her to go to school, and she finally got a degree many years after what we would consider "traditional". she had a few other jobs, but shes been at her current company now going on 20 years, has been through several promotions, and works directly with a c-suite employee. she is also the only woman in her office, a very traditional trucking company where she works with engineers on a daily basis

there are many paths to education, if that's where you want to go, and it's okay if it ends up looking different from the traditional path were told to follow. do what you can to avoid sacrificing your mental health for an education - if its what you want, you will get there. and remember to ask for help along the way!! I hope that helps a little, dear

[wazowskiofthemikevariety]

mike + identity

1. Wazowski: So for this category I’m going to encompass everything that’s within his name because that’s like the biggest piece of him that made him who he is.

a. Son: Mike holds his parents on Hero Status. He looks up to them and what they’ve done for him. One of his biggest goals in life is to be a dad himself, because he wants that relationship, he craves his people, to have someone to devote himself to. They’ve inspired him to be the person he is because he’s seen his mom and dad sacrifice a lot for him and his siblings, even for their other family members like Mike’s aunts and uncles, grandparents, etc. BUT being a son is a lot more than that, obviously. It’s more of an identity that’s important to him because he finds great pride whenever his parents introduce him as their son. Like, “Oh, Georgia! This is my son, Michael!” and he likes being known as one of the Wazowski’s children. His parents, while they do have their problems and aren’t perfect and are human, are important to him and he is very happy and proud to be their son. He finds it a very integral part of who he is, being their son and being a part of this family.  

b. Middle Child: Mike is the middle child of five and that means he was forgotten a lot of the time. Several times his parents forgot to get him from school, so he got himself a bike with his own money. Several times they forgot about taking him to practice for band or whatever sport he was trying to join that year, so he would arrange a ride himself or put the pedal to the meddle. Several times they forgot to sign him up for something, pay this, pay that, tell him what was going on so he would get home to the family being gone and him not knowing why, or them expecting him to have been packed and ready for trip everyone had failed to mention so all of a sudden he has to get his suitcase together while panicking about not having enough time and crying in his room under the stress as someone yells at him to hurry or they’ll miss their flight. This, although kind of disheartening to him, turned him very independent. It made him have to rely on himself. So he identifies with the stereotype of the Middle Child because oof, he knows that pain, but it played its part in making him who he is.

c. Younger Brother/Older Brother: He’s got different relationships to all of his siblings, as one does, and esp since he is that bridge from the olders to the youngers. He’s the middle, smack dab. Two above, two below. And he loves all his siblings. He’s sort of the second mom tbh because while his two older siblings are the kind that would die for the others or throw down where needed, they aren’t as responsible and put together as Mike is. And the younger siblings, there was sort of a disconnect with them to the older to because by the time they were Humans who could Hold A Conversation the older siblings had shipped off to college and weren’t around the house all the time. Where Mike became the oldest of the house all of a sudden, taking the younger two around. It’s a weird, interesting dynamic but he is very much a loving and supportive brother. He’s not the smartest, but he always worked the hardest. And his siblings were always his best friends when he didn’t have anyone. He was always ALWAYS there for them, even if they weren’t for him sometimes, but that’s okay. That’s what family it for, yah know. Talking shit, getting hit, but coming together to make sure the house is clean before their parents got home to kill them all should they see the state of the kitchen. Being a brother to four very different human beings is very important to him. He loves being a brother and he loves his sibling and is very grateful to them because while he didn’t have friends growing up he did have them. And they will always have him.

d. Ethnicity: This falls within this category, too, and IS important to him because he is kind of ethnically ambiguous. He is of mixed race and he’s proud of that. He identifies with it because his parents didn’t shy away from telling their kids about where they came from or who their families are. Though he may not seem to take to traditions of his heritage, he does, of course he does. And he knows the history of his family, and that’s another motivator for him. As a minority he’s always had that extra stretch he’s had to sprint through in order to make it to the finish line, that extra little bit of weight society puts on him. He does identify with his ethnicity and is proud of it and wouldn’t change it if he could because it is so integrated into who he is as a person since his parents didn’t shy away from telling their kids about where they come from.  

2. The Demonologist: This is, of course, second because he has always wanted to be a Demonologist. It was his lot in life. It was his calling. It was the only thing that got him out of bed in the morning sometimes, that motivation to go to school in order to be called a Demonologist someday. He wanted it so fucking badly as a kid, as a teenager, as an adult. He worked his ASS off to get that title to call his own. But that’s sort of where the irony stands with him because while he might self-identify as A Demonologist he isn’t really. He’s just starting to do things within the field that matter. Like, he never faced a demon until the August of 2018 and even then he got his ass beat by them before passing out and missing the end of the fight and exorcism completely. He hasn’t made any major headway in the field, he is a year out of school, teaching, and really has nothing to show for himself. WHICH IS FINE LMAO, you don’t have to have that jesus Christ, but Mike is an over achiever who thought he would have the world by now. It’s important to him to tell people that’s what he does, he’ll say he’s a Demonologist first and that he teaches at the university second because he doesn’t think he’s going to stay there of course. He thinks he’s just biding his time, using the resources, and soon enough he’s going to make it big. He’s book smart. He is the kind of person who could read a book and be able to regurgitate the information for you later on. But...I think it’s the difference between someone who can cook and a cook. He can cook, sure, he can follow the recipe and it will be good, but he isn’t going to be able to make something that’s great or anything like that because he lacks the instincts to improvise or think, oh well this needs some garlic lemme just add some in real quick. No, he’s the person waving around the menu like, IT SAYS TWO CLOVES. NO MORE NO LESS!! Even though he COULD be that person, he could improvise, he just doesn’t have the brain that would think of the situation like that. ANYWAYS OFF TOPIC, basically what I’m saying here is that Mike thinks of himself as a Demonologist and in a way he is because he got the degree, he’s earned the title on a technical level, but he doesn’t have it in the way that he’s proven any of that to be worthy. MAYBE HE WILL, maybe he won’t, I dunno where his journey will take him. 

