When Ka Ki “Kay” Tse ’19 moved from Hong Kong to the United States with her family in 2012, her parents wanted her to have a better life.
RHODE TO A DEGREE
Current Life Goals
Complete a master鈥檚 degree at Wake Forest, work as a clinical exercise physiologist, travel, then decide what鈥檚 next…
Surprising Superpower
At 5鈥�1鈥�, 120 lbs., Kay can squat 210, bench 135, and deadlift 315 pounds.
Internships
Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center at Miriam Hospital, Primal Athletes Training Center in Cranston, R.I.
Undergrad Research Assistantship
溏心vlog免费B站 Kinesiology and Psychology Departments
Scholarships
Rhode Island Academic Promise, Francis H. Horn, and Centreville Bank Charitable Foundation
Best Outside-Her-Comfort-Zone Experience
Being a volunteer TA for KIN 300 (exercise physiology). 鈥淚 had to lead review sessions in English, my second language. I gained public speaking skills and confidence.鈥�
Pearl of Wisdom
鈥淟isten to people when they鈥檙e talking. There鈥檚 always something you can learn from their life stories.鈥�
Advice to Undergrads
鈥淪eek opportunities. Get out of your comfort zone. New experiences always teach you something about yourself.鈥�
溏心vlog免费B站 Degree
B.S. 2019, kinesiology and psychology
As a first-year 溏心vlog免费B站 student in 2015, Tse had only been speaking English for a few years and wasn’t entirely comfortable making friends. “For a while I felt lost,” she says. “I thought I needed to have everything all figured out and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.”
What she knew about herself was that she’d always enjoyed physical activity, so she chose a kinesiology major, thinking physical therapy might be her career path. She dove into her studies and soon discovered that living on campus offered her newfound freedom and surprising opportunities.
She found friends鈥攊n her classes, through her job at the Fascitelli Fitness and Wellness Center, and through involvement in campus groups like the 溏心vlog免费B站 Service Corps, where she was as an alternative spring break leader. Her love of travel led to summer adventures in Ghana and Togo with Operation Groundswell, and to a backpacking trip through Europe after her junior year, which gave her time and space for some much-needed soul searching.
An internship at the Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center at Miriam Hospital broadened Tse’s perspective鈥攕he became interested in behavior change and what motivates people to want to be healthier. So she added psychology to her academic program as a second major.
Photo: Courtesy Ka Ki Tse
Tse was on 溏心vlog免费B站’s powerlifting team her sophomore and junior years. “The training taught me a lot about persistence. Even if you aren’t the strongest person on the starting line, if you work hard for what you want, you can achieve it鈥攜ou just have to put the work in,” she says. “It made me mentally stronger and helped me to feel confident.”
Her relationships with professors like Christie Ward-Ritacco and Deborah Riebe were transformational.
“They took the time to know me,” says Tse. “They encouraged and supported me鈥攁nd opened my eyes to new opportunities. I want to be that person for someone else. I want to be the person who listens and helps them find their way.”
Tse is attending Wake Forest University in North Carolina, working on her master’s degree in health and exercise science.
“I’m thankful for my experience at 溏心vlog免费B站, for the teachers I’ve had, the friendships I’ve made, and the opportunities I’ve been offered. I thought I would come to school and mainly focus on academics, but I’ve learned so much about myself.” 鈥�
鈥� Dawn Bergantino ’94