Lily Cheung

I have always found interest in working with children and animals. Despite a busy schedule with health accommodations and enduring rigorous classes within school, I have managed my time where I can not only enjoy activities such as babysitting and swim instructing, but also learn how to work with children of all ages and backgrounds. These skills have been largely helpful in all my jobs and even with school and maturing in how I can work with my peers. I have learned the importance in honesty and trust (as communicating with parents has been crucial for all my jobs) but also how important building reliable relationships are in general. My hope is to continue my aspirations with working with children and create a bond in which I can provide a safe and happy environment for whomever I work with.

• Trusted by a family to take care of their newborn and toddler for an extended period of time (ranging from 2-5 hours) and complete their routines.
• Earned numerous referrals to other families due to exceptional reliability, affordable rate and positive reports.
• Increased parents' happiness by taking on additional chores and relieving burdens.
• Bonding with the children I take care of to where they can trust me (when they see me in a room they come running to me).
• Pitch in to assist team members during times of unexpected high volume to optimize efficiency.
• Successfully had students from my Private Swim Instructing improve by multiple levels of training within a short amount of time.

• CPR certified by RedCross
• Lifeguard certified by RedCross
• Food Safety & Handlers Permit by King County

Swim- Swimming has been a part of my life since 2012, spending each summer on a Summer League Swim Team and going to Championships at the end of each season. Once I reached high school, I swam for Lake Washington High schools swim team for 2 years, beginning on JV and then becoming a Varsity swimmer!

Poetry Writing- I have been writing poetry since 2017. As a young child, I struggled with depression and anxiety, even with consistent therapy sessions and psychological evaluations. I began writing poetry to express my feelings and visually see what I was feeling. Poetry had helped me open up and process my traumas and become stronger as an individual since I could understand where my feelings were coming from and why. Now I use poetry to connect with my family, as I like to write about memories with my grandparents and share it with them.

Guitar- I only started playing guitar this year as my older brother left for this year. He and I always had a strong bond over music and the complexity of music. He used to play guitar for me as I would sing along, so this year I began self teaching in hopes to play guitar for my brother the way he played for me!

Donating- I have grown up a privileged life. As I grew up, I realized that not everyone has everything I have and I just couldn't understand why. Ever since I was in 5th grade, I would give to a homeless man and his dog, whether it was food or clothing, I felt that it was immoral to just ignore someone in need. As I grew older and have become able to drive, I continuously donate to the woman's shelter by Lake Washington High School, the Goodwill in Redmond, and the Half Price Books in Crossroads in hopes to make someones day and give to those who are underprivileged.

Traveling- I have been fortunate enough to be able to travel the world and immerse myself in different cultures. Ever since I was a young child, I have had a curiosity for how others live around the world and appreciated others cultures. One country I have so much respect for is Thailand, as even though many people are poor in Thailand, people are happy and their culture is very prominent. I hope to be able to learn about many different cultures in college (study abroad) and be able to experience them first hand.

Animals- Ever since I was a young kid, I have had an obsession with animals. I was given the opportunity to own a Guinea Pig from Denny's Pet World in 2016 and ever since then I have consistently visited Denny's Pet World and created relationships with the animals. Though my Guinea Pigs are no longer with me, I continue to visit the animals and try to be someone they get excited to see.

Hiking- Though I have a heart disease and asthma, impacting my ability to exercise, I have found that hiking has been an incredible escape to not only appreciate nature, but to keep active. I began hiking with my family as a young kid, but now have carried this on with friends. Nearly every month, I get to go on a hike with friends and enjoy their company but also the beauty in our world! Being able to look around and see ecosystems working all around us has sparked admiration in me as I value the life around me more than ever.

Singing- Singing has been a large part of my life since I was a child. I remember singing with my mother as a toddler, to then singing with my brothers as my oldest brother would play guitar. I wanted to continue my passion in singing, so I joined choir and learned about the intricacy of singing and the importance of each note. Now, I have been singing with friends as they play guitar and piano and we will hopefully begin writing some of our own music!