3. College Graduate: This is also something very important to him because academics is fucking brutal, and it wasn’t any easier for him. He didn’t come from privilege, he didn’t have the name that would help him, people didn’t like him. College was lonelier than high school for him because at least there he would make surface level buddies within classes because he saw them five times a week and would help them on their homework and cracked a good joke for them to laugh at so they would be civil towards him. And he also lived with his family, his two younger siblings were still there. He had people around him. In college? He had no one. And I think we all know how lonely college can be, how isolated it can make someone feel despite being surrounded by people. That was Mike. And then you have everyone in his classes shitting on him for being enthusiastic! Wanting to talk about what they learned in class! That kid who kept up with the readings, who always raised his hand, who debated, who asked those questions everyone is thinking but didn’t want to say, and who’s presentations were almost spotless. Which is fair, he was a goodie goodie try hard, but he also was that way because he wanted to prove himself to these people who rolled their eyes at him, not knowing that the reason they did was BECAUSE he was showing off. But he went on, he got good grades, a good GPA, did his papers and went to his labs, got a job in between, and did it all on his own. It was one of, if not the, hardest things he had ever had to do in his life. Because Mike is not one of those people who can glance at the notes and get a good grade, he has to study for hours, he has to go to the library until hell o’clock in the morning, he has to make flash cards and pretend to teach the lamp what’s what before he can get that good grade. So! Yes! He loves being a college graduate. He loves his degrees, and he loves when his parents tell people about him having a PhD. It FUELS HIM. !!!

4. Friend: This has been a long time coming, baby. MIKE WAZOWSKI HAS FRIENDS BITCH. I’m telling you, he loVES having friends. He loves BEING a friend. It makes him so! fucking! happy! He was a lonely soul with so much love to give and nOW that he finally gets to give it, oof. I know I’m supposed to be a writer or whAtEveR but I can’t articulate how warm it makes him feel, how fulfilled. There was always this hollow ache inside of him, wanting and waiting for someone, anyone, to just want to be around him for a change. I’ve probably said this before, but since he watched a lot of movies growing up he accumulated that rose tinted glasses way of looking at life. He wanted that best friend he could call/text at any time and know they would reply. He wanted someone to drive around with, to have movie marathons with, to have feels sessions with, or to just hang out and take a nap together. He had high hopes of finding that person. But he never did. 28 years and he still couldn’t say he had a friend. NOW LOOK AT HIM. HE IS THRIVING. And I would say this identity is of the utmost importance to him because he has always wanted to be a Friend to someone. Like?? Being able to be the person people call because they know he’ll be there for them without a second thought, or being that person who makes them laugh and be happy and not think about their worries for a minute, or if they WANT to think about their worries he is the person they call to talk about them with. He likes being there for people, he loves it so much. He loves being in people’s lives and making them happy and smile and laugh and ugh. Being a friend is his favorite thing, connecting on that level to someone just makes him feel fulfilled. If he hears people calling him their friend he will DIE. If he is introduced as, “this is my friend, mike!” he will DIE. It’s his favorite thing in the whole wide world and he constantly gets emotional about it. 

5. Professor: This is lower on the list for obvious reasons but is apart of who he is now. To Mike it’s just a starting point, though, he doesn’t think it will be where he will stay or a long term position. But he loves being a professor because he loVEs demonology! So being able to teach it is kinda like the second best thing to be doing, plus it gives him a place to do research and have access to resources and all that jazz. He likes academia so it’s not like it’s a hard ship to be there reading over essays or listening to the debates kiddos have in class. It’s also just REALLY nice to have a job, especially one as good as being a professor. He’s not proud of it yet, is the thing. It’s not what he leads with when people ask him what he does, he is a Demonologist. And then he is a professor.

  6. Nerd: I mean, I think he identifies as a nerd because. Well. He is. And he doesn’t see that as a bad thing. He is both a Nerd in the sense that he likes to study and read and learn and excel within those things and that he likes to watch tv, movies, play video games, read comics, spend hours on the internet reading Fan theories, and laughing at memes. And to the people who are like, “well fuck you that stuff is for kids, grow up!” he genuinely doesn’t understand why other people feel like they have the right to put other people down? Why must people tell big jokes to make other people feel so small? It’s STUPID and he is soooo far passed calling everything he enjoys ‘guilty pleasures.’ nah. They’re just things he loves and will die on that hill. Worrying about shit like that is just lost on him now cause, shit, liking superhero movies isn’t embarrassing, unless you take it too far then lmfao okay calm down fam no need to set fire to someone over a MOVIE, and thinking it is isn’t about embarrassment, it’s about being insecure. And as much as Mike IS insecure, that’s one of the things he ain’t. If people want to make fun of him for that, fine, yes, it will hurt him and his ego, but he’ll also be the one getting to watch Logan (2017) and weeping into the pillow or having a really interesting conversation over the what preference of Star Trek generation people have. He loves all that nerdy shit, he loves getting excited about movies! and new games! and watching panels and actors and b-roll and listening to podcasts and reading about media news, it makes him happy, gets him excited! And disappointed! Makes him angry and happy and sad beyond belief sometimes, but that’s what he loves about it, too!

[careerbitespod]

Episode 6 Transcript: (LAWYER) The Pre-Law 4-1-1 with William McMurray

Rachael Barksdale: Welcome to the Career Bites podcast where we make career exploration easy and fun. If you are pre-law or know someone who is thinking about a law career, this episode is a must-listen. My guest William McMurray holds nothing back as he describes not only why he enjoys practicing law, but also the rigors of being a law student. It is not for the faint of heart, but as you’ll find out, the skills you acquire are well worth the stress. William’s perspective is also unique as he works at the Utah governor’s office as deputy general counsel, rather than at a law firm. Well, I’ll let him explain all that. Here’s my conversation with William.

So I feel like I probably know the answer to this, having known you in high school, but did you always want to be a lawyer? Or was there something else you wanted to be when you quote unquote grew up?

William McMurray: So I think, like, me as a child had a lot of aspirations that went between, like, astronaut and house painter, but, you know, my mom’s Korean so, you know, the two classic options were always doctor or lawyer. I never quite had the math chops to be an engineer but...But the answer is - sort of, it’s always been in the back of my mind as an option. There’s a lot of lawyers in my family. But by the time I graduated from BYU, it wasn’t the first thing I wanted to do. Had I been, maybe, a little less risk-averse and a little braver, I probably went on - would have gone on to try and do a PhD. For my undergrad I studied philosophy and really loved it and probably would have tried to have gone and done a PhD in Philosophy to - to eventually go on to teach and do research. 

