Narith Ta: Underdog Achiever

Imagine being thousands of miles away from home, alone in a country where you are unfamiliar with the language or the culture. On top of that, you are not of that ethnicity of that country. It will probably be more unsettling if you are placed in such circumstances, but sometimes you don’t realize your mental and physical strength until you are literally in that situation.
 
Meet Narith Ta. He’s a second year Korean major at UCI; just a regular student like any of the over 20,000 students on campus. However, there is more than meets the eye. It all started in 11^th grade. When he discovered Korean music, he didn’t quite know what he came across. At his high school, no one seemed to be aware of such music. Narith utilized this discovery to cope with the personal issues that buffered his studies, yet he did not recognize that Korean music was such a global phenomenon. As college applications arrived, Narith didn’t realize that he had the option to major in Korean. It was, and is undeniably challenging to engage in an actual hobby as a major, especially when the hobby doesn’t involve majoring in science or math. Hence, the stereotypical “career-forward” majors are injected in parents’ minds. The future, and money were crucial aspects for Narith’s parents. Yet it did not hinder him from doing what he wanted to pursue. He was going to be a Korean major, regardless.
 
You can envision how intimidating it is to take a language class that you have absolutely no background in. Being in such a class almost everyday for the first quarter of the first year of college was beyond difficult for him. Being of Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Chinese decent, people shamelessly judged Narith for being a “Koreaphile,” meaning a person who is not of Korean background but who is “obsessively” knowledgeable with Korean pop culture, etc. It was hurtful to have actual Koreans saying such malicious remarks, but eventually he learned to not take such words to heart, and he continued to stick to his passion and appreciation for the culture. As the first year of college was coming to a close, Narith decided to study abroad in South Korea. He planned to go for the summer shortly after freshman year of college ended. Being alone so many miles away from the comforts of home created a strenuous mindset that he had to overcome; and he did. Memorizing the metro, taking classes taught in Korean, and living in a home stay were stifling for a 19 year-old studying abroad to absorb. Despite the obstacles, Narith immersed himself completely in not only the language and the people, but also the culture and the country.
           
Now that he is back in Irvine, Narith is involved in Konnect UCI, a newly formed organization connecting the public to the Korean heritage, and expanding a curiosity of the culture to non-Koreans as well. He has never felt so comfortable in a club at UCI, and he hopes to expand the awareness of this organization. He also is now taking into a side hobby of taking photographs for other clubs, along with focusing on volunteering. He not only feels grateful for his experience in Korea, but he also feels emotionally sturdier. He knows what he hopes to achieve out of his major, and out of life.
 
True, a “campus celebrity” is a well-rounded person with many academic achievements, involved in countless clubs, name somewhat known on campus. These are all amazing qualities of being a “campus celebrity”. It’s irrefutable to argue that they’re not successful. Why wouldn’t it be? Yet, there are many students on campus, like Narith, that have to overcome and persist innumerable challenges to be where they are now. Narith is a perfect example, proving that you do not need to have an immense dream to achieve and succeed. It’s truly finding the inner campus celebrity in you that matters.