Every May, the bushes across my boarding house slowly fill up with bloomed peonies.Their bright pink petals are a joyful proclamation of the arrival of summer. I’m  drawn to the flower I was named after, the “king of flowers” in Chinese culture,  boasting an unyielding spirit and restorative properties. Growing up, my name was a source of discomfort for me. I resented that my teachers often mispronounced it, and its peculiarity made me stand out in my early...

Scrolling through TikTok or YouTube isn’t just a break for me — it’s my unconventional classroom. From beauty hacks to peculiar historical facts, I’ve found wisdom in the 60-seconds. That’s why UChicago resonates with me—it embraces unconventional learning in a way that feels deeply personal. Take Professor Bunnig’s “Global Society” class, where students wear suits to breakfast or walk backwards for a day, in order to experience and learn the effect of social norms on...