Kiyomi
Casey
“I know it sounds crazy. But if it weren’t crazy, they wouldn’t call it a leap of faith. They would call it a sit of doubting.”
— Eleanor Shellstrop, The Good Place, Season 2
When I was in High School I watched this little show called The Good Place. I was taking media classes at the time, but this show is the first thing I watched that made me think "I would love to have Mike Schurs job".
Get to know me
Why Do I want to Work in MEdia?
Growing up I watched whatever my mom watched. I remember watching Grey's Anatomy episodes that she would carefully select as the "appropriate ones". Now that I've grown up and moved away, she still waits for me to visit home to watch the new seasons. I've always known that media connects us.
I'm not just a writer but a storyteller. My dream is to make content that makes everyone feel seen. I remember my mom loving Sandrah Oh as Cristina Yang. She got to watch a confident, intelligent, and unapologetic Asian woman on screen. Someone who I always thought was just like her.
How has my background shaped my storytelling?
I grew up in Hawai'i on the island of O'ahu. I never gave a second thought to being mixed race, having diversity in my friend group, or even within my teachers and mentors. I never had to, and I realized I took that for granted when I moved to Boston to attend Emerson College. It was the first time I was concious of how my upbringing made me different. It was also when I realized the importance of having an individual voice.
What are my long term goals?
Beyond taking the steps to become a staff writer, and eventually a show runner, I want to write the character that makes someone feel seen, maybe for the first time. The character who defies expectations, or write a story that makes someone laugh so hard they forget all of their problems. I want to amplify underrepresented voices, and collaborate with those that see the world differently than me.
Christina Yang, Grey’s Anatomy