“My role as a captain takes nothing away from the fact [that] everyone from the team is a leader and plays an important role. I just play a bit more of a role.”

We recently caught up with senior Alex Park, a head tour guide who has followed the same advice he offers to prospective students when he meets them: chart your path, build your story. From being in various clubs and organizations to having leadership roles, playing tennis, and earning multiple departmental honors as well as the Junior Science Award and the Koppleman Junior History Award, Alex is a presence on campus.

Year: Senior

Hometown: Irvine, Calif.

Clubs/activities: Co-editor-in-chief of The Log, captain of the varsity tennis team, head tour guide, president of Pan Asian Student Alliance (PASA), co-president of Math Club. “All of these things keep me busy, but it is a lot of fun getting to interact with so many people.”

On his experiences: The Log: “I’ve learned the ability to manage my time better because it is a big time commitment. And also writing and editing skills.” Being a captain: “My role as a captain takes nothing away from the fact [that] everyone from the team is a leader and plays an important role. I just play a bit more of a role.” On PASA: An affinity space on campus that allows for “meaningful and deep conversations.” Math Club: He says he has been able to “tap into the fun side of math.”

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Favorite place on campus: The tennis courts. “They challenge me in a different way than the classroom because when you play tennis, you’re not only playing your opponent, but also yourself because it is a very mental game.”

Favorite food: In-And-Out Burger, primarily a West Coast restaurant. “Any time I go home for break, that is probably the first thing I will eat and the last before coming back.”

Favorite comfort food: His grandmother’s Korean bean paste stew and rice.

What is one thing people might not know about you? “I’m ambidextrous.” He learned to play tennis as a kid left-handed but now plays right-handed. He eats and writes with his right hand, so he says he is now more of a righty.

An assignment or class that sticks out: His digital photography class as a junior. For the final project, students were assigned to go into Windsor center and take photos of people they did not know. First, they had to strike up a conversation and seek permission. “That made me step out of my comfort zone, and I was able to get some really good photos.”

Would you rather live in the past or future? “The past because I feel we were more connected. Today we are all stuck on our phones and social media. In the past you actually had to communicate with each other, not through screens and technology.”

If you could invite anyone to dinner, who would it be? Conan O’Brien. Alex says he’s been a fan of Mr. O’Brien for years. Mr. O’Brien was on late-night television for 25 years and today has a podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, in which Mr. O’Brien chats with celebrities and others in an hour-long format. “I think [Mr. O'Brien] is an incredibly emotionally intelligent and charismatic person, and I could learn a lot from him.”