On home…

I’ve lived in Schodack my entire life. Schodack is a little town about 30 minutes away from Troy where there never seem to be any good businesses that stay. My mother is an immigrant who moved here from Beijing, China in her late 20s and my father was born and raised on Long Island. I have always been close with my father. I have three half-brothers from my dad’s side named John, Peter, and Matt. Despite having an age difference of 16 years, John and I are close and we’re able to maintain a relationship. I have four cats: Oreo, Sprinkles, Saturn, and Stardust. I also have a dog named Duke and a bird named Hei-Hei. 

On Emma…

I first learned about Emma when I was about eight years old. I was on the YMCA swim team and we had a meet at Emma during the summer. I don’t remember much of my first impression, since I was little, but I remember thinking about how gorgeous the campus was. The following summer I attended GirlSummer and went every year until I came here in 2022.

I arrived on campus on the second day of orientation and knew no one. I was scared. The second day I was here, I went to the wrong classroom! I was so embarrassed. Thankfully my teacher was forgiving and I was able to have a fun class. Emma is special to me because of the fact that I have made so many friendships that I will forever hold dear. Everyday I look forward to seeing my peers and I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve spent with them.

 

 

On taekwondo…

One thing I have loved for years is taekwondo. I started when I was 10 years old and got my black belt in June of 2023. I practiced taekwondo at Pai’s Taekwondo which is run by two Emma Willard alum, Songye Pai ’13 and Mihee Pai ’14. 

I have had many great experiences doing taekwondo and have also made many friends. I was able to get my best friend into taekwondo and our friendship has grown stronger since. I was also able to meet my partner through the sport. I have learned to have self-control and to be respectful to those around me. Taekwondo has also allowed me to learn how to be a leader. I would like to continue expanding my leadership skills so that way I can be a better leader to those around me. I know that these skills don’t come easy, but with enough practice, I will be able to use them.

 

 

On tech crew…

Around this time last year, I was doing tech crew for the winter play. The play was called The Earthling and was written by a student. I wanted to participate in the play, but the acting schedule didn’t work with my Practicum schedule. I decided I was going to do [tech] crew for the first time. 

I loved being on the tech crew and I want to do it for another play, hopefully soon. As much as I love acting, tech crew allowed me to craft and work every rehearsal, which I enjoyed. Crafting and prop-making has always been a favorite hobby of mine, so when I did crew I was in charge of props. 

 

On Emmaween…

Emmaween! Halloween is my all-time favorite holiday. As a cosplayer, there’s nothing I love more than having an entire day where dressing up is normalized. I went trick-or-treating on campus for the first time this year and it was so much fun! I loved the activities and dinner was so good. 

With so many traditions at Emma, it was hard to choose one. Revels is always amazing, Mayday was fun because I was a dancer, and Flame Ceremony because I’m becoming an official Co-Head of Campus Players soon. Even with all of those, I still think Emmaween is my favorite.