October Brings Fall Colors and Old Friends!

The beginning of October Brings Fall Colors and Old Friends!

Sean and I are just finishing up our annual trip home (Detroit and Boston), which means lots of plane rides, rental cars, time waiting in airports, traffic, but also great food, seeing great friends and family, and experiencing the autumn colors of the U.S.’s east coast! Fall is my favorite season, and I am thankful that we had a chance to go back and experience the cool dry air, vibrant autumn colors, and various forms of pumpkin everything! As I write this blog, I also reflect back to one year ago when we were all boarding planes for China or the east coast….Wow does time fly! I remember my feelings of excitement and ambition to “find the right path” last year during our APLP experience. The path that I am on now is certainly different than the one that I envisioned one year ago—let me catch you all up on what I have been doing…..

Family: When I started APLP our family consisted of myself, Sean and our puppy Lulu. Our family has grown by 4 furry legs and a tail as we adopted a second dog, Conan. I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Work: I interned at the Hawaii State Capitol as a legislative aide during our spring semester---and loved it! I not only learned about governance in an experiential way, I also had the privilege of being mentored by one of Hawaii’s longest serving and respected political leaders. During this exciting experience I was exposed to various influential leaders and also learned about various public programs. Additionally, my interest in law and public policy manifested. I have always thought about going to law school; I am now committed to going and am studying for the LSAT (preparatory test for law school). I have extended my leave of absence from my consulting job to focus my time on studying, training and caring for our new puppy, and volunteering as much as I can.

Personal Life: I have a new passion in life, and it is yoga! I have always been a practitioner, but now I can say I am a true yogini! For 9 intense weeks this summer I completed yoga teacher training, and in the end I received my certificate enabling me to teach. I have already started teaching about twice a week, and truly enjoy it! This new aspect of my life allows me to give through teaching and ignite my creativity. It has truly been both a blessing and step in the right direction.

Take care fellow G12 Ohana….until next time!

Dina