To trace who we are, what we love, and where we finally feel we belong.
Dockside Tales celebrates heartfelt moments through storytelling and photography.
I feel like music has taught me that life isn’t a standardized test — it’s more about learning as you go. It’s like a hero’s journey: you’re constantly evolving and gaining new perspectives. When I reflect on who I was ten years ago, I can feel the growth within me — it has made me stronger than I used to be. That’s what the journey of learning music has been for me.
Sometimes, creation itself is a form of connection and art. We don’t have to be perfect in our creations; they can take any form and be shared with anyone in the world.
Photography, those things just make me feel more like a human.
What it means to become human is to try to find what you want to do in life, what you find fun to do in life, and where you find yourself comfortable.
I am deeply grateful for everyone who has helped me become who I am today, especially the seniors at my school who guided me toward becoming a more confident person. I used to be shy and afraid of the unknown. But I’ve learned to do what you have to do, do what you want to do, and be who you want to be.
Other people’s opinions are temporary, but the experiences you gain stay with you forever.
I carried this MIT backpack everywhere, long before I came to this school. It was just a backpack, but sometimes it felt like it carried more than books. Family expectations, academic pressure, the future I was supposed to reach—all of that became an invisible backpack I carried with me too. Especially for international students, there is often an invisible backpack we carry with us. When I dance, though, it is the one time I can put both backpacks down.
I don’t have to think about expectations or where I’m going next. I just dance.
People hear ‘captain’ and think it means being the best person on the team. I don’t really see it that way. Tennis and squash can feel very individual—you’re out there and no one can play the point for you. Cross country is different because you can be exhausted and still look beside you and see your teammates going through the same thing. Doing all three taught me that leadership isn’t always about being the loudest person or giving a speech.
Sometimes it’s just showing up every day, doing the work, and making sure the person next to you knows they’re not doing it alone.
“Non egi aliorum approbatione; eventus mei me loquentur.”
I don’t want to spend my life chasing other people’s approval. Whether I’m on the squash court or studying medicine, there will always be someone better, someone with another opinion about what I should be doing. I would rather put that energy into the work itself. I don’t need to convince everyone that I am capable. In the end, what I do—and what comes from it—will speak for me.