Rachael: Okay, I was going to ask “what would you have done with a PhD in Philosophy?” but that makes sense.

William: That’s a - that’s like a - the classic question, oftentimes it’s like “oh, I’ll go flip hamburgers”. But, you know, a lot of businesses - so, like Google - will have - for a while had, like, an in-house philosopher working in their A.I. department trying to figure out, you know, self-driving cars and the ethics of that sort of thing. So there’s like a little bit of consulting work that you can do as, like, a professional quote unquote philosopher. But yeah, it’s really limited to teaching and research at a university.

Rachael: When people think about lawyers, they often think about what they see on TV, but as deputy general counsel you’re not in a courtroom all day defending cases, so what is it that you do day to day and how does that differ from other types of lawyers?

William: Sure. So this might be easier to answer in sort of reverse order. So lawyers are often divided into two main categories, and that’s litigators and transactional attorneys. Litigators are, you know, what you classically think of when you watch TV - Law and Order, you know. Someone gets sued, they hire attorneys, you know, they do discovery, and write briefs, and go to court, and things like that. And on the transactional side that’s usually what happens before you get to the courtroom, so it’s a lot of deal-making. So if companies are making deals with each other, if there’s a merger or acquisition, if you’re dealing with, you know, trying to write your will or set up a trust, those are transactional attorneys who do those. So a general counsel is often, sort of, in a more transactional role. Companies have general counsels oftentimes, and they review, you know, whatever the company wants to do, any legal issues with that, and if they get sued, they’ll often coordinate between the company and an external law firm. And so, that’s kind of what I do, or what the general counsel’s office at the governor’s office does. So what we do is we advise the governor on any legal matters relevant to his policy agenda. So if the governor wants to do something, or wants one of his agencies - one of the state agencies - to do something, we’ll often look at it and see if, you know, we have the authority to do that under the state constitution, or under state law, or even federal law sometimes. So, this often takes place with - right now we’re in - just started our general legislative sessions, so the legislature is getting together, they’re passing bills, and the governor wants to know what they say, and what they do, and whether they fit within the governor’s policy agenda. And so we’ll often analyze those for legal problems and help be a go-between between the governor’s office and different legislators. We work with agencies when they file administrative rules. And this last year, which is quite unusual because of the pandemic, we’ve worked on a lot of executive orders and have helped our Department of Health with their state public health orders as well. 

Rachael: So in terms of a career trajectory, how does someone become deputy general counsel or general counsel for the governor and where do you go from here?

William: The way I understand it - and I haven’t actually worked for the state for that long - but, I think my boss is a good example of how you get into this sort of position. He, straight out of law school, went to work for a state agency and, sort of, worked his way up until he became the executive director of CCJJ, which is our Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice. And so each agency often has an attorney assigned to them, and oftentimes this is actually through our attorney general’s office that plays the same sort of advisory role to each agency. But if you’ve been there long enough or - in terms of the general counsel position for the governor it’s sort of, you know, are you on the governor’s radar and does he - does, you know, the governor trust you. My boss is in sort of a funny position because at this point, in terms of his legal career, there aren’t a lot of places to go once you become the general counsel. For me in particular, as the deputy general counsel, oftentimes the deputy general counsel can - will be a...associate-level attorney so one to five, six years out of law school. About five to six years is when most attorneys at a firm are making partner, so at that point it’s much more lucrative to be working at a law firm than working as a - as a state attorney. So, if the question is, like, “where do I go from here?”, I kind of tap-out at deputy general counsel and then either have to go, say work for - I could try and work for an agency, or the attorney general’s office, or back into private practice. Or I could work for a city or the county. But it’s sort of a unique position, so it’s not - many of these won’t be lateral moves, they’ll be, sort of - they’re either very distinct because either you’re entering litigation work or going back to an earlier stage in what would - an expected legal career would be like. I was actually very lucky to be able to take this position. Usually when, you know, aspiring law students ask me how I got to where I was so quickly I usually say “good fortune” mostly.

Rachael: What kind of good fortune are we talking about? Was there a particular experience that opened the door to this position for you?

William: It’s probably a few things. I worked hard in law school and was able to, you know, get a very comfortable, good job right out of law school at a law firm. And you know, a lot of that is based on my own personal privileges. I - I’m no stranger to that. But it takes some hard work and elbow grease. My particular position came to me because I moved into a neighborhood where the general counsel lived. And we became friends. And at - I guess, you know, around April, May of 2 - 2019, his then-deputy decided to go back into private practice. And, you know, there’s only a year and a half of Governor Herbert’s term, and Governor Herbert had, at that point, announced that he wasn’t going to seek another term. And so my boss was sort of in a tough position in which he needed to find someone to fill that spot who would be willing to do it for just a year and a half. And there aren’t a lot of people in the - in the legal market who would be tempted to - to do that in the, sort of, expected experience range. So I - you know, I was practicing just under a year out of a law school, and because, you know, it was sort of the perfect storm right there: I was friends with the general counsel, I was qualified enough to do the job, and I was in a position where I could step away from my then-employment for about a year and a half with sort of the same understanding that other people of my years out of law school - a lot of my friends went to go do clerkships with judges. And so it was a very, sort of, natural stepping-away point where i could go be gone for a year and a half or two years, and then, sort of, make my way back. So it would be very difficult to try and plan the way my career has gone so far.

Rachael: Oh, for sure - how random was that, moving into the same neighborhood as the general counsel just before he needs to find a replacement for his deputy? But you were prepared and ready to take that leap when the opportunity came up - so describe for us what steps did you take in your education to become a qualified lawyer?

