6 Things You Should Know About Me

Hi everybody!

I’m so excited that I’ll be texting you every week with ways to take action and improve your community. As a 20-year-old, I know that I wake up everyday with fresh energy because the day ahead is full of working with other young people like you to make this world a better place. Since I’ll be texting you from now on, let’s get to know each other! Here are some things you should know about me.

1. I’m from California, specifically the San Francisco Bay Area.

I was born and raised in the South Bay, close to all the big tech companies (fun fact: Steve Jobs went to my high school). I’m obsessed with Philz Coffee, Boudin, and Pizza My Heart -- all things that don’t exist in New York, where I live now. I really miss being able to go to the beach in November, but New York has cool things too, I guess...

Side note: One of my biggest pet peeves is when people say “San Fran” -- if you really don’t want to say the full name, “SF” is the right abbreviation.

2. I have two sisters: a twin and an older one.

My twin goes to NYU, so we still get to see each other every couple of weeks, which is really nice. My big sister still lives in California, but is starting med school in Arizona this fall. When we’re all together, we’re super weird, so I hope you never meet us in public.

3. Music is my entire life.

Like, everything -- from being a band nerd in high school to going to literally as many concerts as I can afford. While working, commuting, or even just hanging out, I’m basically always listening to music. Mostly indie pop, but really everything -- some days country, other days death metal, and other days instrumental. My most played artists are Billie Eilish, Lauv, Ruth B., Tyler, the Creator, Rex Orange County. I was a total band nerd in school and my main instruments were alto sax, trombone, and euphonium.

4. I spend basically all my free time watching Youtube, scrolling on Instagram, or reading fiction.

Favorite Youtubers: The Sister Squad (Dolan Twins, Emma Chamberlain, James Charles), Vlog Squad, Elle Mills, FBE, Tom Daley.

Average time spent on Instagram every day: 1.5 hours (according to my Screen Time).

Most recent book: The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. Follows the intertwining stories of a gay man living in the midst of the AIDS crisis in 80s Chicago and a mother in Paris searching for her daughter after she joined a cult.

5. I took some time off from Columbia to work here as the Civic Action Lead.

Like I mentioned, I moved to New York in 2017 for college. After finishing my freshman year, during which I interned at DoSomething, I decided to take a leave of absence to work at DoSomething full time. Now, everyday I head up our civic action and voter engagement campaigns, helping young people connect to decision makers at every level from their school principal to Congress. Right now, I’m the lead on a college admissions campaign and you can learn more here.

6. The causes that really get me fired up are immigration and gun violence prevention.

My parents came to the United States in the 1980s and became citizens in the late 90s. My cousins currently live in New York and are struggling with our broken immigration system, despite having studied and worked here for so many years. It’s a cause near and dear to my heart because it’s impacted my family so personally. Gun violence prevention is something that’s also always been a top priority for me. Throughout elementary to high school, I’ve been in three “Code Red” situations, where we had to lockdown for fear of a shooter on or near campus. No student should have to go to school living with the fear of mass shootings.

That’s a little about me, and I can’t wait to get to know you better. I’m really looking forward to texting with you and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns by emailing tej@dosomething.org. Let’s Do This!