Read My Full Bio
Sunday, February 28, 2010
A pin for Haiti
I am now in the middle of my wrestling season, and looking at the team this year, our season has been characterized by hard work and diligence; as a captain, I am especially happy that I have the privilege to be the leader of a team that has such a strong mindset to work hard everyday in the wrestling room.
As I recall back to the day I went to the Head of the Charles event in October, I still remember the Brown Crew rowing with pink uniforms to "Pull for a Cure." Recently, with the tragic earthquake that occurred in Haiti, Taft has been trying its very best to support this tragedy in any way possible. As a wrestling captain, I then thought that Taft Wrestling team could also "wrestle for a cure" in order to help the Haitians. So I came up with an idea to start a fundraiser by pledging a certain amount of money for each team point that our team earns during our wrestling matches. Now, my motivation to win each wrestling match has doubled, since I can now win for an invaluable cause.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Martin Luther King Day Prayer Breakfast in the new west dining hall
The MLK day was a remarkable one that literally brought all "Tafties" together as a family. On this day, I woke up early despite everyone else's late sleep-in because I, as a monitor, was invited to the prayer breakfast. I rolled out of bed, grabbed a tie and a blazer and lazily put them on and walked down the stairs of my dormitory, still half asleep, on my way to the breakfast. As it began, I was immediately brought out of my sleeping mode as Taft's chorus, Collegium Musicum, surrounded the dining hall and engulfed the room with their harmonious voices. As the breakfast continued, a series of speakers, from students and teachers to the headmaster and an outside speaker shared their life stories to celebrate and remember MLK day.
In the afternoon, the true celebration began when the entire school gathered in the Bingham Auditorium and different groups of students shared their own passions and represented their identities and colors through songs, poems, dances, performances, and speeches. My turn came and I and my friend Tommy, walked up to the stage and shared our stories of how we came to be such good friends, despite our different ethnicity and backgrounds. As we shared our story with the school, we came to the conclusion that it was crew that bonded us together; whenever we practiced on the water on the same boat, raced together, we began to forget our differences and came to appreciate our friendship that became stronger with crew. It was a moment that reminded me to thank Tommy for allowing me to learn how to value people around me despite their differences. People like Tommy are my true friends who make my life at Taft that much more memorable and valuable. The celebration concluded with Collegium singing and everyone stood up and danced freely. It was this dancing moment that I realized that Taft was truly a home away from home.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Today was
this year’s first parents day, and as expected, it was a busy day as the campus was filled with
family and friends. I, along with a number of kids, sold Taft Crew ties, belts
and hats to the parents. Before lunch, a music concert of Taft's chamber ensemble and the Jazz band filled the
main hall with music and everybody seemed to enjoy the day. But the day didn’t end there - in the afternoon,
everybody gathered outside on the sports field for games, the highlight of which was
the victory of the football team against Kent. During the evening, parents,
faculty, and students gathered in the Bingham auditorium for the fall musical
production, Ragtime.
Although I wasn’t in the play, I played my clarinet below the
stage with fellow students and professional musicians in the pit band. The evening
ended with great applause from the crowd until the curtain closed.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Today, I, along with several rowers and Coach Harrington and
Coach Barren took a trip to Harvard University,for the prestigious Head of the
Charles. There, college crew teams as well as the Great Eight (an eight men boat which includes Olympic rowers) rowed
along the Charles river. Despite the fact that it was snowing like it was January, the
excitement from the large crowd along the Charles River easily raised the
temperature with energy. Out of all the events that took place on this day, the
one that specially caught my attention was the Brown University Men’s Crew team. They rowed in Pink to “Pull For a Cure”, benefiting breast cancer
research. After a long day at a remarkable event, on my way back, I
thought about what Brown Crew had done; they not only represented their
University on the Charles River, but also promoted an important cause. With this invaluable lesson in mind, I arrived
back to Taft.
Kris's Bio
Read My Journal
Hello all! My name is Kris from Seoul, South Korea. I am a junior here at Taft, and I went to Eaglebrook, a junior boarding school, for three years beforehand. Because I was fortunate enough to experience dorm life as an international student at an early age, Taft was a smooth, natural transition for me. I am one of the 70 monitors at the school who are selected to serve as dormitory proctors in charge of the well-being of the students in the dorms.
There are countless opportunities that are offered to every student here. Whether it be being active in sports, or in the arts, Taft is a place with numerous opportunities for all aspiring students, which makes it such an amazing place.
Over the past two and a half years, I’ve taken advantage of the opportunities and tried many meaningful things that have helped me become who I am. In my freshman year, I joined the JV football team - something I was never quite familiar with. Football allowed me to build strong friendship and teamwork with my peers, and also learn how to be physically and mentally disciplined. I will never forget the memories that I made on the football field.
In the winter, I am part of the varsity wrestling team. During my freshman and sophomore years, as a young member of the varsity team, I always looked up to the captains, who served as my role models. This year, I am fortunate and honored to take the captain position. I wish to continue carrying out the tradition of demonstrating great leadership in the wrestling room and serve as a good mentor for the new wrestlers.
One of the most exciting things that happened during my first year at Taft was when the boy’s crew coach encouraged me to try rowing. Since then, crew has become my passion, and I plan to dedicate my full effort to make the very best out of the Taft crew program in my remaining two years of high school.
Reading my bio might lead you to believe that I’m all-sports guy; but it is far from the truth. Music has also been a huge part of my life - I’ve played Clarinet for more than ten years. Before coming to Taft, I was actively involved with school marching band at Eaglebrook. At Taft, I met Mr. Thompson, a music teacher here, and was lucky enough to be part of the Chamber Ensemble. This year marks my third year of being a member of the Chamber Ensemble. In addition, I was recently nominated by Mr. Thompson to audition for Carnegie Hall, which is one of the greatest opportunities I’ve ever had. Currently, I am preparing to audition for the regional competition that will be held in November. The chamber group has been working hard to be part of the school theater production, Ragtime, as we are in charge of the music component of the school play.
If you ever see a guy at Taft in a crew shell with clarinet in one hand and a calculus book in the other, be sure to holler “Hi!” I would love to share my truly wonderful experience at Taft and discuss its limitless potential. I hope to lead and inspire fellow Tafties to join and serve to make a difference.
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