Washington and Lee University
Hometown: Roanoke, VA
Major: Business Administration and East Asian Languages and Literature (Chinese Emphasis)
Extracurricular Involvement:
Off-Campus Experiences:
Post graduation plans: Pursuing a career in international corporate law, hopefully dealing with China.
Favorite W&L Memory: I can’t imagine a better way to wrap up the year than the six weeks of bliss that makes up spring term. Buffalo Creek Music Festival, tubing on the Maury, Derby Days, and our KA formal—Old South—it doesn’t get any better.
Favorite Class: Investments with Professor Hoover. Probably one of, if not the most challenging course I’ve taken at W&L, but taught with unparalleled enthusiasm.
Growing up just an hour south of Lexington in Roanoke, I have been around Washington and Lee my entire life. Both my father and uncle went to school here, and my sister began her college career here just three years ahead of me. There are many things that attracted me to follow their lead, but greatest among them was the sense of community you feel when you step on campus.
Whether walking down the Colonnade, greeted with a smile or hello from a familiar face, or sharing some laughs with friends and the occasional professor, you can’t help but feel that you are a part of something greater as a student here. The Speaking Tradition is an institution on campus, providing a sense of familiarity and small town gentility that is found in very few places today. After spending last summer in Washington D.C. and the summer prior in Shanghai, I appreciate it more than ever. It is this sense of community that drives many students, including myself, to become involved in campus life outside of the classroom.
I have been involved in several student organizations, with varying degrees of responsibility, and have enjoyed the opportunity to participate in meaningful work where there isn’t necessarily a grade to earn. During my first three years on campus, I have taken pleasure in experiences like helping to plan fraternity parties, speaking with returning alumni as a member of Kathekon, grilling burgers from midnight until 2 a.m. during the Buffalo Creek Music Festival to raise money for Habitat for Humanity, and facilitating open dialogues at student workshops dealing with issues like depression and gender relations. As rewarding as these experiences were, as I entered my senior year I wanted to add something to the University that would reflect my own passions.
Looking back on the most important periods of my life so far, the spring and summer of my junior year of high school stood out. It was during that time that my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She battled and won, and serves as an inspiration to me. Fast forward to this summer, when I decided that I wanted to undertake the formation of a new organization on campus, Find the Cure, addressing breast cancer awareness and fundraising. I was met with open arms from faculty members, administrators, and fellow students. A simple email to a few friends spread rapidly, and I began receiving responses expressing interest in joining the cause from not only fraternity brothers and good friends, but from students I have never met. I can’t express my feeling of gratitude going forward with this project because I know that with the support of the Washington and Lee community, we will accomplish some really great things.