William: The basic stepping stones are, you know, you get your undergraduate degree and then you apply to law school, and you do three years of law school. And you have to pass the state bar for wherever you plan on practicing. And at that point you’re in, you just need to find a job. So to get a little more nuanced - oh, I guess before - before you get into law school you have to take what’s called the LSAT, which is, you know, imagine your SATs but all based in language, and reasoning, and writing. Law schools primarily look at your LSAT scores and your GPA. And then, you know, you set yourself apart with any extracurriculars, or however you can, through your law school applications. The law is a pretty straightforward career to get to. Law school will also take people from a variety of experiences. There are a lot of people who go out, have their first careers, decide they want something more, and go to law school. And that sort of experience can be very beneficial. So I often tell aspiring law students who have talked to me, “take a look at what you really enjoy and why it is you think you want to go to law school. And if the answer is not automatically ‘I want to be an attorney’” - and instead, you know, they’re just like “oh, well it’s sort of prestigious or you can make a lot of money or things like that”, I often ask them, like, “well are there - is there anything else you’d like to do?” Because you can go take a shot at that and law school will be there waiting for you. And - and I think that’s true for just about anyone. Law school as a - as a graduate degree is only three years so, it’s not a short time but it’s a lot more manageable than a lot of PhD programs. And the practical experience you can bring from your previous career, your connections, all those things can really help you through law school and into your practice right after law school. So, there are multiple paths but the basic path is pretty straightforward. 

Rachael: What are the common undergrad majors, or majors best suited for students who are pre-law?

William: Well I can tell you at least at BYU Law, like, the vast majority of law students - and I think this true everywhere - are political science majors, for better or worse. I can’t really tell you if poli-sci really prepares you for law school. It might if you have a policy-oriented legal career in mind after law school. But after poli-sci, English majors are the next-largest, you know, bachelor degree group. And probably after that it breaks out, but philosophy majors make up a lot of them too. Part of the reason that English and philosophy in particular are very good majors for pre-law students is because, you know, the law is all language. And so learning how to write, to make clear arguments, to be able to write clearly and persuasively, those are major skills that you need to be able to succeed in law school and in your legal career. If you’re a strong writer and you’re good at reasoning, I mean, you could do any major but as long as you’re at least taking some classes in reasoning and rhetoric you can probably be pretty well prepared. Because after that there’s like a smattering of all kinds of other - there was a piano performance major in my year I think. There was someone who had - I don’t know - I think someone who had studied French and then had went on to be a professional chef and then went back to law school. There are also a large cadre of law students who have science degrees, and those are the people who go on, typically, to do patent law. And patent law is - if you think you could enjoy the work of patent law, which is describing new inventions in very specific detail over and over again - patent law is a great legal career in the sense of job security. There are never enough patent attorneys because the requirements are so stringent. You have to have a certain number of science credits and you have to take the patent bar. And there’s a lot of patent work out there. And so, whereas the law is sort of a saturated market - there are a lot of lawyers out there, and there was a - a time when there were a lot of hungry lawyers out there - patent lawyers have done fairly well and continue to do well. The - the least stressed law students I knew in law school were oftentimes on a patent track because they knew that as - as long as they did well enough they’d be able to have a job. And, you know, that’s huge in law school because law school is just...terrible in a lot of ways. It’s - it’s good in a lot of ways, but truly I think it does psychological harm to just about everyone who goes through law school. 

Rachael: Yikes! Is that because of the socratic method they employ in the classrooms? I’m going off of Legally Blonde here, I don’t really know anything about being in law school. 

William: Yeah, so part of it is, the so- the socratic method is stressful when you are a first year law student because you’re just getting - you’re just so nervous you’re going to get cold-called and that you won’t be able to recite the facts of a case correctly or something like that. That is stressful, but that’s not what makes law school so grueling. The thing about law school is that - and I know there are different, you know, degrees and majors and programs and normal university programs that - that do this but - everyone is graded against each other, so you’re never measured really on competency. So you could know the law pretty well, you could learn your course material, but there - there are a couple things that always keep that back. So number one, you go to your class - most law school classes - you go to class, it’s a lecture, you take notes. There are no assignments, there are no, you know, midterms or quizzes that help you evaluate how well you’re actually capturing and learning the material. It’s all based on your final exam at the end of the semester. And the final exam format is oftentimes a three-hour exam where you’re given a few different prompts, fact patterns, and you have to analyze them for legal issues. And whoever can analyze the most legal issues in the best way possible, I guess - if you can get through them and hit all the salient points, they end up scoring the most. And then your scores are sort of evaluated next to your peers. So you’re always competing against your peers and can sometimes, in certain classes, sort of a toxic atmosphere. People will be called, you know, gunners. They’ll try and be - some students can be quite unkind to each other. And it’s always stressful to hear someone typing at 300 words-per-minute faster than you right in front of you or something. And that can be quite stressful so every - every time grades come out and you see your law school ranking change. Because so much of - it feels like - and it is true, I think, in the short term - that so much of your legal trajectory right out of law school is based on your ranking in your class. And so...it never feels like you can take a moment to rest and you’re trying to absorb this material as quickly as possible. And that sort of pressured environment can - you know, some people have their strengths in that sort of way, I did not. In particular, I had to work really hard to try and make up for a, sort of, lack of speedy intelligence. I had, you know, through my degree, it was all about, you know, slowly sitting with problems over the course of a semester and then writing a paper by the end that had your best thoughts on the issue and - so to be put in a, sort of, a pressure cooker like that, you know, was very stressful the whole way through I think. Those are the main things, I think, that make law school really hard and an unpleasant experience for all of those involved, including family members, because it’s just constantly stressful.

Rachael: So how did you get through it? 

