Senior Spotlight April 2012
Linda Phi
The lovely Miss Linda Phi was elected by her peers to serve as the 2011-2012 Selections Chair. This is a huge position, because she plays a large role in determining which applicants are granted interviews and, eventually, are offered the honor of representing Mortar Board National Senior Honor Society in the years to come. When not choosing the Agathai Chapter's incoming class, this Westminster, CA native busies herself with the UCLA Student Welfare Commission, Undergraduate Students Association Council, Unicamp, ALD-PES Freshman Honor Society, Golden Key International Honour Society, and the Pre-Dental Student Outreach Program. She also conducts research for Dentistry, and the Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Epigenetic Influence of Hypoxia. That's all a lot to handle, and in the free time she has left, Linda enjoys unwinding with piano, basketball, doodling in lecture/discussion, shopping, eating, reading children's books, and watching Disney movies. She hopes to one day apply her major in Neuroscience to a career as an orthodontist. Linda counts among her greatest achievements being a Bruin, studying abroad in Cambridge, and eating a record seven boxes of cereal in two weeks.
Please continue reading as we turn the spotlight on Linda!
Describe your personality in three words:
Understanding, compassionate, dedicated
What is your best quality? Give an experience when you have put this quality to use.
My best quality is being versatile in most situations that I am placed in. For example, in terms of roles in student organizations, I am able to be a leader when the situation calls for me to act as a leader. Additionally, I have taken on the role as finance chair, programming chair, public relations chair, and volunteer chair in my campus organizations, and so I have a wide scope of how programming and intergroup collaboration works at UCLA. Of course, there is always room for learning and improvement.
What are your interests?
I love playing the piano and music in general! I also love playing basketball, painting, drawing, and arts & crafts.
What do you like about UCLA?
I like the diversity at UCLA, because you’re able to meet people from all different cultures and backgrounds. Additionally, I love how UCLA students are passionate in the things that they do, and that they are all motivated to somehow better the community.
What is one thing you would like to change at UCLA?
One thing I would like to change: cost. It is unfortunate that many students are deterred from applying to UCLA or attending UCLA because the cost for tuition is constantly rising. Sometimes, it comes to a point where the price for education overshadows all the wonderful and unique opportunities that UCLA has to offer.
What has been your biggest learning experience?
My biggest learning experience has to be learning how to overcome obstacles and recovering from unfortunate events. I learned that life doesn’t get any easier, and so it is how one responds to a conflict that carves his or her way in life.
Name two movies you could watch over and over again? Why?
First movie: Anastasia, because of the music and story line! Not to mention I had a minor crush on Dimitri.
Second movie: Beauty and the Beast, because it was one of the first Disney movies that emphasize inner beauty. And because the magical rose is super pretty/glittery.
What is your favorite book and why?
The Giving Tree, because it teaches the lesson of selflessness and compassion.
If you could meet anyone in history who would it be and why?
If I could meet anyone in history, I would meet William Shakespeare, because I want to know where he gets his inspiration for his plays. Also, I want to see if he is able to speak conversationally in prose.
If you could go anywhere in the world for a day where would you go and why?
Italy – because it is one of the countries that I haven’t traveled to yet!
What career would you like to pursue after graduation? Why?
After graduation, I am pursuing a career in dentistry. The oral health is an aspect of health that commonly gets overlooked when an individual is assessing for a “healthy body,” and so I want to improve oral health literacy in our community.
What characteristics does it take to become a great leader?
To become a great leader, one has to unify the constituents toward accomplishing a common goal. Additionally, a leader has to be able to think critically and act to improve individuals’ lives for the better.
Name one person you admire? Why?
I admire my mom, because she went through so much hardship yet is still able to stand strong for what she believes in.
Who has been your most influential professor and why?
My most influential professor is Dr. Francesco Chiappelli, Ph.D, because he has been my mentor and P.I. since my freshman year at UCLA. He has helped me in so many different ways and guided me throughout my undergraduate career, and will continue to mentor me throughout dental school as well.
Which is the one television character that you simply adore?
I love Rachel from “Friends”!
What are the three most played songs on your iPod?
At the Beginning with You, in Anastasia; Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, by Marvin Gaye; Taking Chances, covered by Glee
If given a choice, which animal would you want to be and why?
I would be some sort of bird, because I would be able to fly!
Have you traveled outside of the United States? If so, where?
I have traveled to England, Scotland, France, Canada, and Mexico.
What is the funniest prank played by you or on you?
