Joanna Choi

Joanna Choi
Harvard University
Molecular and Cellular Biology
Freshman
La MIrada, CA

Hi! My name is Joanna Choi and I am currently a first-year attending Harvard College. For some background, my parents immigrated to the United States with my older sister before they had me and I was born in Los Angeles, California.

Growing up as a Korean American and a minority has caused me to face many hurdles but even then, I am thankful for those times of perseverance because these experiences are what drove me to my interests in my Korean American identity. Although I was born in the United States, I was able to grow my proficiency in the Korean language due to my parents who were still used to speaking Korean to me and my sister. Gratefully, as a child, I had facets to explore my Korean identity through volunteer activities, the Korean language, culture, and more. Even now, I continue to explore my interests in my Korean heritage by taking a class at Harvard on Korean history, which covers from the dynasties to modern history.

Ever since I was little, I loved going to science museums and biology had always been my favorite subject in school. The biological systems that create our world and our bodies had always fascinated me and compounded with other experiences in my life, my life dream was to become a doctor. Through my experience at higher education, I have explored new courses, especially in regards to international relations. This has become a new found interest of mine because I wish to coalesce my Korean identity in the future things I do and it has come to my attention that I would be able to do so through international relations.

I am still currently growing and learning as a student and an individual but I believe that my passion and love for what I do drives me to persevere and cultivate learning in my everyday experiences.