Marcus Enfiedjian

My name is Marcus Avedis Enfiedjian. I am 16 years old and attend Torrance High school — as a junior this year. Even though it’s important, school has never been my favorite thing. I love to wrestle, pole-vault, play piano and experiment with photography. My father used to be a professional photographer and he has taught me much of what he knows. From abstract pictures to streaking light, he’s shared it all with me. I not only like photography but I’m very into digital art as well. Editing, rendering, colorizing and experimenting with art could be boring for some but is a great creative pastime for me. I would much rather be creative or constructive than to sit and waste my time on something like television. I love traveling and being a missionary during my summers. I realized that I wanted to incorporate this with other things that I love in life. I have been studying Korean for four-and-a-half years at Torrance High. Using my talents as a photographer I’ve earned a spot on the board of the Korean Culture Club.
I’m a very sociable and easygoing person. I love to have fun and make the most out of my free time. I feel that I have seen what high school has to offer and I am kind of ready to move onto bigger and better things.
 Eventually I would like to attend Underwood International College at Yonsei University. There I want to study to teach English in Korea as well as do missionary work there and throughout the world. I feel that I have a solid plan for life after high school; I just need to work hard to get there. A desk job simply isn’t a job for me.

Aneesah Giroux

I’m Aneesah Giroux and I have a personality like no other. I carry a full academic load because I know education will take me where I want to go in life.
I’ve been volunteering at the Huntington Hospital in Pasadena since ninth grade.  I’m the historian of Drama Club, I’ve been in both NHS and CSF for three years and I’m a cheerleader — but don’t hold it against me. I’ve loved traveling since I was three and I love food even more. After all this, though, my activities and academics don’t define me. I strive to be known for my thoughts, ambitions, and goals. 
I’m indifferent to most things, but I’m very passionate about how current laws affect the people around me. This is why I’m hoping to pursue a career somewhere in the field of public administration. Whether I’m an immigration lawyer, a politician or a psychologist, I know that wharever I channel my energies, I’ll be creating life-changing opportunities for people.
I know that Project Bridge will provide an invaluable experience, and I hope to gain a better understanding Korean culture, and other diverse cultures.

Hugo Hua

Hi. My name is Hugo Hua and I attend Temple City High School. As a junior there, I’m busily involved in my classes. When I’m not buried under an avalanche of work, I am either hanging out with my friends or playing tennis.
Tennis is my favorite sport. You can always find me on the court. I don’t know whether it is all the pressure of playing by myself or the competitiveness, but every time I step onto the court, a rush of adrenaline charges through my body.
Even more fun than tennis is chilling with friends is the best part of high school. Someone once told me, “a good friend would bail you out of jail, but a great friend would be sitting right next to you.” I know I wouldn’t be able to wake up at 6:30 every morning and endure the monotonous cycle of high school if I didn’t have my friends with me, suffering too.
After high school, all I know is that I want to go to college. But after that, I’m like a little boy lost in a Best Buy after the Christmas sale. That’s why I decided to apply for Project Bridge. Besides meeting cool people and traveling to Korea, I hope to be enlightened about the goals I can achieve and the careers I can work towards in the future. I can’t wait to go to Korea.

Tracy Trinh Luong

Ever heard of the phrase “don’t spread yourself too thin?” Well, I haven’t.
I make an effort to pursue everything I find interesting. Don’t take it the wrong way, I’m no jack of all trades, but just enjoy exploring everything life has to offer. I love playing tennis, performing for speech and debate and being in FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America — a national business organization — I serve as their Gold Coast vice president of Special Events.) I also enjoy constant challenges because I see them as an opportunity to learn and grow, though this year I started to feel a bit overwhelmed by my academics. Although I don’t like to admit it, I have limits. I try to subtly keep that in mind, but most of the time I just let my instincts drive me along. I really enjoy all four of my AP courses and activities I’m committed to, but in the wee hours of late nights the pressure starts to mount.
Family is an important influence on my life. Learning through conflicts with my parents, two older sisters and two younger siblings has really taught me many life lessons and how to live life the way I want to. I have an interest in the sciences and want to pursue a career in the medical field. Lately I’ve been thinking about specializing in dermatology. I mean what’s more interesting than what’s covering your body? You might think its boring now, but one day you’ll come looking for me when I find the cure for acne or something.
I’m ecstatic about Project Bridge and what has to offer. I hope it will expose me to more things that I have yet to discover.

