Personal Life

Personal Life

The website creator in sunglasses, straw hat, gray t-shirt, and shorts smiling near marina with boats, mountains, and buildings in the background on a sunny day.

Now for some fun — despite all the time and energy my professional life takes, I find exploring and learning on my own terms equally as fulfilling. Scroll through to see what I’ve started, but trust me, this list will only continue to grow.

World Languages

My inspiration to study languages has many roots. I grew up in a bilingual home speaking English and Korean, and I realized early on how beneficial polylingualism would be in a multicultural country like ours. Plus, I just found it fun!

I added Spanish thanks to my hometown’s school district (shoutout Sra. Wiley — read my portfolio page), and from there, it was off to the races. Along with improving my Spanish, I have also started Brazilian Portuguese, Italian, French, and, most recently, Haitian Creole, mirroring the needs of the broader Boston community.

So why do I try to learn all these languages? To practice medicine in multiple languages and to travel the world while chatting with the locals!

Duolingo is my primary resource — while it isn’t perfect, I find it most helpful in learning a language similar to one you’re familiar with. Click on Duo to see my profile!

Close-up of the Duolingo Owl, a cartoon green owl face with large white eyes, a yellow beak, and a small orange tongue.
The South Korean flag, with a Taegeuk symbol in the center and four black trigrams around it.
The Italian flag, with green, white, and red vertical stripes.
The French flag, with vertical blue, white, and red stripes.
The Spanish flag, with three horizontal stripes of red, yellow, and red, featuring a central coat of arms on the yellow stripe.
The Brazilian flag, with a green background, yellow diamond, blue circle, and white banner with green text reading "Ordem e Progresso".
The Haitian flag, with blue and red horizontal bands and a central white panel featuring a coat of arms with weapons, a palm tree, and a banner.

Cooking

In my hometown, Manhasset, I grew up alongside friends of mostly Italian and Greek ancestry. Anyone who knows me will tell you this explains my cooking style and instincts.

Additionally, my proximity to NYC and eventual move to Boston opened doors to global cultures — I enjoy exploring new cuisines to try and cook!

Cooking often was not my main interest for most of my life, but as I got busier, I realized how valuable it is to blend necessity and leisure. I focused on cooking more during medical school, expanding to East Asian, Middle Eastern, and Latin American flavors.

Pictured are some highlights, but click here to view my cooking album (updates weekly)! I’ve also included a few cocktails while I’ve dabbled in bartending…

Spring Rolls

Plate of butternut cream sauce pasta topped with grated cheese and green onions on a granite countertop.
Bowl of spicy hot soup garnished with chopped green herbs, placed on a white textured plate on a granite countertop.
Three fried spring rolls on a white plate with a small dish of dark soy sauce, on a granite countertop.
Bowl of baba ganoush garnished with pine nuts, paprika, and olive oil on a granite countertop.

Butternut Carbonara

Babaganoush

Tavuk Çorbası

Golf + Tennis

Golf takes the crown for my earliest interest — my dad first took me onto a practice putting green when I was five. Since then, I’ve come to appreciate the sport for its versatility: I can play alone or with friends, course designs are infinitely unique, and walking the course is great exercise with picturesque views (look at that cliff shot!).

I’ve played in Metropolitan PGA Junior tournaments and on the Manhasset High School varsity team. We won the Long Island Championship in 2018, when we played at the iconic Bethpage Black Golf Course, most recently hosting the 2019 PGA Championship and the 2025 Ryder Cup. Click here to see my past Metropolitan PGA Junior results, and on the picture to see Bethpage Black!

I also played tennis growing up, and have recently started practicing again with my medical school friends. Reach out if you want to join!

The website's creator in a gray golf outfit and white golf shoes standing next to a warning sign on a golf course. The sign states that the Black Course is extremely difficult and recommended only for highly skilled golfers.
A scenic view of a golf course from a cliff tee shot, with a green, sand bunker, and water hazard, surrounded by trees, overlooking a mountain with antennas on top, under a clear blue sky.

bethpagegolfcourse.com

A golf course with a pond, sand traps, trees, and a large house in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

Wildlife

No matter what humanity builds, I still find myself most in awe of nature. The first picture I ever took on my phone is of Bushkill Falls, PA, included in this section along with snappers, sea lions, a crayfish, and a lemon farm. I love visiting parks, zoos, aquariums, and local producers.

My bias has long been towards marine life — it amazes me that we know less about the ocean depths than about the cosmos! So far, I’ve kept Pea Puffers, Blue Rams, and Panda Cories, and I hope to raise more someday. I can honestly talk about marine life all day, so I’ll do everyone a service and hold myself back. If you’re a fishkeeper, I’d love to hear about what you’re caring for!

