As the final hours tick away and the 2010s close out, a special chapter of my life closes. I transitioned between four levels of education, my awareness of the world grew exponentially, and I met amazing people I’m grateful I can call my friends.
This is the first full decade I can fully remember from start to finish, and as such, I can fully pay homage to each and every year. Let us begin!
2010
- Fourth Grade!!
- Started growing out my hair!! π©βπ¦±
- I started playing the violin π»
- PokΓ©mon HeartGold came out and I got to have Espeon follow me around in the game! I also caught a surfing and flying Pikachu in the Pokewalker β‘ ΟΟ(ΰΉβ β€Μ« βΰΉ)β© β‘
- Waiting in line in my first Black Friday to get my first laptop from Staples π»
2011
- Fifth Grade!!
- I get my first cell phone – a gray Nokia touchscreen with a sliding keyboard π±
- I started playing Tricker Online (again) and Eden Eternal and made lots of online friends! ππ
- My first year doing honor orchestra and listening to Classical Music during the car rides sparked my love of music β«
- I promoted from Sandburg Elementary School! π―
- I start middle school at Challenger – which means more friends!
2012
- Sixth Grade!!
- I played the Double Bass for two months π
- I became addicted to the Rubik’s Cube β
- My first time going to Disneyland in over six years! (ｑβ½ηΏβ½)
- The beginning of our Souplantation tradition! π₯£
- Being very happy the world did not end on December 21, 2012 π
2013
- Seventh Grade!!
- Bought a 3DS to play Mario Kart 7 and Smash πβ( β’ββ’ )β§
- (\_/) \_____/ Trickster Online shuts down
- (^_^) ( . ‘_’ . )
- (____)0 \ . . /
- …Can’t think of much else but it was a really fun year because of my teachers and friends!!
2014
- Eighth Grade!!
- New violin bow!
- Our Stick Bridge holding 900 pounds at MESA Day Regionals at Chapman University π¦π¦ π¦
- Promoted from Challenger Middle School! π
- East Coast Trip!! π½
- Start high school at Mira Mesa High!
2015
- Ninth Grade!!
- Phone upgrade to HTC One (M8). Go front speakers! π±
- Richard Mandock…π
- Played in the pit for my first musical Thoroughly Modern Millie π
- Seattle Trip with Symphony Orchestra and surviving the finale of Tchaikovsky Symphony 5! ππ
- My first time going to Hawaii! πΊ
2016
- Tenth Grade!!
- AP Music Theory with an original composition as a final project π
- My first international vacation to Hong Kong!!! π
- New violin!! π»
2017
- Eleventh Grade!!
- Performed with the Symphony Orchestra in the Kennedy Center!! π
- Phone upgrade to a Samsung Galaxy S7 π±
2018
- Twelfth Grade!!
- Cut my long hair!! π¨βπ¦±
- Organized Read Across America π±
- PROM!! π€΅π
- Graduated from high school! π
- Started college at UCLA! π»
- Laptop upgrade to a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga π»ποΈ
- Phone downgrade to Moto G5 Plus because I dropped my Samsung S7 and the screen started leaking purple…π΅
- Winter vacation in Taiwan π
2019
- First year of college!!
- First time coding! π¨βπ»
- First time playing a full symphony – Sibelius 1 β ββββ
- Freshman fifteen… π₯
- First job and research position and teaching!! π²π²
- Study Physics Abroad in Glasgow, Scotland!! ποΈπ¦
- Finished fall quarter of second year! π
A Few Thoughts…
The 2010s were an interesting decade. At the beginning of the decade, we were still in the midst of the Great Recession and now the end of the decade is boasting some of the lowest unemployment rates seen in over 50 years. We witnessed the rise of social media and smart technology and it’s become so ingrained in our lives in such a short time. The ubiquity of Facebook, the dominance of Amazon, the billions of views on Youtube, and the millions of Asians across the world uniting on Subtle Asian Traits – this decade saw us connect more people than ever together.
We saw the reelection of our first black president, the legalization of gay marriage, the #MeToo movement, and BlackLivesMatter to create, in my view, one of the most progressive decades for social inclusivity and awareness. Voter turnout during a midterm year reached record highs in 2018 with a more than energized youth ready to tackle the problems of tomorrow.
I am excited to see where the 2020s take me, as well as the world. We only just had the first iPhone a decade ago so who knows where we’ll be in 2030 – what a scary thought! But as it’s still the 2010s, I leave with a picture of some of the most defining aspects of the decade. Personally, the 2010s were a blast. Growing up from elementary to middle to high school to college, hanging out with friends, banging heads from tedious and nonsensical homework and everything in between, the memories I made were amazing and I’ll cherish them forever and always. Here’s hoping to a fabulous new decade!! π
