Inika Interview

By: Tanesha Bravo and Emily Song

Inika is one of the RAs of floor one in Whispering Woods. She just graduated with a bachelors degree at UCI.

What was your most memorable high school experience?

 My most memorable high school experience was actually struggling with a medical condition that I have,  not because it was fun but because I had a really hard time with it. But I think it really shaped me as a person and it helped me grow a lot and reminds me looking back now of what I actually can get through and overcome.  I think it made me appreciate the person that I was back then even if I didn't appreciate who I was.

What is the best and worst thing about college?

The best thing about being in college is the growth. The worst thing is also the growth. I think it's the most transformational but also the most painful thing you will go through. Especially if you put yourself out of your comfort zone like I think everyone should and chase after experiences that will challenge you and will bring a lot of fear and a lot of experiences that you may not want. But through that and the interaction with others, you will grow.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

One of the things I always want to do is, okay, I want to be, obviously, an integrative and naturopathic doctor, like, alternative medicine. But I also want to be a Hollywood actress. I also want to have my own non-profit that caters towards South Asian women and women who struggle with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), which is what I struggle with. So, yeah. I hope I'll be doing something.

How do you balance college life with your responsibilities as an RA and do you have any coping mechanisms?

Okay, first of all, anytime I time-block my day and actually properly organize and make a to-do list, my day is a lot smoother and I'm not all like, oh my god, what should I be doing right now? And as for, coping mechanisms, I have a lot. I love to follow meditations. Anytime I start my day with this meditation, my day is great. Much better. And visualizing a successful day first makes me a lot more productive and a lot more believing in myself. Especially when you feel low motivation, you visualize it first, you feel better. I do a lot of emotional work like EFT tapping, ear affirmations whenever I need to feel better about something, I also do a lot of journaling and burning, it works so well!

What’s your best piece of advice for high schoolers?

Okay this is actually a quote in my friends bio and I live by this, it’s “seek discomfort, always”. You will never grow, it will be sad, you will not change and I think not changing is scarier than changing so do something that scares you every single day.