Catching up with Joyce Chen '21

Reflecting on her first year at Harvard University

AUTHOR: UDHAY SOKHI

We recently caught up with Joyce Chen '21 after completing her Freshman year at Harvard. Beyond being a gifted student, Joyce's gregarious and welcoming energy made her an absolute delight to be around during her time at LFA. Read our conversation with Joyce below to learn more about the highlights of her year at Harvard, how LFA set her up for success, her advice for transitioning to college life, and more.

What are you studying at Harvard?

I'm doing a major in Government with a minor in Ethnicity, Migration, and Rights. Originally, I was deciding between a major in economics or government, so I took classes in both disciplines.

One of my economics professors was a top advisor to President Obama and one of my government professors actually co-wrote my favourite political science book titled "How Democracies Die". I had an amazing time in both classes, but the goverment course got me excited like no other, so I'm really excited to explore that discipline for the next three years.

How has the jump from high school to the Ivy League been for you?

I think LFA primed me really well for college, no matter where I would've ended up. I took a writing class in my last semester at LFA with Mrs. Mills for example that I was really grateful for.

I've also been exposed to so many new people and new experiences at Harvard. I've gotten to meet some incredibly cool people from all over the world: I've made friends from Nepal, Colombia, Brazil, and more. Harvard does a good job of maintaining diversity on campus and it's been really special to be amidst that.

What, if anything, has surprised you about the experience so far?

I wouldn't say this came as a surprise, but it's been really enlightening to see just how much people here care about the causes that are meaningful to them. For example, whenever current events pop up usually the next day there'll be protests, or an article written, or people advocating for it, and it's incredible to see how much passion there is.

It's inspiring to think that some of these people will go on to be the future of constitutional law, or the future of biomedical sciences. It pushes me to work harder and question why I study and work for the things I do.

Is there anything the Grade 12 Joyce would be surprised to learn about Joyce today?

I think my freshman year was incredibly transformative. After I left high school I was able to see how much exactly laid beyond the horizons. In high school I was so focussed on academics that I didn't focus a lot on what was in the moment right in front of me. In university, by virtue of the fact that I now had to juggle people I love back home and new friends at Harvard, along with my physical and mental health, it all led me to develop work-life balance. I'm a lot better at fitting in time for my loved ones and my friends and eating well, and that's something that I think Grade 12 Joyce would've been pretty proud of and surprised to learn I've found by end of freshman year.

What was the highlight of your first year at Harvard?

I don't think there's one singular highlight I can point out as much as the whole experience was great. Me and some friends went to the annual Harvard vs. Yale football game and everyone ended up rushing the field when we won by 3 points in the last seconds of the game. I had left the stadium early but it was amazing to witness and hear about. I went to NY over spring break with a couple of friends and we had the best pizza ever. There was a foreign policy club that I joined on campus that ended up sending us to London for a foreign policy conference.

Also, between all those highlights, the best memories were just learning about people and sharing stories in the dining hall; laughing with my friends til 4am in the library when we really should've been studying for our exam the next day. Honestly every day came with its highlights, I had a blast in freshman year.

How did the LFA experience set you up for college life?

I think first and foremost LFA did a really good job of instilling in each of us that we're capable and confident, and that we're smart enough and we deserve to be in the spaces that we occupy.

Between all this you still managed to stay involved at LFA. How did you stay connected to the LFA community?

I definitely think I could've done more to give back but I was pretty honoured that there were people that wanted me back to help. For public speaking we had a lot of juniors and seniors competing at public speaking provincials this year. Ms. Duffy reached out to me first and then a couple of individual speakers also reached out to ask me if I could help them with their speeches and offer my feedback, so I happily did that.

I was happy to be involved because I really love the way the LFA public speaking program works. I think of it as a little family where the older seniors all mentor the younger ones, and then as the younger ones move up they also take up that mantle of leadership. So it was really gratifying to help out, and I was glad to hear that some of them ended up doing super well. I'm just glad that the skills and wisdom some of the older students were able to instill in me, I was able to pass on to younger students

When I think of the experiences that best set me up, what comes to mind is AP Lit in Grade 12. It was a very challenging class when I took it at first and I remember Mrs. Mills feedback would always be very precise and very helpful. It certainly sharpened my skills as a writer to the point where I remember thinking sometime in March or April, "thank God I took AP Lit in Grade 12". In my style of writing now I see elements of what Mrs. Mills taught me, and I'm really grateful for that foundational knowledge, and in turn to Mrs. Ullrich as well who taught me in Grade 11. That all comes to mind as well as my educational experience at LFA at large which taught me the virtue of discipline, so to that degree I'm very grateful for every teacher I encountered at LFA.

What advice do you have for our new alumnae ready to embark on their own freshman years?

I think if I were to go back a year and give myself a piece of advice, it would just be a line of reassurance and I'd say that everyone is going through what you're going through. That early period of uncertainty and uprootedness, that is something that everyone is struggling with. That would've been really nice to know. I think that also extends to your first finals period and the idea that not everyone knows what they're doing and the key is to just try your best, and if you're finding it hard then chances are somebody else is as well.

To that degree, it's honestly to your advantage to reach out and talk to people because most likely they'll be pretty open to talk about your shared experience.

Have you thought about life beyond Harvard, in terms of career aspirations and personal goals?

That's definitely still in formation. I've literally switched my major choice three times over the course of freshman year. But I think it would be really nice to continue exploring government and what sub-field I want to study within it. It'd be cool to explore ethinicity, migration, and rights which is my minor field, or I could also see myself going to law school or going into academia. There's so much out there and I'm inspired at once and also intimidated by all the possibilities. But I have a clear grasp of the direction I'd like to move if not the destination.