Linh V. '13

Hello!

I am Linh, currently a senior majoring in Biology at MIT. When I was in high school, MIT seemed like a-wonderful-place-which-most-likely-I-wouldn’t-be-able-to-get-in sorta thing. But I did. And have I mentioned I hugged my laptop and cried, at 2am in the morning in my dorm room in Singapore? Oh yes, all the emotions aside, I need to tell you a little bit more about myself.

I was born in the beautiful city of Hanoi, Vietnam where I spent the first 14 years of my life. Hanoi might be small, loud and incredibly crowded, but she has this charm, warmth and affection, hidden behind the hectic lives of 6.5 million people struggling to find their place in the city… The culture, the traditions, the cuisine, the people, I love every bit of it. When I was 15, I moved to Singapore for high school and Singapore is pretty much like my second home now.

Four years later, I found myself at MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts… I go all out, always, I mean who needs sleep? (Okay, that’s a joke. You should sleep. Sleeping is good for you.) But yes, I always push myself to the limits when I am at MIT. MIT challenges me, nurtures me and takes care of me. When I feel exhausted or stressed and have no clues what my professors are talking about, my friends are always there for me, even though they are going through the exact same thing. I am grateful and honored to be at MIT, at the frontiers of knowledge, where people are so passionate about what they do and where you can forge bonds that last a lifetime.

My experience at MIT so far, of course, is not just about working hard and challenging myself. I also do competitive ballroom dancing and salsa, paint, volunteer at hospitals and occasionally review arts events for The Tech. I travel (like A LOT) and speak a couple of languages (some have helped me get jobs or internships!) At MIT, I am a member of Sigma Kappa sorority, MIT Arts scholars, Medlinks and MIT Student Ambassador.

So that’s the little story of my life. Now, I am a little far away from MIT, about 5250km to be exact, as I am currently participating in the Cambridge-MIT exchange program. I hope I can document my life in Cambridge, UK, and my life back in Cambridge, USA, so that you guys will know more about amazing people and amazing things happening around the world!

Love

Linh