CSU Fullerton Interview

1) How do you work under pressure?

•maintain calmness by being aware of the situation

•know that if I panic then things may quickly go out of hand

•by maintaining my poise and composure, able to organize my thought to reach the end goal

•would like to add that I have been at my best when working under enormous amounts of pressure

•and it is because at that point, I am working from pure adrenaline

2) Tell me about a time when you had many tasks you had to work on at the same time. How did you prioritize?

•prioritize based on urgency and by breaking BIG projects in little tasks

•I then complete each task separately

•for instance, my hospital shifts at Stanford ValleyCare Hospital start at 1 PM

•on a busy day, CNA who I was assisting was behind schedule as she had not completed the noon vitals and it was already 1 PM... 1 hour past due

•to get back on schedule, I assisted in completing the noon vitals first since that task was past due

•then, I completed the "hourly" C-section vitals

•then, I attended to the patient's needs, offering refreshments

•apply this same methodology when I have multiple school projects happening simultaneously: staying organized along with effective time management

3) Tell me about a time when you had to make a quick decision? What were the circumstances and what did you do?

•during a volunteering shift at the front desk of Stanford ValleyCare Hospital, a Hispanic mother and her daughter approached me

•mother was visibly panicked and began speaking to me in Spanish

•unfortunately did not take Spanish as my foreign language and I was unable to understand

•quickly grabbed my phone and pulled up google translate and had the mother type her concern

•based on the translation, her daughter had badly hit her head and was seeking medical assistance

•decided to escort the mom and daughter to the emergency department where the daughter would be taken care of

4) Describe an accomplishment that has given you the most satisfaction and why?

•although I would like to share many accomplishments with you, I would like to highlight one achievement: being accepted in the highly selective Regional Occupational Program for Nursing Careers

•students from all over the East Bay Area applied despite the limited spots available for this onsite internship at Stanford ValleyCare Hospital

•was so ecstatic to have been selected for this unique opportunity, considering that it has enabled me to gain exposure to patient-centered care and advocacy

•in fact, if given the chance to attend CSU Fullerton's School of Nursing, I would capitalize on my hands-on experience to succeed in and contribute to CSU Fullerton's Nursing Program

5) Tell us something about yourself that we cannot find in your application.

•as I mentioned, I intern in Stanford ValleyCare Hospital through the Regional Occupational Program

•shadow registered nurses and assist certified nursing assistants

•would like to share with you that in November, got the chance to observe a real life Caesarean section

•crazy and unbelievable to witness

•recall one single moment from whole procedure: laborist (in charge of carrying out procedure) applied much pressure on mother's upper stomach... seconds later, I see the baby's head pop out and moments later the whole body

•crazy to acknowledge that I witnessed the baby's first breaths of air

6) How would you describe yourself?

•would describe myself as determined, dedicated, hardworking, and successful

•starting my freshmen year, I hoped of being able to partake in a hospital internship opportunity in the future

•so began volunteering in Stanford ValleyCare Hospital at the front desk not only to gain volunteering experience but also to use as an edge for selection into the ROP program in my senior year

•fast forward to my senior year, I was accepted into the highly selective ROP program

7) Tell us about a person or an event that has been influential in your personal development.

•having the opportunity to see and do in a hospital is such a privilege and an eye-opener that it has changed my perspective in life

•interning in the Maternal Child Unit, I have came to the realization that it is in the hospital where human life begins and unfortunately, where most life ends

•have gained a better sense of appreciation for life and to not take life for granted... and simply to just be in the moment and live in the spectacular now

8) How would you define leadership?

•in my own words, leadership is the ability to motivate your "teammates" and effectively lead a team to achieve a common goal

•an effective leader knows how to lead but also knows how to follow.... by completely listening to his or her teammembers and strategically planning based on that input

9) Tell me about a time when you and another individual had to compromise to reach an agreement. How did you reach the agreement?

•in the summer before senior year, I worked as a cashier at Target

•I was helping a customer with her purchases and she became furious at me when the bananas she purchased rang up to about $2.00

•although she was growing very angry and began blaming me for overcharging her, I mentioned to her that she picked up organic bananas instead of regular bananas

•she threatened that she would never return, so to compromise I offered to adjust the price of the bananas accordingly with a promise from her that she would return to the store > beneficial for the company in terms of a long term business stand point

10) How would you explain Facebook to your grandma?

