UPAAN Onward & Upward with Angela Hung
Angela Hung (she/her) is a UPA graduate of 2022. She is currently pursuing her Bachelors degree in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics with a minor in Global Health at UCLA. She chose this major because she’s pre-med, and it was different from the traditional Biology major that most pre-meds choose. She’s interested in infectious disease-causing microbes, and the socioeconomic and cultural factors that affect the distribution and acceptance of healthcare. Currently, you can find Angela tutoring students virtually. This summer she’ll be working as a Protein Researcher for colon cancer diagnostics in Madison, Wisconsin with Exact Sciences. There her role will be to identify the biomarkers normally expressed in cancer cells for early cancer detection.
See the wisdom Angela shared with the UPAAN community below.
Did you feel that UPA’s courses helped you explore and learn more about your interests?
I really enjoyed taking the PLTW Biomedical Pathway, because it allowed me to dive deeper into my biomedical/medicinal interests not just in a sitting-down-learning type of way but also in a hands-on fashion.
Were there any teachers, programs, or extracurriculars that made a lasting impact?
Definitely Ms. Wustrow, Ms. Gavin, Ms. Schwinge, and Mr. Sato. There's so many more that I can't include or the list would be too long, but the common theme among these teachers was the depth to which they cared about their students and were patient with them because I know we weren't always the easiest to teach.
What high school skills or lessons do you still use today?
Not procrastinating; it's actually so important when you go to college and have to balance even more things than you had to balance in high school. Doing my homework during the weekend helps make my weekdays less hectic, when I have to go through a full day of classes, shadowing, volunteering, clubs, research labs, etc.
How did you transition from high school to college or the workforce?
It was a bit of a culture shock when I started at UCLA, given the enormous class size. I wasn't used to being in class with hundreds of people, and barely being able to even talk to the professor. I wasn't used to walking around campus and not knowing anyone, but I enjoyed the anonymity it provided as well as the opportunity to meet diverse people. I think this environment suited me well in meeting new people but it does make it difficult to form solid relationships with professors.
What advice would you give students considering your career or college path?
Be prepared for everyone at UCLA to be a valedictorian or salutatorian from their original high schools. It's a bit crazy how many of those we have here. Everyone else is still extremely smart and accomplished so it's normal to get a little bit of imposter syndrome, but it's important to try not comparing yourself to others and just focus on reaching your own goals. Also, be aware of how horrible UCLA's enrollment is. They frequently open much fewer spots than the student demand for these spots, leading to classes filling up within minutes and students offering other students hundreds of dollars for a spot in the class. It's a bloodbath.
How do you suggest students balance academics, extracurriculars, and personal life?
Make sure you have down time to yourself, whether that's in the evening or on a particular day during the weekend. It's easy to get caught up in everything going on in college, whether it's academics or extracurriculars, and burnout is inevitable. It's how you can try to prolong the burnout by giving yourself time to relax here and there. It could be simple like going to the gym or eating dinner with a friend.
