Humans of Haas: Christina MacDonald
Written by Mira Celly.
What is your Berkeley Haas story?
I’m Half-Vietnamese and Half-Canadian. When I was younger, I moved around a lot. I grew up in Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia. I also grew up with a lot of strong female figures. My mom grew up in a bomb shelter and she was a single mom. I loved being around her, my aunt, and grandmothers. It instilled a lot of ambition in me, but it also taught me how to laugh at myself and not be so serious. I learned how to build new relationships and families really easily. At Berkeley and Berkeley Haas, I found a family in ABA and UFA | UMCG and Theater for Charity. Being an international student is important to me. I grew up in a very international / American culture, and the community here at Berkeley is extremely welcoming. I felt like I was a part of a family right away.
What is your goal to accomplish at the end of these two years?
My big goal here is to pay it forward in terms of mentorship. I want to know that I did as well as I could in Haas and that I helped other people do the same. All of the organizations and people that I’ve met have been super crucial for me to grow both personally and professionally. Now, I’m a junior and over the halfway hump of college and I get to be a mentor. I want to give people the resources I was given because of the mentors I had. To me, mentorship is incredibly rewarding and I get to play a part in their growth and story.
