Xin Yi (Jane) Phang
Hometown: Malaysia
University: University of Illinois
Major: Chemistry and Psychology
BIOGRAPHY
Hi everyone! I was born in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. Malaysia is located in the Southeast Asia region, and has hot, humid weather all year long. For that reason, I dislike the cold weather here in Illinois. I am a person who is passionate about almost everything in life, and am willing to try out new things. If you know me long enough, you will realize that I keep changing hobbies—probably I should name them “seasonal hobbies”. I love cooking, nothing is better than home-cooked (and self-cooked) food; I love sports, have picked up several sports such as badminton, swimming, track and field throughout my schooling years; I love drawing and practicing Chinese calligraphy; I love roller coasters; and, I love Winnie the Pooh! I am currently in my junior year in University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, majoring in Chemistry and Psychology (has yet to be declared). For my future career, I hope to be involved in research field, to find cure for various diseases.
PERSONAL STATEMENT
I have an uncle who had cancer and had already passed away in December 2013. Before I came to the US for my undergraduate studies, I have seen him suffering terribly. He felt restless most of the time, felt that his organs were burning, felt hot and cold at random times of the day, had severe cough and headache, and a whole lot more symptoms. His fight with cancer started since 2011, it got better after treatment. However, unfortunately, a year or so after, cancer came back to him and the condition got much worse. I did not get to attend his funeral because I was still having final exams at that time. Looking at this project, I feel that this is an opportunity for me to do something for him, and for the people who had been/are going through the same torturing process as my uncle did. I hope through the Illini 4000 project, I would be able to start off my baby step, to get to understand what cancer really is, by talking to people whose lives have been affected by cancer. I hope that their experiences will enriched my knowledge in cancer related research. Cancer is undeniably a horrible disease, but I believe that one day, the cure will be found, and many people’s lives would be eased.