Derek Cai
Can you introduce yourself with your name, year, major, and hometown?
My name is Derek, I'm a junior, majors are Applied Math and Data Science. I grew up in China; my hometown is somewhere called Ningbo. I'm now living in Vancouver, Canada.
How did you choose your majors?
In high school, I had a really fun time in math class. My math teacher, he's a really really cool dude. He speaks in an Italian accent and always wears a bow tie. And he's just a very, very great guy. Before high school, I didn't really like math that much. It was him who really introduced math to me.
What is a fun fact about yourself?
I can crack my right knuckle constantly. Yeah, I probably should check that out with the doctor or something.
What are your hobbies and interests?
I like being active. I like going on hikes and running. I like learning about nutritional science stuff through podcasts. I like to watch educational videos, like lectures from other universities on YouTube. Just random lectures, like evolutionary biology, stuff like that. Other than that, I listen to audiobooks sometimes, when I run. I've been doing a lot of cooking lately, because my parents are not here. It's just me, and UberEats is like, kind of expensive, even though they give me hella promotions.
What are your professional interests?
Initially, I wanted to go into the nonprofit sector. At that time, I was doing this minor called Global Poverty and Practice. But I just had a feeling throughout these classes that like, this field is saturated with politics, which I don't really enjoy. I was hoping to learn something really practical about poverty alleviation and stuff like that. But in the classes, I just feel like we're talking a bunch of nonsense. Like, these papers that we are reading are like the authors are just playing with words; they just sound very knowledgeable, but there's no practical stuff. I don't mean anything against the professors or the course content; it's just not for me. So then now I'm trying to go into the tech sector and see what it is about and try to pick up skills along the way.
Are you involved in any other campus organizations?
I used to be in a student to student peer counseling. I was a peer counselor. Other than that, I did Cal Triathlon Club for a semester.
How did you find out about SAAS and why did you join?
I think it was through Facebook, but I don't actually remember. But I was just looking through a bunch of organizations and looking for something to do. I joined because I think quarantine is very lonely, and also because I decided to take a gap year last fall. A lot of my friends are graduating this semester, and I don't really know a whole lot of underclassmen, so I hope that through SAAS, I can meet more people.
How was your experience last semester (your first semester) on the Education committee?
It was really great. I enjoy teaching. It's my first time teaching on Zoom, which is a little bit awkward, but I had a really fun time. I'm also still on the Education Committee this semester; pretty fun stuff.
Why did you decide to stay and why did you want to become a director?
I feel like last semester, we didn't do enough for Education, partly because the timeline was a little bit messed up due to COVID. So I want to improve the materials, maybe add something more to it, and kind of get creative with this committee.
How has SAAS helped you with your career and professional development?
So far, in terms of networking, I'm meeting a lot of great people. Other than that, because it's only been one semester for me now, it's a little bit hard to say.
What is your favorite SAAS memory?
If I hop on to Discord to study with people, or have a donutbot with people that I have never met, it's always very pleasant. I don't really have a favorite, but every moment is great.
How else have you been able to make friends in SAAS?
I guess through Rachel; Rachel is just like a big web. She has a lot of tea to offer, and everyone's drinking tea these days. Through all these tea sessions and gossip, I've made a lot of friends.
Of the three SAAS values of community, exploration, and mentorship, can you pick one and explain what it means to you?
For community, everyone in SAAS is very, very friendly and also very approachable. Take Ronnie, for example. Last semester, I was kind of intimidated, and I wanted to get to know him, but I didn't know how to approach him without being weird. And then, at the end of the semester, we had a thing where you leave a nice message to people, and he left me a message. Through that message, I felt so great that I DMed him back, and we kind of got to talk a little bit. This semester, we're talking a bit more. I just think SAAS is a great community for people to mingle and to make new friends. It's a very welcoming community.
What is your favorite class you've taken at Berkeley?
I like CS 189 very much. It was my first time getting to know about machine learning and everything behind it. I wouldn't say that I did well in that class, but I still like to go back to revisit all the materials and it opens a door for me, like a whole new world for me. And I really appreciate that class.
Who is your favorite professor?
My 189 Professor, Shewchuk. Even though I didn't really go to his office hours and stuff, I really enjoyed his lectures. It's very on point and very professional. Also, he really enjoys memes; we had a lot of memes on the 189 piazza.
What is your favorite spot on campus?
Does the Fire Trails count as on campus? I like to go take a hike or run there. I go there very often. It's a place for me to calm my mind.
What is your favorite bathroom to use on campus?
East Asian Library. Their bathrooms are pretty nice, especially in the morning. Right after they open, it has a great smell. It's like, kind of a perfume but a little less intense. Other bathrooms are really gross, like you can smell the bathroom.
In your opinion, what are the prettiest and ugliest buildings on campus?
Something very controversial: the prettiest building on campus is Evans. Because it's not about the outside, it's about what's on the inside. And it's really beautiful. For the ugly one, now that I've put Evans on the most beautiful list I don't think I can find an ugly one. I think all the buildings are very beautiful. Shoutout to all the builders.
What is your favorite Berkeley restaurant?
I was vegan for like a year and a half or something. Anyways, that time I was exploring a vegan restaurant, this place called Saturn Cafe. It's unfortunately closed now, but it had really good food. When I was a vegan, I was basically eating salad all day, and it was really gross. Extremely gross. It doesn't taste good. But when I went into the restaurant, and I had a Thai chicken wrap, like fake chicken, I was almost crying. It tasted so real.
What is your favorite Berkeley memory?
I can't choose a favorite, but one of my favorite memories is when I went to Corgi Con. It's not like a Berkeley Berkeley memory, but Corgi Con is one of those things where you don't see anywhere else in the world. I think it's only in SF; it's a very Californian thing. I had tons of fun just seeing all kinds of corgis. Also, after that, I spent a really great time in SF, so it was a really pleasant day. Also it happened right after a midterm, so it was really nice.