Alumni Check-in: Grace Lai (Class of 2025)

Q. Where do you live now? Why? What are you doing? 

A: I’m currently a freshman at UC Davis, living on campus. My major is animal science, and it is the main reason I chose UC Davis as my top college choice. UC Davis is the top one in veterinary medicine, and I plan to go to vet school here as well.

Q. What are the biggest differences between there and Kaohsiung? What’s the biggest similarities? 

A: The biggest difference between here and Kaohsiung is probably the culture, such as stop signs, tipping, and eating. Another difference is that it is very dry here, so you won’t really sweat unless you are exercising. It is also very spacious, as it is the largest UC Davis campus with 5,300 acres. Some similarities between here and Kaohsiung are that everyone is nice! And it’s very hot in the summer and cold in the winter. 

Q. What does a typical day look like for you?

A: Breakfast around 9 am

Class around 10 am - 12 pm

Lunch around 12 pm

Class around 1:00 - 3 or 4 pm

Study around 4 - 6 pm

Watching sports around 6 pm

Dinner around 8 pm

Club meetings (some clubs have it around 7 - 8 pm)

Q. What's one thing you miss most about being a high school student? 

A: One thing that I miss most about being a high school student is not needing to worry about EVERYTHING, like second year housing, expenses, bills, what classes you will be taking, what classes you need to take to graduate, when to graduate, and so much more. 

Q. What's the biggest lesson you’ve learned in the "real world" that you wish you knew while you were in high school? 

A: The biggest lesson I wished I would’ve known while in high school is more about how society works. I feel like I haven’t been out and about the world enough, like learning to communicate (yes, small talk), doing taxes (although I am not doing it now, but in the near future), working (people start working during high school), etc.

Q. What advice would you give to your high school self? 

A: Some advice I would give to my high school self is to do more internships or part-time jobs in high school. As someone who started doing internships during 11th grade, I felt like I should’ve started from the start of high school. These internships or part-time jobs should be in different fields, so you would have a grasp of what you want to do in the future. You would also be able to create more connections between people (maybe you might need them in the future!). 

Q. Did your KAS experience prepare you for life after graduation?

A: I think that KAS, especially IB, taught me many skills, such as time management, self-awareness, and balancing school and social life. Time management is very important in college, as there is no one telling you what to do and how to do your assignments. Yes, there might be deadlines and due dates, but the professors won’t chase you down like the teachers in high school to complete your assignments.

You might join clubs, which would take a lot of your time, or you might join sports teams. There would also be events outside of academics that take up your time. You might also want to hang out with your friends. Writing the EE and the IAs helped me prep for the number of essays that I might be writing in the future. Just recently, I started to write my academic research paper, for which I need 2500 words. This was not even close to the number of words for the EE! That’s why I felt prepared. 

Q.  What are you looking forward to most in the next five years?

A: I’m looking forward to getting more engaged in clubs and activities or events inside and outside of school. I’m also excited to make new friends and explore more of Davis and the neighboring city, which is Sacramento. But I’m also nervous about going to vet school and doing all the exams and prep for it.