Our “One of 360” series continues as we learn about Carol W. '21. Although born in Tianjin, China, Carol moved with her family to Latham, NY when she was 10 years old as her father was given the opportunity to move to the United States. 

Thereafter, Carol began a new chapter of her life, attending public school through junior high and learning a new language that would become a part of her daily life. In Carol’s own words:

On Emma Willard School…

When I first visited Emma, I was absolutely compelled by the physical and learning environment. In the classes I visited, the students were all so engaged in learning, and interaction between students and teachers weaved throughout class. Compared to the public junior high that I had attended, where participation from and interaction between students were minimal during classes, I fell in love with the way Emma classes were taught. While exploring the diverse classes offered, I also felt how welcoming the Emma community is and I knew this was where I wanted to be for the next four years of my life. 

My favorite class at Emma is AP Computer Science A. I took the class last year when I was a 10th grader and I’m so glad I did. Learning how to code was like learning a whole new language, but communicating with computers! It was so fascinating to create a variety of different mini programs that could do so many different things. Throughout class we also interacted with other classmates to help each other to work out difficult codes or work together to find another way to solve a problem, because there’s never just one way to solve a problem.

One of the best experiences I have had at Emma is interacting with the international students. Moving here from China when I was so young, I missed out on a lot of Chinese culture growing up and felt very detached from my culture. Through interaction with the Chinese international students, I feel once again close to my culture and have made some of my closest friends here. I was even able to learn more about other countries’ cultures through the diversity we have here at Emma. 

On Robotics...

Taking computer science encouraged me to join Emma’s newly-established robotics club; although a big time commitment, I loved every minute I spent in our robotics room. It’s so fun to take scraps of pieces of metals and transform it into a robot that would be able to follow your commands through the code you enter. Robotics allows you to combine creativity with technology and engineering—truly an amazing learning experience. I have learned and grown so much through robotics, and I wish more people knew how fun and competitive robotics can be!

On Badminton…

I began playing badminton with my dad when I was 10 years old. However, I always played for fun and did not begin to play competitively until I came to Emma. Although many people view badminton as a backyard exercise, there’s so much more to it. I love badminton for how technical it is and how every small detail could affect how you play. Over the years I have trained a lot on my reaction speed and pacing to play competitively, and now I practice every weekend at our local YMCA with many other competitive players. I’m so grateful to be one of the team captains for our Emma badminton team and being given this opportunity to share my passion for badminton with this incredible team!

On the Arts…

I love music! Besides my passion for badminton, music has also been a big part of my life. I have played a variety of instruments since I was six years old and have been continuously involved in choir, in school and out of school, ever since I entered first grade. Currently, I play piano, violin, and Chinese flute (hulusi). I also love singing. During this extended break I have had a lot of free time to record song covers, something I rarely get to do during the school year due to my hectic schedule. 

In the future, I would like to learn more about dance. It seems like a completely different and engaging form of self expression. Watching the dance assembly at Emma every year has been so inspiring and I wish that one day I would be able to learn more about it.

On Emma Willard Traditions…

My favorite Emma tradition is definitely Revels. I love the amount of energy that radiates from everyone during that time of the year, especially during the performances. It’s so fun revelizing the seniors and then finally discovering their parts as they walk through the doors and into the manor house. I can’t wait for our Revels with my amazing class of 2021!

Thanks, Carol, for sharing your passions and contributing to the Emma Willard School community in unique and significant ways. We look forward to seeing the impact you will have as you serve and shape our world!