•Facebook is no different than the album of photos that she was accustomed to viewing during her time except now it is on a different platform

•grandma's time was all about hardbound photo albums whereas Facebook is just like a TV platform, viewing photos on a monitor, since we are now in the digital age

•I will remind grandma not to be intimidated by technology but instead enjoy it for convenience

11) What is the most #1 song played on your laptop?

•I currently have the song "Born Tired" by Jhene Aiko on repeat... song was released a couple days ago along with her whole album

•every time I listen to the song, it connects with me on a personal level... I relate to the following lyrics: "Cause look at how far you have come... And look at all that you have going... Look at who you have become... You just gotta keep going"

•those words made me realize that I have worked so hard and achieved so much to get to this point that I am at today... I often forget about all that I have done

•just like my fellow peers, I have been stressed and overwhelmed about college and thinking about my future

•the song is a kind reminder to just appreciate myself every once in a while and to always keep moving forward

12) Tell me about yourself.

•currently a senior at Granada High School in Livermore, California

•my hobbies include basketball, photography and videography

•academically, I would consider myself successful

•I was two years ahead of my grade-level in math and was one of the few juniors taking AP Calculus

•my teacher recognized my excellence and nominated me for a national award: "Sandia Women's Connection Outstanding Achievement in Mathematics"

•I was the sole recipient of the mathematics award for all of Granada High School

•I also consider myself successful outside of academics

•since my sophomore year, I have volunteered at the front desk of Stanford ValleyCare Hospital

•now as a senior, I currently intern in the Maternal Child Unit at the same hospital, shadowing registered nurses and assisting certified nursing assistants

•in fact, if given the chance to attend CSU Fullerton's School of Nursing, I would capitalize on my hands-on experience to succeed in and contribute to CSU Fullerton's Nursing Program

13) Why do you want to attend our program?

•recognize that healthcare is a dynamic environment

•I am particularly drawn to CSU Fullerton's approach of promoting interaction and positive engagement between the diverse faculty, staff, and students to address the constantly changing healthcare environment

•my goal in life is to become a successful Registered Nurse who will contribute to the overall well-being of society

•I strongly believe that a nursing education at CSU Fullerton paves the way for me to achieve my goal, and therefore I am extremely interested in CSU Fullerton's exceptional nursing program

•additionally, studying nursing in CSU Fullerton would allow me to be part of a cohort of students who share similar interests and passions as me

14) Tell us about a time when you overcame a difficult challenge.

•during my freshman year, I was denied a volunteering opportunity at Stanford ValleyCare Hospital

•being denied shattered me as the opportunity was part of my short-term goal to get to my long-term goal of someday acquiring a hospital internship

•it was even part of a "grander" goal of becoming a successful Registered Nurse

•therefore, in the following year (sophomore year), I reapplied but supplemented my application with a personal statement essay as well as letters of recommendation

•because of my additional efforts, I was granted the opportunity to volunteer at the front desk of Stanford ValleyCare Hospital

15) Describe one of your favorite hobbies and why it is important to you.

•basketball has always held a special place in my heart and it is my escape when life gets chaotic

•basketball allows me to reset myself

•given all that I have accomplished, my go to of playing basketball has been effective for me to continue moving forward

•as my Mom was the one to introduce me to the field of healthcare, my Dad was the one to introduce me to the game of basketball

•when I get the chance, I always enjoy playing basketball with my Dad and just simply shooting around

•all throughout elementary and middle school, I have played Catholic Youth Organization basketball for my church

•in freshman and sophomore year of high school, I played on the Granada High School Girls Basketball Team

•as a point guard and shooting guard, I learned the value of teamwork and collaboration

•I recognize that teamwork and collaboration are essential in both the working field as well as family matters

16) What is your greatest strength?

•strength I have... would say I am determined, dedicated, hardworking, and successful

•as an example, during my freshman year, I was denied a volunteering opportunity at Stanford ValleyCare Hospital

•being denied shattered me as the opportunity was part of my short-term goal to get to my long-term goal of someday acquiring a hospital internship

•it was even part of a "grander" goal of becoming a successful Registered Nurse

•therefore, in the following year (sophomore year), I reapplied but supplemented my application with a personal statement essay as well as letters of recommendation

•because of my additional efforts, I was granted the opportunity to volunteer at the front desk of Stanford ValleyCare Hospital

•knew that I would be able to use this volunteering experience as a "stepping stone" for applying and participating in an internship program in my senior year

•fast forward to my senior year, I was accepted into the highly selective Regional Occupational Program and curently intern in Stanford ValleyCare Hospital

•all in all, "determination and persistence pays"

17) What is your greatest weakness?

