family interview. by Andy Xiong

163333_9 — 2024-11-18 18:12:08 UTC

Throughout my 5 years of living in this neighborhood, This is where I made most of my memories that has made me who I am today.

163333_9 — 2024-11-18 18:26:30 UTC

I would walk to the $79 cent store almost every day, because this is where I felt like I could be free of home and if there wasn't anything to eat in the house, but it really taught me how to be more independent on myself.

163333_9 — 2024-11-19 18:03:27 UTC

This place is where passion was made for me, I remember every moment after school, going to the park playing Volleyball and Soccer with my cousin and friends. Volleyball was something I enjoyed doing a lot since I never really enjoyed going outside.

163333_9 — 2024-11-19 18:29:02 UTC

Hmong club was the first club I joined in 7th grade and this was where I made most of my friends but most importantly, this is where I learned how to socialize.

A picture of me and Brian, my best friend since 5-6th grade. This was one of the oldest pictures we had together and I think this picture was our first time hanging out. This experience has shaped who I am today because if it wasn't for meeting Brian, my life would've been harder without his advices.

163333_9 — 2024-11-20 18:56:54 UTC

163333_9 — 2024-11-20 19:15:43 UTC

This was a picture of me and my friends to remember this current moment! This was before the day of summer break and we wanted to take a picture to remember the moments in middle school.

163333_9 — 2024-11-21 17:54:34 UTC

163333_9 — 2024-11-21 17:55:36 UTC

My whole life, I was always scrawny and pretty thin, but when I entered high school, I decided to sign up to the gym and make change, going constantly everyday. I wanted to take this picture to remind the future me of how far I've made it since the beginning.

163333_9 — 2024-11-21 18:12:35 UTC

I have been playing Volleyball for 4 to 5 years and I still love it. Volleyball has got me closer to people who are similar to me in every way. This picture shows my love for Volleyball and how it has brought friendships around me playing Volleyball.

163333_9 — 2024-11-21 18:29:46 UTC

Growing up, I always wanted to open a clothing business. This is because I always loved street fashion but the problem was that whenever I would wear extras to a small size, my clothes didn't fit me proportionally due to my small body. This is because most street clothing brands were always designed for taller and bigger people, so then I wanted to make a clothing business designed for shorter and thinner men.

163333_9 — 2024-11-22 07:02:22 UTC

I want to go to college in the future because my family never got the chance to finish college as they never had enough time from family and finance problems. I want to be the first person to finish college in my family.

163333_9 — 2024-11-22 07:16:22 UTC

When I view myself, I see an energetic, stubborn, talkative person. I think people view me as a reliable, trustworthy person because when there's issues or problems, I'm the type of person to lend a help or when people tell me secrets, I always make sure to listen and not leave that message safe.

163333_9 — 2024-11-22 07:21:55 UTC

A few ways I have grown is by learning to handle emotions logically. This is because speaking irrationally isn’t reasonable and usually doesn’t lead to a solution. I started accepting mistakes and trying to learn from them, because you can't really do anything besides learning from your mistakes and accepting them. For example if I say something hurtful during an argument because I felt offended, I usually try to man up and apologize later and think about how I can avoid doing it again. One thing for sure is that i'm better at resolving conflicts calmly instead of thinking recklessly or speaking irrationally. I have no reason to argue back defensively if it doesn't benefit me any way or how. I just see it as a a waste of time knowing we'll both just regret it later on. So I'll try my best to stay calm and listen before responding, even when I’m frustrated. More ways I have grown is through trying to socialize with others because even though i'm an introvert. For me, it has always been hard for me to talk to new people around me because I get nervous and feel judged based on everything about me but I'll just try it if I build enough confidence. Eventually once I do make more friends, I do feel socializing to be easier now then before. I don't really know any other growths I made besides playing in Volleyball that has helped me build characteristics such leadership, teamwork, and communication.

163333_9 — 2024-11-22 07:33:20 UTC

Best friend, friend, classmate, brother, and son.

The song, "This Side of Paradise" from the artist Coyote Theory is a song that relates to my life and identity because the song connects to my life by expressing the feelings of being lonely and the hopes of someone who can understand me.

163333_9 — 2024-11-22 07:48:14 UTC

This is because I always felt left out around others and families but I always wanted to feel involved such as the lines "Are you lonely? Come be lonely with me." This is why I picked this song since it connects to my life of expressing the feelings of loneliness and for someone to understand me.

163333_9 — 2024-11-22 07:48:21 UTC

My brother told me that we weren't financially rich, taking care of us all day so he wasn't capable of going to college. Hmong communities weren't known in the United States and we would often be mistaken as Chinese people.

163333_9 — 2024-11-22 07:55:45 UTC

163333_9 — 2024-11-22 18:28:56 UTC

This picture was during 2022 in October when I went to visit Fresno for the Fresno fair. This picture is me and my friends meeting up and eating ice cream together after being separated for years of long distance. These memories have shaped me today to remember the memories and challenges we went through together.