Biosketch
- Name: Victoria Kang
- College: Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences
- Major: Applied Biomedical Sciences
- Hometown: Dracut, Massachusetts
- Favorite hobbies: Traveling, shopping, going on long walks
- What is your favorite thing about UMass Lowell (UML)? My favorite thing about UML is the diversity of the community. Meeting people from different backgrounds is important, and I enjoy learning about the different cultures and languages.
- What are your future goals? My future goals consist of receiving my bachelor’s degree in my major, and attending PA school to become a physician assistant. Once I have a stable job, I plan to give back to my parents and thank them for the sacrifices they’ve made for me to get an education.
- What has having been involved with the RHSA meant to you? Being involved with the RHSA has allowed me to see that being a first-generation student is something that I should be proud of. Instead of it being a weakness, I can use this label as a motivation to keep going and achieve my goals to make both myself and my family proud.
- Looking back, what advice would you give to yourself in your first year of college? Looking back on my experiences, I would tell myself that it’s okay to communicate with my friends and family. Having people that will listen to what I have to say is something I should be grateful for, and I don’t need to feel like I’m bothersome when talking out my feelings to someone.
- What advice would you give fellow students? Advice I would give to fellow students is to push through strong each semester and find what motivates you to do so. Motivation is something every student struggles with, especially when it comes to studying for exams. However, I’ve found that setting small goals and rewards for yourself can help you to do the best you can during the school year, and the results of having motivation are well worth it.
- Why did you choose to attend UMass Lowell? Along with the close proximity to my house, I chose to attend UMass Lowell because it was a financially better decision and I found that there were many programs and opportunities available for students.
- What does it mean to you to be a first-generation college student? To me, being a first-generation student means that I am lucky enough to have an opportunity that my parents and the rest of my family were not able to have. This means that I have the honor to be one of the firsts in my family to further my education and pursue a career that I’m passionate about.
- What inspires you to want to help first-generation students in the RHSA? My own experience as a first-year student in RHSA inspired me to want to help next year’s students. I’ve found that hearing from multiple different people is important. My own peer leader has given me great advice and has helped guide me during my first year. Especially since peer leaders are also students, it was easy to get along with and relate to them. I’m grateful to have had not only a great mentor, but also a great friend to interact with and be available to me whenever I had questions. I want to provide the same guidance that I was given and be able to help the upcoming first-year RHSA students.