Meet Emma Chung, an almost fifteen-year-old from Asia and this year’s Christian Novella columnist! As a tenth grader, she will be returning to TPS for her sixth year and taking two classes: Physics with Mr. Edgren and Advanced Composition with Mrs. Thomas. Emma decided to be the Christian Novella columnist because she loves creative writing and thought it would be good to try and intertwine things that are important to her such as tying her faith into the stories that she will write. She would also like to push herself and encourage others through her writing.
For hobbies, Emma has painted for five years, loved writing for four years, and she enjoys reading. She also likes to name her personal items after book characters. She had a computer named Hermione and other electronic devices called Gandalf, Annabeth, and Artemis. A list of books which she likes includes Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and Wonder by R.J. Palacio. She enjoys reading historical novels such as Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown and Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, a story about a bomber who gets lost at sea. The latter novel she highly recommends as a good read.
When asked which superpower she would prefer, Emma replied that she used to like teleportation because she could go back and forth between America and China like “bam, bam, bam!” Flight is now her favorite superpower because it tickles the imagination. Just dream of being suspended in air without an airplane. Speaking of flying, if Emma could go anywhere in the world, she would one day like to go to Korea since she is Korean American.
A few other interesting facts about Emma are that her favorite color is ultramarine, which is a beautiful deep blue color a little like the depths of the ocean, because the name is so interesting, and if she were trapped in a place in a book, she either would choose the Shire minus Mordor or Heaven. When asked the question, “If your life was a novel or album, what would you name it?” Emma replied with humor, “I Love My Family Most of the Time: a Dramedy.” She also has decided that if a butterfly turned into an orc right in front of her, she would run bravely because she would not know how to fight.
Emma does not know if she has a favorite Bible verse because they change as she has different needs. Right now, one of her favorites is Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” As an overthinker, she thinks that it is important to deepen her relationship with God through prayer. She says that the verse is more than not worrying; it is not just empty promises.