Chinatown hangout

After the Senior Day symposium, I hung out in Chinatown with Nina, Hugh, Jacob, Emma, Grace, Anya, Lissa, and Johnson. We first had boba tea at Jaho Coffee and then went to 小羊火锅 (Little Sheep Hot Pot).

I wasn’t really stressed about Senior Day beforehand because I was fairly confident in my research and had practiced a lot; public speaking isn’t too scary for me. However, both fortunately and unfortunately, I got Mr. Otey. He is very passionate about the symposium and asked many sharp but, to be honest, constructive questions, though they were a little bit overwhelming. He suggested that Emma, Casey, and I add and change a lot in our presentations, but I don’t know how that is going to happen. Then, during lunch, I had a great talk with Mr. Loper and Mrs. Olmsted; we basically branched out from my symposium topic and talked about the ethical concerns behind AI.

Then came the hangout. I actually have not participated in any activities for BTSD since June 2025. It is just so hard to organize anything for seniors to get together (there was ice skating this year, but many people, including me, didn’t go). Ten seniors are going to graduate this year: Casey, Mary, Hugh, Eric, Nina, Jacob, Grace, Johnson, Sonia, and me. We will likely be scattered in different places. As I mentioned in my messages to Nina, this was the first community I joined in the U.S., and these people were the very first friends I made here. That adds a layer of special meaning for me.

Moreover, I felt a little bit divided. I still think it was God’s plan to put me in BTA. It felt so different from the rest of my life’s journeys and the friends I’ve had. First of all, my decision to come study in the U.S. was completely unexpected. It was just a sudden thought in October, and I didn’t understand why then, but now I know it was God’s calling. I applied in a hurry because most application deadlines were December 31st or the first few days of January. Since I wasn’t really prepared, I received several waitlists and denials; the only acceptance I got was from BTA. So, I ended up at this school—a school I wasn’t previously interested in because it wasn't very STEM-focused. I remember complaining to my friends that on the BTA website, they proudly showed that the school had some computers for students to share, and even Wi-Fi coverage was one of their selling points (it turned out even that needed further work). I could never have imagined myself in this kind of environment: it is religious, artsy, pretty rigorous, and not STEM-heavy at all. Some of the other schools I looked at gave a Mac laptop to every student or had a robotics team; that was the type of school I used to attend in China, not BTA.

But again, God always has the best plan for you, even if you aren't aware of it. Strangely, I found myself actually enjoying this religious, artsy, small school. I met a group of people who aren't gold medal winners in Math, Physics, or Computer Science Olympiads. Nor do they study the entire time to get impressive, remarkable scores (close to 100%) on every test or quiz. Instead, I see them spending half of their weekend in religious services, studying random languages and talking to one another using "weird" words I don’t understand, or doing drama and willingly staying at school until 11:00 PM when just two hours of homework would usually be enough to cause complaints. I see people traveling, dancing, singing, and doing whatever they are passionate about, while academics are only a small part of their lives. It is a different group of people, but they have life. And I enjoy being with all of you.

I think I will say more on that as it gets closer to graduation. But for now, thank you—to all of you.