William: There are things you can do to counteract that stress. I hope none of my professors listen to this because I think a lot of them had the best of intentions, but actually the advice they’d give in how to do well in law school was actually really poor. Oftentimes, professors will tell you to, you know, read cases in great detail and take a lot of notes. And if your aim is to do well in law school - law school professors will tell you to do a lot of things that may be educationally enriching but do not progress you on your way to a higher ranking. And I think that’s a fundamental flaw in how law schools are, but that’s a whole other discussion. But one of the things is you can learn pretty quickly how to get the important parts of a case and to also use, you know, study aids to help making preparing for classes less stressful, and to prepare yourself for the end when you do end up taking the test so that you can be the most prepared to actually take that sort of test. I mean, I’ll just say that I got creamed my first semester. I mean, “creamed” is maybe an overstatement but I, you know, I was probably at the law library from 8:30 to 11 P.M. at night almost every day of the week. I just, like, did not do as I thought. I thought I was really learning the law. I’d have really good discussions in class. But then when it came to, like, taking the test, I was just woefully unprepared because I’d been preparing the wrong way. I’d been preparing in the way that I, you know - that some law school professors had advised, but how I was used to doing it for my undergraduate degree. So I think if you can learn to work smarter and save yourself a lot of grief. But it does take sort of a leap of faith because most professors will tell you otherwise. And, you know, in terms of authority oftentimes first-year law students are going to do what their professors say and not what the recently-graduated have to say. Honestly there are some - like, I gained some incredible friendships in law school and developed some very important relationships with law school professors - so there’s a lot that is wonderful about law school. And depending on what your undergraduate degree was - so my wife, she studied microbiology and she loved law school because it was the first time her professors ever cared what she had to say, because there’s a lot more ambiguity in the law than in microbiology. So depending on any person’s individual personality, and what they like and dislike, law school, despite its, sort of, unhealthy aspects for a person’s mental health, can also be very enriching. My wife always says I go too hard on law school in particular, and so I should always put that grain of salt - my wife really loved law school, and I enjoyed many aspects of it. But I think people need to know going in that it’s - it can be pretty grueling. 

Rachael: As tough as law school was for you, there must have been something that kept you going. What is it about the law or being a lawyer that speaks to you?

William: Yeah, so, I guess there are a couple answers to this. So, there’s an attorney at the firm where I worked, Parr Brown Gee and Loveless, named Laura, and she used to say that “our job is to help people solve problems”. And I think that that is true, and that is where the satisfaction of being a lawyer really comes from. But I also think that the satisfaction that you derive from helping people solve problems varies, or is affected greatly by how important those problems are to you. Just as an example, like it’s always, I think, satisfying to, like, write a good brief that persuades your senior partner or a judge, or convinces your client to do something, or your legal adversary to do something like settle or something like that. I think, like, there’s some satisfaction in a job well done in just approaching the problem. I’ll say that, while I enjoyed civil litigation to an extent, a lot of the problems I was dealing with weren’t very satisfying. You know, there in, like, insurance claims, things like that, you know, someone’s trying to get a lien off their property. Oftentimes when you’re working for commercial enterprises, there’s sometimes - in the grand scheme of things, while it mattered to that company, it didn’t matter that much. So as an attorney, whether you’re working specifically with people who are in need, or you’re doing pro bono work, you know, there are people who really struggle. So some of my favorite experiences were in - our, the Utah, bar has a program where attorneys can go on Tuesdays, it’s called Tuesday Night Bar, and it’s essentially a free legal clinic. So when people need help - someone has an immigration problem, or a marital problem, or they’re trying to figure out whether or not they can be evicted, people who truly need help - you’re also in a position to be able to give people that sort of help. To give them answers and direction that they otherwise wouldn’t have access to. And that is a really tangible good feeling. And I think that doesn’t get discussed often enough. A lot of - I mean, this was me to a tee. You know, I went into law school really thinking about doing immigration law and later had an experience during a summer clerkship that, sort of, changed my career trajectory on that. But having those skills to help people you know around you who have problems - inevitably a family member, or a neighbor, or a friend, is going to run into some sort of problem and being the person who they can turn to and say “hey, I got this problem, what do I do?” and being able to give them that sort of help is a - a really powerful feeling that I think - that is very direct in a way that a lot of careers probably don’t have. In my current position, it is, sort of - I would say that sort of on steroids because, you know, we’re involved in the governor’s office at policy, at the highest level at the state. And so being able to talk to lawmakers about what the law should be like, or what it does say, or how maybe it should change to better serve people is also an incredibly humbling and powerful experience that is very satisfying. It can be very frustrating because it’s - it is unclear what the right answer is, and to work with people who are trying their best to serve the public has been, I think, a very special experience.

Rachael: That was William McMurray, deputy general counsel for the Utah governor’s office. To learn more about law school, law careers, or the free legal clinic William mentioned in the interview, check out our show notes. Subscribe to and rate Career Bites on your favorite listening platform. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook @careerbitespod. Join us next Monday as we sample another career with an everyday professional.

[southsidestory]

Homecoming

Rating: Teen

Pairing: SasuSaku

Summary: Their first kiss was on Homecoming night. The briefest touch, his lips to hers, before Sakura pulled away, blushing. Then again, a kiss not so fleeting, followed by one after another until the sun rose above them.

Notes: I’ve been in a mood for SS lately (blame @xxlovendreamsxx), and it seemed like the perfect time to write this little high school fic. @jjibbless sent me a request for “high school popular kid / nerd AU” awhile back, which ties into the Day 9 prompt pretty well in my opinion! Thank you jjibbless for the request and @sasusakumonths for hosting this awesome event. 

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prelude

It isn’t that Sasuke Uchiha is a misfit, exactly. He’s too good-looking—and high schoolers are too shallow—for him to be an utter outcast. But he’s the kind of boy who spends more time alone than with their classmates, and if he has any friends besides Naruto, who’s friends with everyone, then he’s keeping them well hidden. Sasuke’s GPA is tied with Sakura’s for the highest in the Class of 2018, but she’s sure that if he’d socialize, people would stop dismissing him as a nerd. Instead, he blows off every dance, football game, and party he’s invited to.

Until homecoming. It’s the kind of warm October evening that you can only find in southern California, late enough in the year that autumn’s edge has calmed the weather from suffocating to balmy. Sakura is crowned homecoming queen, the San Junipero Sharks kick the Gardena Wolfhounds’ asses, and Sasuke Uchiha shows up to a school event. All in all, it’s a beautiful night.

watch the queen

Only a loser would lurk around the corner, pretending not to spy on a pretty girl, and Sasuke is not a loser. He isn’t lurking either. Just standing around, keeping himself busy with people-watching—well, person-watching.

Sakura is sitting with the other girls from the homecoming court, all of them trussed up in ridiculous fluffy gowns and torturous-looking shoes. Ino seems pissed that Sakura took the crown, but in that strangely fond way that characterizes their relationship. Maybe Sasuke is too distant from Sakura’s circle to understand how that odd friendship functions, but he thinks it might be every bit as confusing to witness up close.

