# @princetonspia on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/B-zj6AXBER0
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/20742488-princetonspia-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/5b152527a9.jpg
- **Posted:** 2020-04-10T15:37:42.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Princeton SPIA (@princetonspia) — https://gondola.cc/princetonspia

## Caption

#WooWho: “During my freshman year, I found myself having questions about my faith, and wondering what role it played in my daily life. At the time, I was a student athlete on the engineering track. I knew I had to make a difficult decision, but it was one that could help strengthen my testimony and have a happier and more fulfilling time Princeton. So, I decided to take time off and serve a full-time mission with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I served my mission in Hong Kong for 18 months. When I got there, I couldn’t speak with anyone, as I didn’t know the language. It was an overwhelming feeling; I wanted to share everything I was there to share and fully participate in my missionary work. In order to do so, and in accordance with missionary guidelines, I dedicated an hour a day to studying the language, and within a few months, I could speak Cantonese. It was also in Hong Kong that I developed an interest in public and international affairs. I volunteered at the NGO crossroadsglobalvillage, which focuses on #poverty. I took part in a poverty simulation that still makes me emotional to think about. It made me want to use the resources and opportunities I have to help more vulnerable and underprivileged communities. My entire life, I’ve always known that I wanted to ‘improve the human condition.’ Growing up, I thought that the only way to do that was by being a doctor and saving lives. It wasn’t until after my mission in Hong Kong that I realized there are so many other ways you can improve human livelihood, and public policy is one of them. When I think about who I want to be in 10 years, it’s clear. I want to be the kind of person who always seeks opportunities of service and never gets complacent with the status quo. I want to be an honest person who is always striving to do more and striving to help others do the same.” - Monica Gomez ’20. (Photo by eganjimenez) #Princetagram * #WooWho is a Wilson_School Instagram series featuring our community. Want to be featured? Comment/DM us.

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 149
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 10

## Tags

princetagram, poverty, woowho

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