Some additional facts about me:

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I am the daughter of immigrants.  My dad was born in South Korea and my mom in Sweden.  They tell me I am half-Korean, half-Swedish, and all-American.

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My name has four parts: Linnea Elisabeth Mihae Nam. My first names comes from Carl Linnaeus, the father of modern botany.  His favorite flower was the twinflower, which he re-named Linnéa. This is a common girls’ name in Sweden. Elisabeth is a name carried down from my maternal side, so the first half of my name is Swedish. 

 

The second half of my name is Korean. The Korean tradition is for the paternal grandfather to choose a name for each child.  He chose Mihae for me, which means beautiful. My last name is Nam which means South.  

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I have been fortunate to be part of all three cultures throughout my upbringing.  I speak Swedish fluently, and my dream is to go to graduate school at Uppsala University in Sweden to study microbiology.

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I am a senior at Oak Park and River Forest High School (OPRF).

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I love to read, especially science fiction/fantasy and Greek Mythology.  I speed read, and read in Swedish as well.

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I am on the autism spectrum, but instead of seeing that as an obstacle, I see it as my super power. I can focus and process information easily and quickly. I am logical, meticulous and dedicated, and I enjoy working on what many neurotypicals may see as tedious and repetitive projects - something I think will be a great quality for research.

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I enjoy music activities and volunteering at my church (Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church [FOPC), as well as building LEGOs and beating my family at board games.

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I received my first IKEA furniture kit when I was one, and have loved assembling furniture ever since.  (It must be the Swedish genes!)

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I am very close to my grandparents in Sweden, and my grandfather's journey with Parkinson's is one of the things that inspires me to study biochemistry.

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You can view my resume here.

Or, you can read my full resume on LinkedIn.