Larissa Tao

“People think I live a privileged, picture perfect life. However it’s very different in reality. I was originally born in New Jersey and then moved to China for elementary school before returning back to the United States in 8th grade. I am one of three triplets, and we essentially grew up without parents because our mom is a business woman so she was always busy with running the company. As a child we never got picked up or dropped off by our parents and we felt jealous seeing other parents pick up their kids. If we went to see a movie, our driver would sit 5 rows behind to spy on us. Most kids would go home to wait for their parents to get off work, but we never had anything or anyone to wait for once we got home. When the three of us moved back to the US, I being the oldest child, had to assume the role of being both the sister and the mother. This forced me grow up at a young age and made me set up boundaries with other people. During this time I was always scared of being alone, especially since I was the oldest, I felt like I had a responsibility to take care of my younger sister and brother. With every negative, there’s a positive and that would be my close relationship with my siblings. Growing up the three of us really relied on each other for support. We also have a very unique relationship with our mom. Our mom is very open-minded and we are able to talk to her about anything, similar to having a best friend. As I finish my fall quarter as a 4th year, I am getting closer and closer to graduating. I am currently volunteering weekly with SciTrek, a program dedicated to teaching elementary school students about science. My future plan includes taking the MCAT and I aspire to be a plastic surgeon and open a chain of hotels and have a clinic inside my hotel where I can practice.” - Larissa Tao, Nu Class | Humans of Psi