Who You Are Matters

I was born and raised in Arcadia, California and have been living there my whole life. Arcadia is an Asian dominated community meaning I grew up being surrounded by Asian food, people, and the overall culture. To say the least, you could say I’ve lived a very sheltered life living in the same bubble.

Let me start off by saying that I have a passion for cosmetics, specifically makeup. Contrary to much of society, I view makeup as a form of art and expression; it empowers and instills confidence in many. With that being said, I plan/want to do Integrated Marketing for a cosmetic company in the future.

So far, I have been taking classes outside of Marshall, such as Annenberg and Cinematic School of Arts to gain more knowledge in modern forms of marketing and design. Additionally, on my free time I also keep up with makeup trends and do work for a startup company in Los Angeles called Elever.
                                                                 
I grew up with a single mother, my father passed away when I was 6 years old. Thus, when I speak about how who I'm like I only can refer to my mother. My mother is everything to me. Being a single mother she learned to be independent, strong, and resilient. Having only my mom to look up to, I have really learned to stand up for myself and what is right, as well as value the importance of being independent.

My mother was born and raised in Zamboanga, Philippines, a small town south of Manila. Her upbringing was very traditional and I often criticize her for having a mindset stuck in the time when there were nuclear families. Compared to her, I am very liberal and love breaking down traditional barriers.

This year I have definitely set my own expectations. Coming into to USC, I didn’t feel like myself. My brother set intimidating and daunting career goals for me that I was neither comfortable nor passionate about. Those goals really took an emotional effect on me and this school year I made it a point to myself to do things that bring joy and positivity into my life.

Henry Ammar, my CAP mentor, is someone I view as my role model. He has faced many of the same struggles I have faced in life, yet is one of the most positive, radiant, and optimistic people I know. Every time I see him he always encourages me to accept myself and to embrace my flaws.

An animal I feel connect to is a Meerkat, because they travel in colonies of 20-30 which demonstrates that they’re family oriented and to me family is everything.


Growing up, my father and I always used to pick peaches off the tree in my backyard and eat it. It was something I always looked forward to in the summer nights because he was always busy with work and it was one of the only times I got to really bond with him.  

Comments

  1. Elisa Baer Writ 340 BlogJanuary 12, 2018 at 3:59 PM

    This was a well-written and direct blogpost. I admire that you are attempting to generate a career out of your passion for makeup and marketing. I think it is so important to pursue a career in a field that you love, so I commend you for doing that. I can tell how passionate you are about making this career happen by taking classes outside of your designated school and staying current in market trends. I also loved reading the portion about your mother. The way you write about her is so gracious and genuine.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Elizabeth GoldsmithJanuary 12, 2018 at 4:20 PM

    I really enjoy your attitude towards makeup. I am very interested the fashion and make up world, as well. So many people view these worlds as trivial and shallow, but I agree that they are both much more about art and personal expression. Cosmetic companies need people like you to change society's attitude towards them through marketing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Maxine M.January 12, 2018 at 11:23 PM

    Hey Katie,
    I loved your blog post. I can really relate to your attitude towards cosmetics. I don't like it when ignorant people think that girls only wear make up to impress guys. I, too, think it is a form of expression and I wear make up on a daily basis, because it gives me self-confidence. My mentality is: if there's something out there that will increase your confidence, then why not do it? Also, I found the segment about your mother to be very moving. I'm so sorry that you had to endure a significant tragedy at such a young age, and I cannot imagine what you went through.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Writ 340- MichaelJanuary 14, 2018 at 1:18 PM

    I really loved your post. I've always wanted to go to Arcadia to try all the asian restaurants out there. I really like your attitude and outlook of the makeup industry because in some ways it is a very controversial industry. I can really relate to your sibling setting careers goals for you because I have very driven successful siblings and I find that adds a lot of pressure on me to live up to the standards they set.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AlanJanuary 14, 2018 at 5:59 PM

    I enjoyed reading your blogpost especially how you talk about pursuing a career with makeup. It interesting to see how make up can be a form of art and expression, when society may view it differently. Ammar sounds like a great role model and mentor. I am also in the CAP program and I feel like many of the mentors in program are amazing and passionate at what they do. I like how you incorporated the importance of family with your special animal.

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