My aunt, my sister, and I played a prank on my grandma at Universal Studios during their haunted mazes. We told our grandma that we would go with her into the maze, and told her to lead the way. Near the beginning, my aunt, sister, and I backed out of the maze and made my grandma complete the entire maze herself. When she finished, she got really mad at us because she was so scared she peed in her pants. Literally.
What does being a member of Mortar Board mean to you?
Being a member of Mortar Board means that I am able to represent leadership, scholarship, and service all at once, to the best of my abilities. I am able to work alongside incredible people who are passionate in what they do, and improve our community in any way possible.
Understanding, compassionate, dedicated
What is your best quality? Give an experience when you have put this quality to use.
My best quality is being versatile in most situations that I am placed in. For example, in terms of roles in student organizations, I am able to be a leader when the situation calls for me to act as a leader. Additionally, I have taken on the role as finance chair, programming chair, public relations chair, and volunteer chair in my campus organizations, and so I have a wide scope of how programming and intergroup collaboration works at UCLA. Of course, there is always room for learning and improvement.
What are your interests?
I love playing the piano and music in general! I also love playing basketball, painting, drawing, and arts & crafts.
What do you like about UCLA?
I like the diversity at UCLA, because you’re able to meet people from all different cultures and backgrounds. Additionally, I love how UCLA students are passionate in the things that they do, and that they are all motivated to somehow better the community.
What is one thing you would like to change at UCLA?
One thing I would like to change: cost. It is unfortunate that many students are deterred from applying to UCLA or attending UCLA because the cost for tuition is constantly rising. Sometimes, it comes to a point where the price for education overshadows all the wonderful and unique opportunities that UCLA has to offer.
What has been your biggest learning experience?
My biggest learning experience has to be learning how to overcome obstacles and recovering from unfortunate events. I learned that life doesn’t get any easier, and so it is how one responds to a conflict that carves his or her way in life.
Name two movies you could watch over and over again? Why?
First movie: Anastasia, because of the music and story line! Not to mention I had a minor crush on Dimitri.
Second movie: Beauty and the Beast, because it was one of the first Disney movies that emphasize inner beauty. And because the magical rose is super pretty/glittery.
What is your favorite book and why?
The Giving Tree, because it teaches the lesson of selflessness and compassion.
If you could meet anyone in history who would it be and why?
If I could meet anyone in history, I would meet William Shakespeare, because I want to know where he gets his inspiration for his plays. Also, I want to see if he is able to speak conversationally in prose.
If you could go anywhere in the world for a day where would you go and why?
Italy – because it is one of the countries that I haven’t traveled to yet!
What career would you like to pursue after graduation? Why?
After graduation, I am pursuing a career in dentistry. The oral health is an aspect of health that commonly gets overlooked when an individual is assessing for a “healthy body,” and so I want to improve oral health literacy in our community.
What characteristics does it take to become a great leader?
To become a great leader, one has to unify the constituents toward accomplishing a common goal. Additionally, a leader has to be able to think critically and act to improve individuals’ lives for the better.
Name one person you admire? Why?
I admire my mom, because she went through so much hardship yet is still able to stand strong for what she believes in.
Who has been your most influential professor and why?
My most influential professor is Dr. Francesco Chiappelli, Ph.D, because he has been my mentor and P.I. since my freshman year at UCLA. He has helped me in so many different ways and guided me throughout my undergraduate career, and will continue to mentor me throughout dental school as well.
Which is the one television character that you simply adore?
I love Rachel from “Friends”!
What are the three most played songs on your iPod?
At the Beginning with You, in Anastasia; Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, by Marvin Gaye; Taking Chances, covered by Glee
If given a choice, which animal would you want to be and why?
I would be some sort of bird, because I would be able to fly!
Have you traveled outside of the United States? If so, where?
I have traveled to England, Scotland, France, Canada, and Mexico.
What is the funniest prank played by you or on you?
My aunt, my sister, and I played a prank on my grandma at Universal Studios during their haunted mazes. We told our grandma that we would go with her into the maze, and told her to lead the way. Near the beginning, my aunt, sister, and I backed out of the maze and made my grandma complete the entire maze herself. When she finished, she got really mad at us because she was so scared she peed in her pants. Literally.
What does being a member of Mortar Board mean to you?
Being a member of Mortar Board means that I am able to represent leadership, scholarship, and service all at once, to the best of my abilities. I am able to work alongside incredible people who are passionate in what they do, and improve our community in any way possible.
