Author’s note: I wrote this in February, but it was already a little late for an anniversary-type post so we didn’t publish it. Now that it’s AAPI Heritage Month, it seems relevant again. Accordingly, some references to “today” and “recently” are applicable to this past February rather than when you’re reading this article.
I was a sophomore at UNC in February of 2015. I wasn’t writing for this site yet, and while I know that this is true of basically any 27-year old talking about when they were 19, I truly had absolutely zero clue that I’d be who, what, and where I am today.