Community Impact
Leadership, Love, and Advocacy
Engaging with my community is the way I express my gratitude and convey my sense of belonging, where I learn my passion for making impact and the values of leadership. I cherish every moment serving and being in my community, both on campus and off campus, particularly the Mount Ida Food Pantry. I want to be a change-maker, whether big or small. At Emma Willard School, I am a Wellie Representative, Head EMbassador, Stock Market Club Head, Museum Volunteer, College Counseling Intern, Peer Tutor, and a dedicated dancer. Each role has shown me that leadership takes many forms—advocacy, representation, or creative expression.
Food Insecurity: My Journey of Service and Local Empowerment
Food insecurity has been a lifelong concern for me, initially ignited by family teachings and community advocacy. This passion led me to volunteer at a Taiwanese food bank since third grade. At Emma Willard School, my commitment deepened; as a Food Pantry Volunteer Leader, I served almost every Saturday from ninth through twelfth grade at the Mount Ida Food Pantry.
This engagement inspired a deeper dive into food bank economics. For the 2024 High School Fed Challenge, I led six peers, transforming insights from a regional food bank interview into a podcast, inspiring their awareness and offering new perspectives on food bank supply chains and their role in local economies. In 2024, as the Mount Ida Food Pantry expanded, I joined the "Palette to Pantry, Mural to Meals" initiative, part of a 12-person team aiming for a $30,000 renovation fundraising goal.
Wellness Peer Educator & Wellie Representative
Wellie is a wellness advocate leadership group, selected by the faculty in the EWS wellness program. Wellness is one of the core values at school, and I work as a peer educator to promote the well-being of the community by developing creative programming and events. We also went through frequent leadership training, especially enhancing the understanding of health and wellness topics and techniques for educating and engaging effectively with my community. I am the Wellie that is assigned to lead the most events and initiate new approaches.
In my senior year, I got elected as the representative for the Wellie group and joined the student council. In the student council, a group of 10 students involved, I serve as the wellness interest of the entire student body, and as a bridge between the Wellies and the school.
Head EMbassador
As the sole international student selected as Head EMbassador among 70+ peers, I was responsible for leading the team and conducting over 30 tours. I provided year-round advice to the Admissions department and supported various events and webinars for prospective families. My duties further extended to hosting online webinars for international students, assisting with all admission events, and actively engaging with prospective families to showcase our school's rich history and strong reputation.
Honoring Legacies: WWII Veteran Interviews & Museum Contributions
Through my advisor, I learned that her father-in-law, Mr. Eugene McLaren, had served with the American Air Force in the China-Burma-India (CBI) theater during WWII—a history deeply honored by Chinese communities worldwide. Believing his story deserved to be preserved, my classmates and I interviewed him, documenting his life in the New York State Military Museum’s format. The museum was delighted with our efforts, and after collect it, published his story on their official video channel.
We obtained 29 oral interviews from the museum concerning the CBI theater and the Flying Tiger volunteer group. Utilizing workflow automation (see Side projects), we transcribed 1866 minutes of this content into Chinese, compressing over six months of dedicated work into mere minutes. Additionally, our first video interview is now live on the museum’s official YouTube channel.
These efforts allowed us to contribute a small but profoundly meaningful part to preserving history and honoring veterans, enriching our local community's understanding of global events. As 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII, our initiative gains even greater significance.
Stock Market Club Head
I'm the head of the Stock Market Club, one of the biggest clubs at EWS, with 40+ members. Annually, we organized students to participate in the stock market challenge at UAlbany. In club meetings, we welcome different levels of engagement, learning finance and economic concepts, exploring business careers, and the stock market. I was also a member of the entrepreneurship club and got elected as the club head, yet I have exceeded the leadership limit at my school. However, I still actively collaborate with the entrepreneurship club, especially gathering two clubs and hosting an interest group called "Money Talks." The mission of Money Talks is to provide students with a platform to explore different fields of business, and put emphasis on the power of "Women in Business".
College Counseling Intern & Peer Tutor
I have been selected as the paid peer intern for the College Counseling Office. My role involves assisting with college counseling and supporting my peers through their college application process with creative programming, such as designing slides that will be shared with the entire class, decorating the office, and preparing gifts for college admission rep visits. This paid internship is really meaningful to me, as it provides valuable work experience under the guidance of my school.
I've also been selected as a peer tutor for both Humaniteam (humanity subjects) and PRIMES tutor (math and science) at my school. I'll be on duty for Humaniteam every Thursday evening at the writing center during study hall to provide academic support. As a PRIMES tutor, I'm on duty on Sundays from 2-3 pm. Outside of school, I also tutor competition math with Mathlings, a 501 (c) non-profit, at the New York Chapter. I really enjoy peer tutoring, as it transforms learning into a shared experience and provides me with the opportunity to see ideas from different angles.
