Who is Rosemary?
An 'influencer' since the age of 14
The first couple of people I influenced are my parents. At the age of 14, when I was still a freshman in high school, I convinced them to send me to the United States for my higher education. I knew that I wanted to come to the U.S. to study psychology after a summer camp in the U.S. in 2012, touring more than 10 tier one universities across the nation. However, my parents immediately rejected my idea of studying abroad after I told them. I am the younger daughter in the family and the youngest in my generation of both parents' side, so my family wanted me to stay with them as close as possible. They had plans for me. But I NEVER GIVE UP.
I started to prove to them how independent and determined I was. I learned TOEFL and SAT while maintaining courseworks in school, formed solid reasons why it was necessary to study psychology in a different country, taught myself how to cook and taking solo trips. It was a long battle, but I won. My parents finally agreed to let me apply for colleges in the U.S. I applied to schools in California the most as I was mesmerized by the warm Mediterranean climate, diverse culture, and outstanding education resource.
An international student navigating her way in California since 2015
UC Davis Alum
In 2015, I went to University of California Davis for my undergrad and began a new chapter of my life as an international student, a FOB. In the meantime, I shared my FOB journey on Weibo as I wanted to show people that being an international student is not all about the glamour. It is not easy. In fact, there are always struggles whether coming from language or culture, but I was ready to beat them one by one.
I made new friends, seek help from professors, utilized campus resources. Most importantly, I believed in myself that I could conquer any challenges as long as I put my mind to it. I did it. I double majored in psychology and communication, worked two campus jobs at the same time while taking a full load of classes, took a summer in London, and in Fall 2018 I graduated two quarters early with honors. I achieved more that I thought I was capable of. I was an orientation leader, research assistant, student advisor, marketing intern and volunteer. Sacramento was my food court, Napa my backyard, and San Francisco my metropolitan dream. I traveled to so many places during my time at Davis, by myself or with friends. Arizona, Boston, Nevada, Seattle, New York, Mexico, Canada, Korea, Japan, you name it.
Public Relations & Marketing Practitioner
USC Annenberg Alum
In my last quarter at Davis, I took a public relations class during which I came to realize my passion for this field. Public relations to me at the first look was a combination of psychology theories and communication practices--the sum of my two majors. It occurred to me that me sharing my journey as an international student on social media and engage with my audience was the application of PR while I was taking the class. This class completely changed my future career path as I always thought I was going do become a psychotherapist. I felt the gap between my newly realized passion and my ideal career as a public relations specialist, so I decided to apply for graduate programs in PR.
The Strategic Public Relations program at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, which is ranked No. 1 PR program in the U.S., was my first choice and a dream come true. Although I enjoyed Davis very much, I felt a piece of me was missing when I was at the college town. I have been a city girl my whole life, and it was time to back to the metropolitan where more opportunities await. I moved to my favorite city, the City of Angeles in the summer 0f 2019 to embark on another journey in life.
It felt surreal to me that I got accepted to my dream school pursuing a master's degree in an area that I am passionate about and moved to my favorite city. Four years had gone by, Rosemary was no longer the 17 year old girl who just came to the states. It was still a new environment to her, but she very much knew how to navigate her way this time thanks to all the lessons. I am lucky that I not only realized my passion in PR but also narrowed it down to a specific area--lifestyle--especially food and tourism when I just started the program. What can be better than blending your passion and hobby into your dream career path?
This past two years of my grad journey was magical. We started out in person, went online in the middle of the second term till the end but finished we an in-person celebration. I began my graduate study in LA, did half of the program on Zoom in China due to the pandemic, and eventually came back to LA for the finale. Looks like I did a "free" and improvisational study abroad program in my home country. It has been a month since I graduated from USC, and I don't know when I will find a job just as I didn't know when the U.S. Embassy will reopen, but this time I know what I can do to shorten the time and I have been doing those: applying, interviewing, networking for more opportunities, and acquire new skills, including building this website to showcase my work and hopefully make me stand out when you get to know my stories.
If you've made this far, thank you! Now I wanna tell you about my biggest interests in life.
Sunset Chaser
I have the obsessive sunset watching syndrome, a term coined by me, so of course you wouldn't find it in DMS IV. It has been approved that if Rosemary don't get to see a good sunset in a week, she will wilt like a sunflower that is not getting enough sunlight. Well, I guess I was a sunflower in my last life. I imbibe power and energy from the orange sun and pinky and purplish sky. I know all the good places to chase sunset in LA, but I am hesitate on sharing those spots with others who do not cherish sunset as much as I do. Since you've made this far reading my stories, DM me on Instagram and I'll tell you my secret spots!
Coffee Aficionado
Besides sunset, I am also obsessed with coffee. Pour overs and lattes are my favorite. Brewing pour over is therapeutic as the coffee grind blooms when hot water saturates through it, kind of like me becoming stronger when problems come at my way. The flavors of pour overs using the same beans can be vastly different depending on the water to bean ratio, the equipment, the brewing method, the water temperature. It's like how people are made different despite they are from the same place, went to the same school, and have the same experience. I love lattes as much as I love pour overs, or maybe a bit more over. Latte is my go-to drink at coffee shops. I bought an espresso machine and recently got into latte art. I like to invest time and effort in my hobbies and hopefully make them something I am good at. Latte art to me is like an experiment every time. I only get one shot or two each day as I can only drink up to two lattes a day, so don't mess up! At the same time, it's okay to mess up cuz you get tomorrow and the day after tomorrow to practice. Practicing latte art is a process of teaching me to be patient and just enjoy the process. You will reach your goal of making a beautiful latte when you mess up to a certain number of times, just like the more mistakes you make along the way, the more likely you will success in the future if you take lessons out of those mistakes.
I want to bring more identities onto myself later in life.
Entrepreneur
Coffee shop owner/barista
Philanthropist
Writer/Lyricist
Poet
......
I haven't edited this about me section for two years. What new identities have I brought onto myself?
Entrepreneur
I founded a jewelry brand XXSENSE with my close friend Aimee in 2022.
Podcast Host & Producer
I created the first international student employment podcast The H1b Talk interviewing the work visa journey of the small yet resilient group and share our story to the general public.
Coffee Shop Marketing Manager
Although I'm steps away from opening my own Therapy Coffee, I'm so grateful to have the chance to get into the coffee industry as a coffee aficionado. When passion meets skills, it's the best I could ask for.
--Rosemary 9:41PM Jul 19, 2023