By Catherine Vu
Senior Katy Nguyen’s “We Bare Bear” merch might be the first thing you notice about her. She’s not one to approach you first though, so it may be a while before her intelligent and hardworking personality stands out.
Katy joined Baron Banner in her sophomore year out of curiosity.
“My friend Karen convinced me to join. I also kind of liked writing, but wasn’t really that good. I also always liked photography,” Katy said. “I got my first camera in 7th grade, and I’ve been taking photos since.”
She has come to realize the importance of journalism in her three years since joining Baron News.
“It’s really important to inform our local community about local topics,” Katy said. “Journalism is still impactful even if it’s not in major publications.”
One of Katy’s hobbies is art, which she has cultivated through her extracurriculars.
“I’ve been in KIWIN’S since freshman year, and I’ve gotten a lot of officer positions. I was club publicist my sophomore year. Then my in my junior year I was the corresponding secretary and also the divisional bulletin editor. This year I’m the district’s award and recognition chair,” Katy said.
She learned how to do graphic design and vector art through her position as the publicist of KIWIN’S.
“I didn’t really think about it much before then, but I got invested and my skills grew along the way,” Katy said.
Over quarantine, she has picked up bullet journaling again, a hobby she used to do frequently during freshman year.
On her Instagram account @katystudys, she shares pictures of her journaling spreads as well as drawings she makes in Illustrator and Procreate.
One of the most memorable experiences she’s had over quarantine is being part of HBUHSD’s chapter of Diversify Our Narrative (DON), which works to introduce more diverse voices and texts into school curriculums.
“Right now, DON is working to introduce a few short works into English departments, and so far teachers are really supportive of us,” Katy said. “This experience has made me realize how important a lot of these issues are and I think I’ll be passionate about these topics for a long time.”
Katy has done a lot of introspection in the past few months in isolation.
“I’ve improved myself as a person over quarantine. I understand a lot more about myself and developed a lot of values that I’ll carry for the rest of my life,” Katy said. “I think by being alone for so long without many interactions, you aren’t molded by other people’s thoughts and expectations as much. Independence is a personality trait I want to cultivate.”
Katy gives her all in everything she does. However, her many hobbies have made her unsure of her future career.
Despite this, she is certain of one aspect.
“I really like working with the community. Despite getting to spend a lot of time with my friends while volunteering for KIWIN’S, helping people makes the whole experience more fulfilling and very enjoyable. I want to do something people-oriented in the future,” Katy said.
Through whatever lies in her future, she will carry her core values with her.
“Empathy is something I really want to grow on,” Katy said. “Trying to understand different people is something really important to have.”