Kenneth Park

I’m pretty sure most of you guys started jumping around when you heard that you were selected. I know I was jumping until I started panting for breath. Anyways, back to the topic.
I attend North High School in Torrance. I take a few AP courses, as well as a few honors classes. I am usually a very open person, unless I’m feeling sick, which is very rare. Some of my extracurricular activities include PAVA Jr., VYC, Korean Club and LOVE LA. I enjoy singing, reading, talking, and some other things that I can’t quite think of right now.
I want to be either an aerospace engineer or a mechanical engineer because those two careers use a lot of math and sciences, and I love both math and science. If I have time, I would also like to take up culinary because I love food, and also because cooking gets rid of some of the stress I have. I think Project Bridge will help me build some leadership skills, teamwork skills (these are going to be crucial in becoming an engineer) and presentation skills.
Need I say more? Well, some of the things I might be able to contribute to the group are my diligence, my determination and my gleefulness.

Brittany Rodreguez

My name is Brittany Rodriguez and I was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin on July 26th, 1989. I’m half German and half Nicaraguan. I’ve lived in Wisconsin, Connecticut, Florida and California.  From kindergarten to fourth grade I attended a small private school where the student population was roughly 90% African American. I then attended a private, magnet school for the performing arts while I was in grades five through eight, with a 90% Latin population. I was valedictorian of my eighth grade class. Currently I’m attending Marshall Fundamental Secondary School where the majority of the population is Armenian, Latin or African American. Due to the fact that I’ve frequently been in the minority in my schools, I never realized the richness that I’ve been exposed to by being near so many different cultures.
In my free time I enjoy playing soccer and tennis. I am secretary for the Class of 2007 at my school, president of the Drama Club, treasurer/secretary/founder of the Soccer Club, member of the Tennis Club, and a member of the National Honors Society. I am taking three AP courses and I have a 3.8 GPA. I would like to pursue a career in business marketing.

Reco Sanders

Hey everybody, my name is Reco Sanders and this is my attempt to explain my dreams and aspirations in two paragraphs. I have a passion for writing and want to be a professional journalist. Next year I plan to apply to USC, with my communication as my major, to achieve this goal. In school I excel in English classes, but math and chemistry feel like torture rather than enrichment.
I play football, but now that the season is over I’ve been searching for a volunteer program that actually interests me, instead of one that I would do just to get volunteer hours. I know a lot of upperclassmen through football and I have their respect, which in the high school social hierarchy gets me respect from a lot of other people. I’ve never heard anyone say they hate being popular, and I won’t be the first.
When I filled out the Project Bridge application and turned it in, actually getting an interview seemed like a long shot. Once I got the interview the “guy mentality” in me started speaking up. I started telling myself how great I am with people and how impressive I sound to adults — why wouldn’t they pick me? Even after the interview I still never pictured myself in Korea. The possibility of going to Korea seemed far off until Grace called with congratulations.
But after I called everybody I knew and yelled “I’m going to Korea!” and then repeated it myself three times, slowly and clearly, I couldn’t help but see myself there. I played the tearful parting with my parents, as I departed to one of the scariest places on Earth, through my mind.
Project Bridge has already given me so much! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I want to bring my personality and flair to make everyone else have more fun than they’re already having. At the same time I want to take in Korean culture and understand their view of American culture. Five years from now I want to get an assignment to interview a celebrity in Korea, so that when my editor asks if I’ve ever been I can say I didn’t just go, I had the time of my life!

Daniel Stickar 

My name is Danny Stickar. I’m 16 years old, and I attend Clark Magnet High School in La Crescenta. I consider myself exceptionally intelligent, though I sometimes tend not to show it. I’m also very artistic. I spend most of my free time drawing. As for my social exploits, well; I seem to spend much less time with my friends than I would like to, outside of school at least, owing to the fact that I have many chores, assignments and sports related activities to do while not attending class. As for my future plans, I hope to eventually find a career that lets me integrate my artistic ability with technology; something like a web or graphic designer, or 3-D character designer.
I entered Project Bridge because I believe it will help me improve some things I’m not so great at. I’m not accustomed to public speaking, and despite the many comments I try to interject into discussions, I’m really quite shy about speaking in front of others and I keep many of my true opinions guarded. I also hope to gain better leadership skills, as I have very little experience in coordinating group activities.
If I can enhance these skills, I’ll be better off in college and in life. Some of the qualities that I hope to contribute to Project Bridge include my artistic knowledge and ability, as well as the cultural awareness I’ve picked up from my diverse family and previous travels. I also believe that my good humor, cheerful personality and ability to think abstractly and creatively will be beneficial to the group, especially during the ten-hour bus rides.