Notes

Paper presents art and life. Life, like every work of origami, begins as an untouched piece of paper. Over time, experiences, memories, successes and failures add to and shape life. Difficulties in life are to be overcome. Without them, life will forever remain blank.

Halfway through 8th grade, I relocated to the US from Vietnam. The journey from rural Vietnam to the capital of one of the richest countries in the world gave me both opportunities and challenges, particularly in the beginning. Having limited English language skills and lacking friends, my favorite free-time activity was to look through the Mathematics Wikipedia page. One day, I stumbled upon the seven Huzita–Hatori axioms of origami. My fascination to the mathematics aspect of origami quickly drawn me exploring the Japanese art. Studying and folding paper, I found peace and tranquility from the cultural shock and began thinking of things that I never realized before; and origami became my own source of inspiration.




One spring break, after months of simple origami, I decided to tackle "the Fox"-- a complex model designed by origami master HT Quyet. The instructions for the model contained more than 100 steps, featuring some of the most complex folding and layering techniques. Regardless, I was confident in my skill. I thought I could get this done easily. However, the folding did not go well. I failed the first time, then second, then third. Instead of taking a step back and carefully evaluating what I may have done wrong, I blamed the instructions, saying the Fox was impossible to complete. However, in me, the curiosity and the flaming desire to decipher the instructions, to conquer this challenge grew day by day. After a few weeks, I revisited the Fox. I still failed. I failed ten times in total, but I did not give up. At the eleventh attempt, I finally succeeded. I felt rewarded and empowered, but most importantly, I realized that success always rely on determination, persistence and practice.

I implemented this realization as I advance in both origami and life. I'm not afraid of challenges. I see taking up challenges as how I test myself. My Junior year, I decided to take AP Physics as my first physics course. Despite my fascination for physics formulas, theorems, and experiments, I always saw physics as a mountain of knowledge that I can only observe but not understand. Even though I faced some difficulties initially, I improved by spending hours every day studying textbooks and online materials. To strengthen what I learned in class, I brought physics and origami together by conducting a project using origami structure to create lightweight materials. I participated in the school science expo with that project and won first place in the physics category.

As I fold more frequently, I note how origami resembles life. A piece of paper can make great things after going through a series of folds. What if the paper is crumpled, wrinkled or even tore? It doesn’t matter. There is always a way for its artistic transformation. However, to transform, it needs to endure a long and difficult process, involving hundreds, even thousands, of folds, the dampening with water and coating with glue. If the paper successfully endures that process, it becomes an admiration. If it does not, it stays an ordinary.

As a result of that philosophy, "I'm an unfinished work of origami," I always tell myself. The two big folds of my life took place in Vietnam and then the US. The first fourteen years living an unexcited life in Vietnam brought me the thirst to be in the real world, to be independent and free. The protective arms of my parents gave me the ambition to break free and control my own life. Upon coming to the US, I realized opportunities and the power to [control one’s own life] don't come to anyone, everyone has to fight for that power. Consequently, I fight for mine by overcoming big and small obstacles in my life, from the language barrier, the cultural shocks to simply a difficult class. I might be flawed and imperfect, but I'm willing to go through any transformation to perfect myself. Overcoming obstacles is not easy, but it is how I become different and better.