Seven months. He has seven months until graduation. He needs to either ask Sakura out or get his head on straight and forget about her.

Moving on would be better. He heard that Sakura is applying to Ivy League schools all over the country, and God knows she’s accomplished enough to be accepted into most of them. Sasuke keeps pace with her academically, but foster kids don’t have the financial backing for Yale. He’s about to age out of the system, and it’s going to take all of his time and energy just to get by. Even if Sakura wants him back—and sometimes, when he catches her looking at him across the library, he thinks she might—Sasuke knows that it’s not enough. She’s beautiful, brilliant, privileged, and loved. Her future is too bright to risk dimming, and she deserves better than anything he could provide.

But then he thinks, What’s one date? It’s not like watching a movie together and grabbing dinner (maybe kissing on her doorstep, if he’s lucky) would turn into something committed. Sasuke can’t hope for any of that, much less more, so why not at least try?

laid bare

Ino steals Sakura’s crown and puts it on her own head. “You should just give this to me,” she says.

“Oh really?” Sakura asks. “Why’s that?”

Ino sticks out her tongue, adjusts the tiara, and says, “Because all anyone will look at when you wear it is the big billboard brow it’s sitting on.”

Sakura pinches Ino’s shoulder. “I guess the majority of the student body disagrees, Pig.”

She pulls a handful of pins out of her hair, kicks off her shoes, and props her feet up on the bleacher seats. Ino gossips about the torrid affair that she’s certain Mr. Sarutobi and Ms. Yuhi are having.

“That’s ridiculous. They barely talk.”

“Well, duh, that’s because they’re trying not to be obvious,” Ino says, rolling her eyes. “Because when they are in the same room, the way they look at each other is practically pornographic. Mark my words, Forehead: they’re doing the nasty.”

Ten-Ten says, “Please shut up. I don’t want to think about Ms. Yuhi getting busy while I’m trying to learn calculus.”

“Seconded,” Hinata says gently.

Ino shrugs. “Why not? She’s hot as hell, and sex is way more interesting than differential equations...”

Sakura thinks Ino might still be talking, but she can’t focus on the conversation because Sasuke Uchiha is walking up the bleacher steps, and it looks like he might be walking toward her. They’re friendly enough that her silly coronation merits some kind of congratulations, right?

“Sakura,” he says.

The other girls fall quiet around her, and Sakura could kick them all for staring.

“Hi,” she says. “It’s, uh, really nice to see you here.”

“And surprising,” Ino adds.

Sasuke doesn’t seem offended, although he’d have every right to be.

Sakura jumps up, straightens her dress, and asks, “Wanna take a walk? I’d invite you to sit down, but this bunch probably wouldn’t let you get a word in edgewise.”

There’s the briefest flash of unbridled emotion on Sasuke’s face, a slight expression of surprise, maybe even excitement. But he reins it in before Sakura can be certain, and he only says, “Yeah, sure.”

Sakura is so elated to have a moment alone with Sasuke that she runs off without her heels. By the time she notices, it would be embarrassing to go back to fetch them, so she just walks on the dewy ground barefoot, too happy to even care that she’s getting grass stains on her snow white dress.

until sunrise

Their school is dark, empty, and locked at this time of night, but there are still places to linger. They take seats at a picnic table outside the cafeteria doors, splitting a funnel cake. Sasuke bought it when they passed the concession stand, but he didn’t think about the intimacy of sharing food. They have to sit close, and their hands keeping brushing as they eat. It tugs at something in his chest when Sakura steals the choicest pieces of cake, her smile teasing and bright.

“I wouldn’t have guessed you’d be so greedy,” Sasuke says.

Sakura ducks her head, then looks up at him through her lashes. “Well, maybe we should get to know each other better.”

“So I won’t be surprised when you steal my food?”

“Our food,” Sakura corrects. “You bought it for both of us. It’s not my fault if you can’t defend your territory.”

She swipes the last chunk of cake and eats it. Sasuke doesn’t think she means to be seductive, but he still has to look away as she licks the snowy sugar off her fingers.

Silence falls between them once the funnel cake is gone, and just to break it, Sasuke asks, “How’s your English paper going?”

“Oh, no,” Sakura says, laughing. “I’m not giving you an update on your competition.”

“Hn. You’re not my competition,” Sasuke says. He pokes her side, purely for the sake of making her jump. “Valedictorian is mine. We’ll just have to wait a few more months to confirm it.”

“Is that so?” Sakura asks, suddenly serious, except for the brightness of her gaze. “What makes you so certain?”

“I need it more,” Sasuke says, without thinking.

Sakura’s teasing expression slips away, replaced by something softer. She doesn’t say anything—which is good, because if she pitied him right now, it would ruin everything.

Then she reaches for his hand and grasps it in her own. They stay this way, linked by a singular touch, for a long while.

the valedictorian

Sakura can’t be upset when Sasuke takes the number one spot. His GPA barely edges hers out because of an A- she made in English IV, and if anyone else had ranked above her, she would have been furious. But Sasuke hadn’t lied four months ago at Homecoming, when he said he needed this more than she did. She hopes that maybe, with a little luck, he’ll get a financial package from Stanford that will allow him to accept the place they offered him. With her.

She takes Sasuke to a little Italian restaurant by the shore to celebrate their accomplishments. While they eat their appetizers, Sakura lifts her glass of water and says, “To my amazing boyfriend, the Class of 2018’s valedictorian.”

Sasuke rolls his eyes, but his smile is happy, if small. Sakura counts that as more of a victory than class rank could ever be.

coda

Their first kiss was on Homecoming night. The briefest touch, his lips to hers, before Sakura pulled away, blushing. Then again, a kiss not so fleeting, followed by one after another until the sun rose above them.

On graduation day, in the wake of his speech, Sasuke thinks of that night. It was a beginning, the start of something he could never have anticipated. Maybe today is an ending, the closing chapter of their simple school days, but what he and Sakura have together, it’s the kind of love that can be counted on.

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[ericpoptone]

If you’re American and you recognize names like “Bad Boys Blue,” “C.C. Catch,” “Sandra,” or “Modern Talking,” there’s a good chance that you, or someone close to you, is Vietnamese. For the uninitiated non-Viet Americans, those are the names of three German (and one German-Dutch) pop bands whose songs have been compiled, covered, and claimed by a subset of the Vietnamese American community as “New Wave.”

