“I took Racism in Asian America with Professor Walton my freshman spring. Professor Walton’s method of teaching and facilitating discussions was so eye-opening and engaging to me. I just love her–she’s so cool. I was looking for research in the database, saw her name, and immediately jumped on the opportunity, which is how I ended up contributing to Humans of the Upper Valley. I find this idea and the purpose of her project to connect people in the Upper Valley interesting and very important.
I think one of my defining moments was when I met my friend Ryan. I was scared to reach out to a complete stranger and initiate a conversation, so I felt like I was really putting myself out there. I feel like reaching out when you’re about to start college can be quite scary, but now we’re best friends, so put yourself out there!
Each day, there are so many new, possible experiences. I like going to KAF and sitting and looking at the colors of everything around me, especially after it rains–it’s like someone turned up the saturation. There are so many small joys you can find in life, like sitting in a coffee shop with your best friend and talking about life.
My biggest motivation is knowing that I have this vision of myself in my head of who I want to be and knowing that I can, every day, become a step closer to the womyn I want to be. That drives a lot of what I do.”
– Rachel Zhang, ’24