In the fall of 2025, our family will embark on a journey that’s more than just miles—it’s a rite of passage. From our home in San Diego, we’ll head east to Massachusetts, where our daughter will begin the next chapter of her life at Amherst College—her dream school. The three of us—her father, her twin brother, and I—will walk her to the threshold of this new world she’s chosen for herself.

We’ll start our trip in Washington, D.C., then visit New York and Boston before finally arriving in Amherst. But this isn’t just a vacation—it’s a farewell wrapped in love, an emotional milestone marking her transition into adulthood.

🌱 A Child with No Limits

Ever since she was little, Bokei has defied expectations. For years, she was obsessed with animals—I thought she might grow up to be a vet or a zoologist. But as she matured, her curiosity widened: from the mysteries of the universe to the rhythms of Tang poetry, from human emotions to animal behavior. Her love for learning is as boundless as her imagination.

She graduated from Rancho Bernardo High School with a weighted GPA of 4.54 and a 1550 SAT score. On top of that, she took eight community college classes during high school—simply because she found high school courses “not interesting enough.”

Her motivation has always been intrinsic. No one pushes her. She studies because she wants to. She pursues knowledge not out of pressure, but from passion.

🎨 Creativity with Compassion

Bokei’s artistic talent emerged early. At ten, she began sharing her artwork online, eventually gaining over 200,000 views.

Her art isn’t just self-expression—it’s a way of reaching others with kindness. She once volunteered with PATH, a San Diego nonprofit organization that serves the homeless, designing arts to support their cause. She even taught herself web development, building her own comic site using HTML and Jekyll—not for school credit, not for praise, just for the love of creating.

Her interests are wide-ranging: digital art, video editing, woodworking, 3D modeling, coding, teaching. Her creativity never seems to run dry.

🌏 A Year in Taipei, and a World of Growth

After high school, she didn’t jump straight into college. Instead, she earned a U.S. State Department NSLI-Y scholarship and spent a year in Taiwan immersed in Mandarin and Chinese culture. She lived alone in Taipei, taking the subway daily to Tamkang University, throwing herself into books, listening practice, and writing assignments.

By the end of the year, she went from zero Mandarin to fluent, capable of holding conversations—even discussing global issues in Chinese. More importantly, she learned how to live independently in a foreign country and how to respect different ways of life.

When she returned, she carried herself with a new calm and clarity. Our conversations deepened. I could see she wasn’t just smarter—she had grown.

🔬 A Tempting Opportunity, and the Courage to Walk Away

At one point, Bokei was a finalist for the highly competitive NSA Stokes Scholarship—a full ride to college, summer internships in Washington, and a path into federal government service. It’s a dream opportunity for many.

But she turned it down.

“During the application,” she told me, “I started wondering if I was truly willing to use my language skills and reasoning to serve a political system I don’t fully understand.”

There was more to it. Accepting the scholarship meant signing national security agreements that would bar her from traveling to China as a private citizen. For Bokei, who longs to explore her Chinese heritage and reconnect with her roots—especially her bond with her grandmother—this restriction was heartbreaking.

So instead, she chose Amherst College—a small liberal arts school known for its intimate classes and open intellectual atmosphere. She plans to study neuroscience and philosophy—seeking both how the brain works and why we’re here in the first place.

She isn’t just chasing academic excellence. She’s searching for wholeness, for meaning.

🛫 Returning to Boston, 23 Years Later

We’ll spend two days in Boston before arriving at Amherst. It’s been 23 years since I last walked those streets. I once lived and worked there. I had friends, dreams, a life I thought I’d return to.

But time has a way of fading memories. Some people are now just shadows. Some goodbyes turned out to be forever.

Now, I return not as the young woman I was, but as a mother, watching my own daughter step into her future. Walking the Freedom Trail, standing by the Charles River—I’ll be full of gratitude and reflection. Time flows, lives cross, and the journey continues.

🎓 Farewell Is Not the End—It’s the Beginning of Her Becoming

When we finally reach Amherst College, I imagine helping her unpack, visiting her dorm, taking family photos, sharing a meal. It will look like any other family trip—but we’ll all feel the weight of what’s changing.

I can see her twin brother quietly watching her walk away. Her father, patting her shoulder: “Go on now.” And me—I’ll just hold her hand for a moment… and then let go.

Because she’s ready.

Bokei’s journey is only beginning. Every step she’s taken has left a mark on our hearts. Now, she’s setting off to chase her dreams, guided by her curiosity, integrity, and love.

I’m proud of her—not just for her achievements, but for her courage, her honesty, and her boundless spirit.