There are other groups in the New Wave canon like Gazebo, Ken Lazslo, Fancy, Joy, and Silent Circle whose hits are familiar to thousands of Vietnamese Americans. Meanwhile, having worked in record stores for more than ten years, I can say that none of my coworkers, no matter how knowledgeable, had ever heard of any of them.

How, I wondered, did these Eurodisco acts become so cherished by such a specific segment of a specific population of refugees and their descendants — especially when there’s no obvious connection between West Germany‘s pop industry and Vietnamese refugees in the US. I never solved that riddle, but my curiosity and love of those songs led me on numerous occasions to parties and nightclubs in North Orange County‘s Little Saigon.

Last year, a filmmaker named Elizabeth Ai contacted me. She is currently in the process of making a documentary and television series, both called NEW WAVE. More recently, she started companion Instagram and Facebook accounts to which people can submit photos of themselves from that era, hair immaculately fixed with hairspray, and often clothed in black.

ERIC BRIGHTWELL: Hello Elizabeth, can you tell us a bit about yourself — who you are, where you’re from, and what you do?

ELIZABETH AI: The short answer: I’m a Chinese-Vietnamese-American filmmaker from the San Gabriel Valley. 

The long one: It’s hard to talk about who I am without talking about my family and the multi-generational fleeing they’ve done from war-torn countries — a family tradition I might continue depending on what happens this November. My maternal great-grandparents fled China to Vietnam in the 1920s because of the Chinese Civil War. And my grandfather, an ARVN captain, upon release from re-education camp, fled Vietnam with his wife (my grandmother) on a fishing boat to Hong Kong in the late ’70s. Fortunately, they had family members already situated in the US that helped them figure out sponsorship through their church. My aunt and uncles arrived right in time for the golden age of MTV. I was the first US-born person in my family, raised by my grandparents, and have struggled all my life with these multiple historical narratives that make up my DNA. 

Are you asking me where I’m from or where I’m really from? JK. — I grew up in the SGV (San Gabriel Valley) in the shadow of the L.A. riots. Where I grew up, at the time, looks vastly different than the safe neighborhood it is today. Somehow I managed a 4.0 GPA when I used to sneak out with friends to cruise Valley Boulevard on school nights in lowered cars, with modified exhausts, to hang in Hong Kong-style cafes or party with fake IDs in Koreatown nightclubs. Back then, in the SGV, there was a lot of gang activity, even drive-by shootings at my school, and I was a young latchkey kid that was stupid enough to not care. My experiences from hanging out in these streets were just as informative to who I am as my time in the classroom, if not more. 

Professionally, I’m a writer, producer, and director working in documentaries and narratives for almost fifteen years. I’ve focused on stories that illuminate subjects and issues from marginalized and underrepresented communities. It’s been a long circuitous path fighting upstream against a white, male-dominated, entertainment industry that still diminishes the value and work of women, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+. I don’t take what I do for granted. Never would my teenage self dare dream that my adult self would be working in such a privileged profession and be in a position to tell stories. 

When did you become aware of “new wave?”

New wave has been in my life for as long as I can remember. It was the soundtrack to my childhood. While this music was really my aunt’s and uncles’, who were in their late teens and twenties, growing up with them meant it was ever-present in our home, and my grandparents hated everything it represented in this era of excess. On the flip side, I fondly remember tracks by Modern Talking, C.C. Catch, and Bad Boys Blue playing from the boomboxes in their bedrooms while they meticulously teased their mile-high Aqua Net-styled hair and slipped into their beat-up leather jackets, and thinking, I could not grow up fast enough to join them. For better or worse, that didn’t happen. I came of age in a different era, listening to gangsta rap, ’90s R&B, and the oldies that Art Laboe was spinning, but that new wave sound has always held a special place in my heart. 

Modern Talking’s music video for “You’re My Heart, You’re My Soul”

What made you decide that “new wave” would be an interesting subject for a documentary?

Let’s get one thing straight, this music is fucking amazing! I didn’t realize how many bangers there were until I fell down the rabbit hole of research and started making playlists. Everyone who is not listening to it is missing out. 

View this post on Instagram

1980s: This is my uncle, Danny. When I was a kid, he was my hero. He used to live with my family back in the day when we were in Orange County. I remember being really young and trying to do my hair like him. He had mad style and the freshest clothes. I loved his music back then and still do now. He was a big time music fan and introduced me to Modern Talking, Bad Boys Blue, C.C. Catch, Gazebo, etc. I cherish the "new wave" vinyls that he passed down to me. I get a kick out of knowing, now that I’m spinning new wave as a deejay, he comes out to my parties sometimes. – Ton aka DJ ALPHA @djalphamusic FYI: DJ Alpha is spinning new wave tonight and every pandemic Saturday night on Twitch and Facebook. @limelightcommunity #newwave #vietnewwave #vietnamesenewwave #refugee #refugees #refugeestories #vietnameseamerican #vietkieu #vietnamesediaspora #asianstories #asiannewwave #fallofsaigon #boatpeople #vietnamwar #resettlement #immigrants #1980sfashion #asianamericans #eurodisco #italodisco #moderntalking #cccatch #gazebo #badboysblue

A post shared by NEW WAVE (@newwavedocumentary) on Aug 15, 2020 at 4:43pm PDT

While I was pregnant a couple of years ago, I was racking my brain for stories to share with my daughter about our people and why we’re here in the US, then felt pretty deflated thinking I might have to resort to rote stories about the war. That was until my mind wandered into events I experienced first hand like my family’s early days rebuilding their lives in the ’80s. Like most children of refugees, I didn’t have an ideal childhood. The trauma in my household was real and the generational gap between my disciplinarian POW grandfather and his children, all of whom were struggling to find their identity in a new country, led to many explosive clashes. The lows were really low, and the highs weren’t that high. And when I look back, what really stuck with me was witnessing my young adult uncles and aunt living their best new waver lives. I often kept their secrets and told lies of their whereabouts to my grandparents (their parents) in exchange for passage on weekend car rides, where they’d blast new wave all the way to the mall and hang with their friends. It sounds silly to say but, new wave was a necessary diversion, a coping mechanism that brought them joy. Wherever new wave was playing was a safe space. They knew they could congregate with other young Vietnamese, and momentarily escape pressures from home, their past trauma, and just be whatever version of themselves they wanted to be. 