Along with fishkeeping, I can’t wait to visit more national parks and explore nature’s beauty around the world. If only I had more time…

Underwater view of a school of small snappers swimming in clear blue water.
A multi-tiered waterfall flowing over rocks surrounded by dense green trees with a wooden railing above.
Sea lions resting on rocks and sandy beach near coastal cliffs and ocean, under partly cloudy sky.
The website's creator in a white t-shirt standing in front of a lemon tree with ripe yellow lemons hanging from the branches in a garden setting.
A red crawfish on a sandy tank floor, with another smaller fish visible to the right.

Ballroom

If you told me before college that I’d join the ballroom dancing team, I would’ve thought you were crazy. That being said, I wanted to try something completely new, and with help from friendly and energetic board members at the time, I chose the BU Dancesport Club.

I’m proud that I led the team as President, rebuilt it after the pandemic, hosted a university-wide showcase of student dance groups, and held a collegiate competition. Individually, I’m ranked NDCA Gold in Rhythm, and NDCA Silver in Latin, Smooth, and Standard. Click on the icons to see the team’s homepage and my past results!

Red circular logo with white outline illustration of a dancing couple, with the text 'Boston University Dancesport Club'
Logo with the text 'O2C' and a red upward arrow, yellow crescent, and gray circle, with 'Online Competition Manager' written below.

results.o2cm.com/individual.asp

Search my name!

budancesport.wixsite.com/budc

Guitar + Music

I started learning guitar in college, inspired by some of my favorite musicians. Many are often surprised when I share Country as my favorite music genre, though I also listen to blues, rock, jazz, and pop. Next to the picture of my beautiful guitar, you can click on some of my favorite artists!

December playlist: Christmas music, Suki Waterhouse, Raye

A wooden acoustic guitar resting in a red-lined hard case on a wooden floor.
Luke Combs, a male country musician, singing passionately and playing a blue acoustic guitar on stage with dark background lighting.
Chris Stapleton, a male country musician, wearing a cowboy hat decorated with feathers and a bird skull, singing into a microphone while playing an acoustic guitar with floral designs on the body.

Luke Combs

Elvis Presley, a male rock musician, wearing a blue shirt and a leather bracelet, holding a yellow acoustic guitar, smiling, with a shadow of a guitar on the background wall.
Aitana, a female Latin pop musician, singing into a microphone on stage, illuminated by blue lighting.

Chris Stapleton

Aitana

Elvis Presley

Current Events

In another life, I might’ve chosen to run for office! I’ve always thought staying up to date with national and global events is crucial for personal life planning and community advocacy. I’m also a big proponent of independent media (and informative satire).

While I can’t spend as much time reading the news as I’d like, I’ve been listening to podcasts while commuting. Click on the icons to visit the homepages or YouTube channels of the creators I regularly listen to, led by the independent news organization, Breaking Points!

Logo for the show 'Breaking Points with Krystal & Saagar' featuring stylized text in red, blue, and white on a black background.
Icon for the YouTube channel VisualPolitik, a bar chart with a rising trend, topped by a pie chart, on a pink circular background.
Icon for the YouTube channel VisualEconomik, a pink circle with a white Euro currency symbol in the center.
Logo for TLDR News on a purple background with black and white text.
Logo for HBO Original show Real Time with Bill Maher on a blue background with white text.
Logo for YouTube channel SchiShow on a green background with white text.

VisualPolitik

Breaking Points

TLDR News

VisualEconomik

SciShow

Real Time with Bill Maher

This is my newest interest, sparked by a desire to familiarize myself with the advice and logistics behind key life and financial milestones. Click on the icons to visit the homepages or YouTube channels of the creators I regularly watch — definitely taking suggestions on who to check out next!

Personal Finance

Icon for YouTube channel Humphrey Yang, a smiling man with short dark hair, wearing a black top, against a plain dark background.

Humphrey Yang

Icon for YouTube channel Whiteboard Finance, a smiling man with short dark hair and a beard in front of a blue background.

Whiteboard Finance

Icon for the YouTube channel 'The Jack Chappell Show,' featuring a cartoon character with brown hair in a blue checkered shirt inside a retro TV, flanked by two vintage microphones, with a red play button below and text at the top.

Jack Chapple

Help Me Grow!

If you’d like to share your hobbies and interests with me, fill out this form. I’d love to hear about why you love what you do, and even try to convince me why I should start it!