My name is Nicole Ayala, and I am a sophomore attending Downtown Magnet High School. I am fifteen years old with no siblings. I am 2nd generation Mexican and 5th generation Japanese. I speak Spanish and have been to Mexico many times. However, I do not speak Japanese and have never been to Japan, but I've always wanted to learn more about that side of my ancestry and hopefully visit someday. I would describe my personality as one that can fall at both extremes of a spectrum. At times I am exceedingly shy, and other times I am very outgoing. Some of my hobbies are talking on the phone and listening to music. My favorite musical artist is N'sync. I am very interested in broadening my awareness about the differences and similarities of people from around the world, and Project Bridge is a perfect chance for me to do so. I look forward to making new friends and learning as much as I can about another culture.

I'm Andrea and I love to smile! :) I am Chinese, Argentinean, and American. I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and lived there for my first 8 years. I moved to Oregon when I was 8 and finally to Hacienda Heights where I live now. I can speak three languages: Chinese (Mandarin), Spanish, and of course, English, but I have a distinctive mixed accent in all three of them. I'm pretty involved in school. I have been on the Wilson volleyball team for the last three years and other clubs. During my free time, I love to read novels, write letters, sleep and hang out with my friends and family. I want to attend USC next year and become an international businesswoman when I grow up. During my college career, I want to be involved in everything: internships, studying abroad, etc. Four words to describe myself are: happy, talkative, enthusiastic, short (5' 2.5''). Lastly, I love God, and I'm thankful for everything that He has given me!

I'm Connie Chung, and sorry, but I am not related to that woman on TV. Coincidentally, I do want to pursue a career in journalism, specifically, broadcast journalism, just like Connie Chung. I have four sisters and a brother, so I'm always around them; we're growing up really fast and soon we won't be kids anymore. I know my siblings look up to me, so I try to set a good example for them. I am a very athletic and outgoing person, but academics always come first. Right now, my favorite class is English because of all the exciting books we're reading. I also admire different forms of art. I love to paint and draw. I love to sing, dance and act. It's just a fun and creative way to express yourself in ways you can't normally do. Music is another way for me to interpret my thoughts and feelings I can't say out loud. I am very open-minded and willing to try new things. I am very competitive but only in positive ways, and I am always craving a challenge.

My name is Denice Gonzalez, and I' am currently a Junior at Downtown Magnet High School. I've lived in South Central L.A. ever since I could remember. My birthday is on August the 20, 1986. I like talking to people and helping people and just being friendly overall. I love to listen to oldies and R&B music. I love to have fun and laugh and make the best out of even the worst situations. I'm everything but quiet, and I always seem to speak my mind and have an honest opinion about everything. I'm very busy in school, and I love it! I love being a leader and also helping people. I also love working out. I like running (I'm on the cross-country team), and I strongly believe in caring about yourself 100%. If you care about your mind, body and spirit, I do think that you could truly be happy.

My name is Varanda Khy (Ron). I'm 15 years old and a sophomore from Gabrielino High School. I am a Khmer and Chu Chow mix. I was born in Los Angeles but raised in many different cities in the area. I like to draw, design and paint whenever I can. I love collecting video games, and I'm a computer freak. I currently have a job as a certified computer technician and networking specialist, so I build, fix and maintain computers. I'm a sports freak. Basketball and golf are my sports of choice. I'm also a music freak. In my free time I like to mix songs on my turntable. I enjoy all types of music ranging from hip-hop to K-Pop. I'm a very social person, as I like to interact and meet new people all the time. In the future I hope to be a computer graphics animator or game designer and plan to attend the Academy of Art Institute in San Francisco.

I am a sophomore at Downtown Magnet School. Days can be challenging, but I am glad I have wonderful friends with whom I can play basketball and the electric guitar. I enjoy playing the electric guitar, but I am far from being a pro. I strum a few strings, but everyone at home tells me not to play too loudly. When I visited the Project Bridge Orientation last summer, the kids who previously joined the group impressed me with the articulation of their experiences. I hoped to be selected, and when I found out I was selected, I screamed in delight. In Korea, I hope to meet a Korean brother and learn his ways of living. We can share many stories about our respective cultures. I am looking forward to this experience, not just for the trip to Korea, but also for the opportunity to interact with the other members of our chosen group.

My name is Nicholas Li; you can call me Nick instead. I am from the little city of San Gabriel north of Pasadena. I was born in Hong Kong, a mixture of Chinese and British Governments. Under the culture of two different countries, I think I'm a pretty open-minded person. I'm 17 years old. I moved to the United States 3 or 4 years ago. I'm a junior at Gabrielino High School. I'm a very active member of our school. I'm also very creative. I'm a very understanding person from all the training I received as part of our school Peer Helping Program. I also enjoy sports, like cross-country and volleyball. Although being involved with so many things makes me really tired, the work never out-weighed the fun. In the future, I want to be a psychologist, some kind of counselor (probably on teen or family issues) or some kind of designer.

Gorgeous, rich, and famous…these are words that don't describe me. I'm just an average person, even shy, to most people. However, for those that know me well, I may be one of strangest people they have ever met. It is just a matter of whether I feel like opening up. Born and raised in San Gabriel, CA, I am completely Chinese only by blood; my father was raised in Malaysia, and I know more Spanish than I do Mandarin and Cantonese combined. Some of the things in life I enjoy are my dogs, going out, eating, complaining about my AP Chem teacher, my dogs, playing piano and violin, swimming, trying new things, and my dogs. I believe that I am independent and ambitious. Growing up as the middle child, the only daughter, and with parents who work all the time and two brothers who seem to spend more time with computers than people, I have had nobody to depend on completely. Eventually, that grew into not letting anybody impede my path. Sometimes, being like that has its disadvantages, but on the whole, I think it has allowed me to be who I want to be without too many of society's restraints.