Lynda Trang Đài’s cover of “You’re My Heart, Your My Soul”

Reviving these long-buried memories inspired me. Knowing there are so few stories about the Vietnamese diaspora experience that aren’t tied to images of war and destruction, Vietnamese new wave felt like a great personal point of departure. So much that after giving birth in 2018, I wrote a rough draft of a TV pilot based on these recollections. Reading it over, I realized, something was missing. I was pulling from cobwebbed memories that didn’t have the specificity I craved. That’s when I began scouring the internet about the evolution of the Vietnamese-American community in Little Saigon, the beginnings of its music industry, and eventually came across your Vietnamese New Wave Revival blog post and discovered that the music was actually Euro/Italodisco. Wait, what? Why did everyone in the Viet-Am and diaspora community call this music new wave? These artists were from Germany, France, Italy, and everywhere else but the US? I had so many questions. I scrambled to call up family members that sent me off to call up other relatives that told me to call their friends that knew more about new wave. I was shocked when a couple of them confirmed that none of this music had played on the radio. They told me they bought all these European records and Viet New Wave covers/cassette compilations at record shops in Phước Lộc Thọ (aka Asian Garden Mall) because there was nowhere else to buy them at the time. It was a big “what the fuck?” moment that flooded my head with even more questions.  

  Was the music of my childhood really some imported Eurodisco fever dream? There was enough of a mystery there that I pivoted the story of my TV pilot and then enlisted some friends to help me jump start the documentary, namely, my co-producers Tracy Chitupatham and Anh Phan, as well as some advisors to make introductions and discuss that specific era. I’ve been filming since early 2019 with over a dozen people from the Vietnamese-American music community, including Lynda Trang Dai, Thai Tai, Ian DJ BPM Nguyen, some die-hard new wave fans/party promoters, and I even flew out to Europe at the end of last year to film with some of the big-name Eurodisco acts of the ’80s. 

View this post on Instagram

Thank you to @matthewvu for sharing this photo (him + his mom), this song, and this personal account: . . My fondest memory of Vietnamese new wave music would be my early elementary school years. My family lived on a cul-de-sac so the school bus would drop me off at the top of the street so I had to walk a short ways to get home. We had a screen door and my mom would leave the front door open. Everyday she would be either cleaning or cooking while blasting her Asia New Wave cassette tapes, so loud that I could hear it the moment I got off the bus. The music takes me back to these simpler times of just being a kid. . . . During the early 80s there was an influx of immigration to the United States of Vietnamese fleeing a war torn country in search of a better life (like my parents). My dad came to America with the clothes he wore and one extra set in a plastic Pan Am bag, and the only two words he knew were “yes” and “no”. I’ll always remember the story, when he first got here he would listen to the radio and it seemed like every other song played was Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough.” He didn’t understand any of it, just knew that it was a popular song. . . . Coming back to why Vietnamese new wave is so important, it served as cultural acclimation and a way to fit in. It wasn’t traditional music it was youthful and the songs sung bilingually helped teach/familiarize the English language. . . . Modern Talking song “Brother Louie” – covered by Kieu Nga

A post shared by NEW WAVE (@newwavedocumentary) on Apr 24, 2020 at 4:07pm PDT

There’s a lot to unpack about the resettlement and reestablishing of a people and culture. I’ve narrowed my focus to examine the evolution of refugee youth identity and the cultural bridge built during this fraught time with this music. Moreover, I’m telling this story for a few reasons: one, as a time capsule for my daughter and younger generations to learn a story about our resilient community beyond the war; two, to keep a historical record that will otherwise be lost when the artists and fans disappear; three, because this work is therapeutic, cathartic, and honestly, I’ve just fallen in love with it all over again. The more I listen to it, the more I wonder why new wave and I have been estranged for so long. 

What was the incentive behind the Instagram feed, @newwavedocumentary?

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SUMMER NEW WAVE: Summers in SoCal don’t normally feel so dark, morbid, and horrific. In honoring these feelings/moods, I present this Summer New Wave cassette cover with some strong Mistress of the Dark vibes. Hope it helps you get over the hump today. @therealelvira #newwave #vietnewwave #vietnamesenewwave #asiannewwave #vietnamesediaspora #refugeestories #littlesaigon #displaced #vietnameseamerican #vietnamese #immigrants #summernewwave #túquynh #cassettetapes #mistressofthedark #elviramistressofthedark

A post shared by NEW WAVE (@newwavedocumentary) on Jul 15, 2020 at 1:22pm PDT

Production for our film halted in March because of Covid-19. Coincidentally, this was the same time we learned of NEW WAVE’s first grant award from California Humanities. In making the most of it, I pivoted and immersed myself in archival research and I quickly realized the limitations and lack of Vietnamese-American archives, that aren’t of the musicians and don’t involve the war in some capacity. 

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NEWAVE: Who remembers Tuyết Nhung? #newwave #vietnewwave #tuyetnhung #apahm

A post shared by NEW WAVE (@newwavedocumentary) on May 19, 2020 at 1:39pm PDT

My team and I started the Instagram account in hopes that it’ll motivate others to share photos or videos from their personal archives. 

What has the response been?

It’s been positive. I’ve had friends and strangers inquire about the film and how they could support. Some rad photos and stories have come through. Thanks to everyone who has shared. My team and I are still digging through everything and hope to post all your stories and photos soon enough. 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0f75TgsQ7HyShuJUixmERJ?si=DdG9ucFbQti85nf1xGxQAw

How can people get involved? (social media, etc)

We want to hear from you. Please get in touch and share your stories with us on Instagram and Facebook or via researchnewwave@gmail.com. We’re searching for photos and videos after the fall of Saigon from the ’70s-’90s focused on the era of resettlement, rebuilding, and all things new wave, or tangentially new wave.

Q&A with filmmaker Elizabeth Ai about her latest project, NEW WAVE If you're American and you recognize names like "Bad Boys Blue," "C.C. Catch…