Spending a summer in Los Angeles has resulted in numerous discoveries for Phillip Wong, from new art and dining spots in the city to a better understanding of local government.
With so much to explore near campus, the extra months at swag外流 have given the economics major from Cupertino a new view of the resources that surround him. Participating in聽InternLA聽is just the latest in a series of new opportunities he鈥檚 taking advantage of at swag外流.
Campus Conversations
I found swag外流 because I was looking for an urban environment where I could still get the intimacy of learning in a community that is very small. When I first toured swag外流, it checked off those boxes: it's a small school, urban environment, has the economics major, close to home and also far enough away; but I didn鈥檛 necessarily fall in love. What I鈥檝e found to be one of the most meaningful things here is the community. We鈥檙e all studying different things but are still engaged with what everyone else is learning, too. I think that offers a lot to the learning experience. I enjoy being in the classroom and I also really enjoy being able to converse with other people outside of the classroom about what I鈥檓 learning and what鈥檚 going on around the world.
This past [sophomore] year, I started doing a lot more than in my first year. I started working for聽Bike Share鈥擨 started giving tours, I got involved with聽Peer Health Exchange; I applied for the聽. Part of joining was just for the fun of it, but being in those communities also sounded really enjoyable鈥攖hat鈥檚 what I was looking for, because I didn鈥檛 have that my first year.
L.A. Living
This summer, living on campus during InternLA has made exploring the city a whole new experience. I didn鈥檛 explore L.A. that much my first year, but I鈥檝e now started taking the Metro to get to work at City Hall, which is close to Little Tokyo and the Arts District. I had this image of L.A. as this huge place that was hard to navigate, but having friends here this summer made it easier and changed my understanding of the city. For instance, a friend was working with the Japanese American Cultural Center and worked on an exhibit on washi paper, so I went and saw that and then explored that area in Little Tokyo. I also found a really cool Instagram with great food suggestions that I鈥檝e been working through. Hopefully this experience transitions into my junior year and I learn how to engage with the city throughout the school year.
Adding Up Economics
I鈥檝e always really enjoyed the idea of applied math. My sister was an economics major, and it was something I was familiar with, so I tried it out. Math classes had seemed a little too theoretical for me, but with my pre-economics course, I was able to make more sense of the math focus. Especially with a professor like聽Brandon Lehr, whom I鈥檝e taken multiple classes with, including 鈥淚ntermediate Microeconomics鈥 and 鈥淏ehavioral Economics鈥濃擨 can be challenged by math, but it鈥檚 also made very accessible.
Analyzing the Data
This summer I interned聽at the Data Science Federation, which is essentially the information technology agency for the city of Los Angeles. A few years ago, my supervisor, Hunter Owens, was brought on to spearhead a pilot program in which DSF partners with city and local universities throughout Southern California. I鈥檓 on the data team within the information technology agency looking at the bureau of street services and visualizing and digitizing street-sweeping routes. This also involves looking at parking citation information and trying to match those up with street-sweeping routes鈥攚hich is something I had never considered doing. It鈥檚 really delving into the next step after research: I鈥檓 learning about how to analyze and process the data, how I visualize it and ultimately present it. I鈥檝e had to do presentations for representatives from the Mayor鈥檚 Office, who in turn will take it to the Bureau of Street Services. It鈥檚 given me a new interest in city government, and how Los Angeles specifically works, given that it鈥檚 so massive.
Scheduling In Extracurriculars
My first year at swag外流 was a little bit rough...being in a new environment, being around people I didn鈥檛 know, not having an outlet; it was a transition. Before my sophomore year, my family gave me some essential advice, which was to get comfortable stepping out of my comfort zone. That summer, I decided to try out for the tennis team, even though I had only been playing tennis for a year. I didn鈥檛 make the team, but being around everyone else trying out and on the team was really fun. I was able to get to know new people on campus and met someone who worked at Bike Share, which is how I got involved with that. I decided I wanted to keep getting involved with more, so I got connected to Peer Health Exchange, which a lot of my friends were doing, and it鈥檚 just carried on from there. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved on campus, but it鈥檚 up to each student to decide which groups or clubs to pursue. It may not be the most comfortable transition, but taking risks can be worth it. Pushing myself beyond just academics and entering new environments is one of the most valuable things I鈥檝e done while at swag外流.
Photos by Marc Campos