Hello, hello. My name is Deb Youn. I was named after Deborah, the headstrong Prophetess who ruled Israel for 40 years. She is known for her fiery, bee-like spirit. That's what Deborah means in Hebrew: "Bee." I've always been like a bee myself. I spent most of my childhood chasing squirrels with my water gun while my friends were playing with Barbie and Ken. (My roommate claims that I looked like Mowgli from The Jungle Book.) My mother, who got offended when she was asked whether I was a boy or a girl, decided to teach me Korean calligraphy in fourth grade. I guess it helped me meditate, because my wild energy toned down a bit.
People always try to categorize me as either a FOB (fresh-off-the-boat) or a Twinkie—yellow on the outside, white on the inside. Many of them end up being puzzled and ask, "How come you're an international student but don't have an accent?" Well, that's because I'm "FOB-ulous"—a term I found on the Urban Dictionary that basically means "1.5 generation." I've got the best of both worlds! I've been constantly moving back and forth between Korea and the US since I was born, retaining both cultures.
Due to my constant traveling, I'm an international relations and English double major. I'm also minoring in Chinese, which has been challe
nging. Mandarin has four different tones, but I'm tone-deaf. . . . Hopefully getting an internship in Shanghai next summer will help. My goal is to speak four languages fluently: English, Korean, Chinese, and French. I already know English and Korean, and I studied abroad in Paris last semester, which improved my French. I still have a long way to go, but practice makes perfect!
I'm a total film junkie. I get to watch movies for free at school because I work as a film projectionist. Also, I spent a summer in NYC making my own films. It was a lot of tedious work, but I can't imagine doing anything else in the future, and hopefully I'll pursue a career in the film industry. Besides watching movies, I love dancing. I'm the cofounder of RICE Crew, an Asian-interest dance group that was formed last year.
Speaking of RICE Crew, I actually have to go practice my choreography right now! "Let's hit the floor!"