Chelsea Interview :))

Interviewer: Christopher Wang

Interviewee: Chelsea Nino

Q1: Where did you come from? 

I am from Los Angeles, being the oldest of two siblings. One noteworthy fact is that I came from a very small family, and I am actually a first generation. 

Q2: What inspired you to become a UCI RA?

“I enjoy working with younger students. I’ve always liked being able to help others. IN my high school, I had no high school counselors. As a first generation, I was confused on how to apply for college. I didn’t even know UCI existed in the first place. I was determined to be a mentor and introduce young students to UCI when I discovered it.”

Q3: Why did you decide to also be a COSMOS website editor?

“Writing is one of my stronger suits. I’ve always enjoyed English classes. My writing is somewhat good enough and I could help others develop better writing skills. I just think it would be super interesting to help others in regards to the COSMOS community.”

Q4: What are some of your hobbies? In other words, what do you like to do?

“I enjoy playing sports, and I enjoy going to the gym. I also like going to the beach, but only after 6 pm to watch the sunset. Not only that, I like traveling to other countries, and in fact, I will be going to Spain during the fall to study abroad. The main sport I play is soccer, and I grew up playing soccer my entire life.”

Q5: Describe some challenges of being an RA. 

“One of the main challenges is just balancing two competing factors. Being authoritative yet being a haven for kids to come to without being scared can be a challenge.” 

Q6: How is life like being an RA?

“Life being an RA is somewhat stressful, with a good amount of stress. Dealing with one student’s difficulties is not a problem, but when multiple students have problems, the stress stacks up. However, I enjoy getting to know my third floor girls, and I think they are very nice. Getting to know about their background has been extremely helpful as well. Their experiences as a high school student is also noteworthy as it is different from mine.”

Q7: What is your college major, and what work do you do?

“I am a double major, working in business economics and criminology. I also do real estate, but I study that outside the university. There is a lot of statistics and math, especially criminology. We also explore immigration and law in the United States.”

Q8: Give a trivia fact about you!

“I have been to ten different countries, mostly all in Europe. It’s something that I grew up with my family; we travel to a different place every year. This is part of a family radiation, and now I can travel on my own. Now I feel very cultured, and I got to experience many different cultures. I even went to weddings without shoes or light-colored dresses.”