•greatest weakness... when I start on a project, it is hard for me to stop until I get that particular project or task done and completed

•additionally, it is difficult for me to say no to friends or peers who ask me for favors despite me having my own things to work on

•however, I would like to share that I am working on improving these weaknesses

18) What professional skills do you excel in?

* I consider myself as the consummate team player.

* For example, my intern shift at Stanford ValleyCare Hospital starts at 1 PM. The C.N.A. whom I was assisting was behind schedule that she has not completed the noon vitals and it was already 1 PM, hence, 1 hour past due.

* To get our team back on schedule, I assisted in completing the noon vitals first since this task is past due. Then, I complete the "hourly" C-section vitals. Then attended to the patient's needs.

* Completing the individual tasks helped me and the team recover the lost time and put us back on track. I apply this methodology when there are multiple school projects happening simultaneously.

* I am organized and has good time management skills

19) What did you have for lunch/dinner?

•this afternoon, I ate a light lunch... a salad with bits of chicken and croutons

•I did not want to stuff myself with food as I knew that I would be completing my video assessment and wanted to be "at my best" and not be in a "food coma"

20) Describe a recent dream you had.

* I had a dream last night that I was walking to the mailbox.

* I grabbed a stack of envelopes, one of which was a thick 8-1/2 envelope.

* To my surprise, it was an envelope from CSU Fullerton

* I excitedly opened the CSU envelope, and the letter reads: "CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED TO CSU FULLERTON's WELL-RENOWNED NURSING PROGRAM" :-)

* Excuse my sense of humor but in all seriousness, I had a dream several weeks ago about my brother's high school basketball team: "They won the State Championship"

21) Do you agree that most people act out of altruism rather than self interest?

* I disagree. I think it's a combination of both

* Some people act of altruism. But,

* there are about the same number of people who act for self interest

22) Tell me about something funny that happened to you recently.

... but the other team thought that they had the game secured but in actuality, they were down by 2 points... and should have attempted to score some points but instead they let the clock run, resulting into my brother's team to secure the victory

23) Tell us about a time when you had to defend an unpopular idea or opinion. How did you make your voice heard, and what was the outcome?

* I was a member of the Freshman / Sophomore basketball team in my high school.

* Our team was down by a point in the closing seconds, and our coach called a timeout to draw a play.

* I was the shortest player in our team-- and also NOT the best offensive option for the team. It is for these reasons that I had thought the other team will not focus to defend me. And so, I asked the coach to run a play for me.

* The other players strongly disagreed because I was not the best offensive player in the team but I knew I

* Coach Mike ran a play "for me" near the basket, I made the basket, our team won, and my self-confidence just exploded from that time.

24) Who is your role model?

* Mom- for healthcare career and education, considering the number of people and families, mostly strangers, she has changed, improved and influenced. But more importantly, the number of lives saved by the healthcare team, which my mother is part of the team.

* Dad- for sports specially basketball.

* I am no different than other human beings. Sometimes, "the going gets tough"

* Basketball has been my "escape". B'ball has allowed me to "reset" my mind. This has been effective "self-management" strategy for me

to pick myself up "when the going gets tough"

25) Which do you prioritize, social responsibility or profit? Why do you think one should be prioritized over the other (i.e., take a position and defend it)?

* I know the question asked me to take a position. However, this is a situation where one will not be able to survive without the other, " just like what couple does "

* Examples of social responsibility includes solving homelessness problems, servicing teenage and incarcerated mothers, etc

* Unfortunately, solving social problems requires "funding / cash".

* Where does the funding come? Profit.

* Therefore, my final answer is generate profit to be able to fund social responsibilities

26) What is the last book you read?

* Judy Blume "Tail of a Fourth Grade Nothing"

* I was stressing a bit and overwhelmed with College App, and I need to rest my mind to be more effective in my thought process.

* The book made me laugh. Very effective strategy, I might add, to pick myself up "when the going gets tough"

27) What is the last movie you saw?

* I re-watched Kevin hat's and Ice Cube's Ride Along. Movie has many, many, many funny scenes.

* I was stressing a bit and overwhelmed with College App, and I need to rest my mind to be more effective in my thought process.

* The movie made me laugh. Very effective strategy, I might add, to pick myself up "when the going gets tough"