Yan’s Student Story

Meet Yan

Yan is an Asian American and first generation college student. He grew up on the Northside of Chicago and went to neighborhood high school in Edgewater. There, he developed a passion for business and is currently in his 2nd year pursuing his bachelors as a commuter student at a state school in Chicago. His dream is to work in business and travel around the world. “I really want to travel the world and visit the beauties of the world. One day if I’m going to be a dad, I don’t want to be the boring dad. I want to be the dad with cool stories and dad jokes.”

Navigating High School

In the beginning of high school, Yan focused on reconnecting with his sense of identity. When his family first immigrated to the United States, Yan attended a diverse elementary school until he transferred to a majority Latinx school in the 4th grade. At his new school, Yan was now one of the very few Asian-American students. “[My classmates] kind of viewed me as weird. So I had this notion of ‘I was the weird kid’ and of course I grew up with it. I wasn’t treated the best.”

Once Yan went to a vibrant diverse neighborhood high school in Edgewater, Yan struggled to readjust. “I feel like I lost my identity and I didn’t know what I was or who I was.” Then in his Sophomore year of high school, COVID hit and he transitioned to online learning. In the beginning his main goal was to “to survive and sleep.” But the pandemic also propelled him to “get my stuff together” and inspired him to dream. “I feel like the freedom for me personally, kind shaped the person who I am today. I had to figure it out, and honestly, that really helped me.” Although COVID was a time of social isolation, Yan met his best friend during online school. Through the years, their friendship is stronger than ever.

“I feel like the freedom for me personally, kind shaped the person who I am today. I had to figure it out, and honestly, that really helped me.”

Early on, Yan knew “college was more so my parent’s dream” but during Senior year, he wasn’t sure if it was his dream. After two years taking IB classes, he decided not to pursue the IB diploma and took a college readiness prep class instead. Yan lovingly describes that class as a place where “I met my amazing teacher, people, friends. It was an amazing class.” Yan appreciated being in community with other students he could relate to. “It felt amazing having this group of people that are like-minded and are as confused as you.” Together, they decided college was the goal. “College was a decision that I made unanimously with other people.”

“College was a decision that I made unanimously with other people.”

The class introduced Yan to business through one of the guest speakers his teacher invited. Yan was immediately inspired by the speaker. “It was not what they were talking about that was memorable. It was the vibe. They were dressed up, they were talking, they were working the room…I thought ‘Damn, that was strong!’ After that, he knew he wanted to pursue a business degree.

Yan’s College Journey

Before Yan started classes, he participated in a pre-orientation travel abroad program for first-generation Freshman students. He traveled abroad for the first time and went to Costa Rica with a group of students for a week where they volunteered. “I really didn’t know my passion for traveling.. Post-Covid people were burnt out from their life and stuff. So this opportunity arose from it and it really shaped me.” He passionately reminisces how influential his volunteer experience was. “I helped make a difference! I helped build a garden and interacted with the kids and stuff… It made my heart, it made my tummy feel like there were butterflies, and I just realized, dang, this is awesome and I want to help people!”

“I helped make a difference! I helped build a garden and interacted with the kids and stuff… It made my heart, it made my tummy feel like there were butterflies, and I just realized, dang, this is awesome and I want to help people!”

By the time classes started, Yan was energized! He immediately started his business major track. As a 1st year commuter student however, he wasn’t always thrilled about the trip. Now Yan appreciates commuting. “I’m glad I’m a commuter. And not to hate on dormers or anything, but I live in the city, so it is just really convenient for me. I might have to commute an hour and a half, but I have my own room. I have friends and family. My best friend is literally a 15 minute bus ride from me.”

Yan has also found his support system on campus. He’s been involved in the Asian American Resource Center. “If I need something, if I’m confused about something I know that I could go to them.” This center has been important for Yan to feel welcomed and cared for on campus. For more mental health related struggles, he leans on his best friend.”If I need to talk to someone, I go to him.”

“If I need something, if I’m confused about something I know that I could go to them.”

Although he is on track to graduate in 2026, Yan plans to study abroad again and is open to graduating later if needed. He is a strong advocate for encouraging students to study abroad and recently showcased his leadership skills through being on a panel. “We were talking about our own experiences and it was amazing!” When asked about his dreams after college, Yan shared “my dreams with aspiration is to get online job, a virtual job that pros me to travel.”

“my dreams with aspiration is to get online job, a virtual job that pros me to travel.”

What worked for Yan

• Exploring the college process alongside other students: At first, Yan wasn’t sure if college was his dream. The college prep class however connected him to a community of students he felt he could relate to. This made him see his college application process as a community goal. “College was a decision that I made unanimously with other people.”
• Access to inspiring opportunities: Both in high school and in college, Yan was connected to inspiring opportunities that shaped his passions and goals in life. In high school, he was awed by the Business student speaker which influenced his decision to pursue a business degree. In college, his community service abroad experience has ignited his passion for service and travel. These formative experiences are one his major drives towards finishing college.
• Support system at home and on campus: For Yan, college is both exciting and challenging. He has found the Asian American Resource Center and appreciates having that space for guidance. This is especially important for Yan as a commuter student, it’s a space to connect with other students outside of class. Yan is especially grateful for his support system off campus. When he struggles with mental health he relies on his best friends and knows that he can rely on them for a talk.

Yan’s Aspirations for the field

1. For other students: “Don’t try to grow up too fast, its okay to not feel like an adult yet.” Yan has noted different interpretations of what being 18 means to people. He’s heard people say “I’m in college,I’m an adult now. I have adult responsibilities. I have a job. And it’s just that they think that just because they’re 18 means that they’re fully adults. No, you’re still 18 (eightteen) you’re still a teenager. ‘18’ aDuLt. But still, that doesn’t mean you got your life figured out.”” He feels that the transition from high school brings a lot of questions on what being an ‘adult’ means which also sometimes feels like a race to grow up. He suggests newly graduates to not rush and to embrace the transition.
2. For educators: “Quality over quantity. Don’t assign too much homework, honestly, that just leads to burnout.” Yan has appreciated classes that focus on critical thinking assignments and less on overloading assignments. “I want higher education people to understand that to make kids understand, to think outside the box because we live in a generation where we’re not looking for linear answers or we’re not looking for the answers that fix the problem. Now we want to find answers that fix the problem for the future generations… Sometimes you don’t need the right decision. You just need the right direction.”
3. For educators: Understanding a new generation of learners. He gives one example from his professor. “He assigns one homework per week, and it’s either a 240 word essay or a one minute video on what we learned the week of that week. And that is really, really powerful because it prompts me to review the notes, the slides, or even watch the video.”