Wendi Wang ’22 is a current senior at Concord Academy from Qingdao, China. She has been a part of CA’s community since her freshman year. When asked what brought her to CA, Wendi first says, “The small yet welcoming community for sure. I was fascinated by the fact that students call the teachers by their first names, and the community itself just feels like a big, warm family.” In addition, Wendi was drawn in by CA’s unique courses and historic location.
At CA, Wendi is deeply involved in several clubs and organizations, especially those that relate to music. She is a part of the Advanced Jazz Ensemble and Chamber Music Ensemble, and she is the co-head of Jazz Club. She also takes Individual Music Instruction (IMI) lessons for the flute and voice. Going on about music, Wendi adds, “I love experimenting with different sounds and technologies, so I incorporate piccolo and Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI) into my musical composition and performance as well.”
In fact, Wendi was able to incorporate her love for music in one of her favorite classes – British Romantic Poetry – taught by Sabrina Sadique, which she took last year. The course endowed her with the power to imagine and create, exploring her relationship with the creator and the creation, while traveling between dreams and reality without the restrictions of time and space. In her final project, Wendi refracted “Kubla Khan” by Samuel Coleridge through her knowledge of the Yuan dynasty in China. From this, she composed a piece that incorporated Chinese traditional percussion, flute, piccolo, string ensembles, and human voices to compound her sonic interpretation of Coleridge’s work.
She states, “In this piece, I incorporated Chinese traditional percussion, flute, piccolo, string ensembles, and human voices to compound my sonic interpretation of Coleridge’s work. Through this five-part musical composition, I had the chance to elucidate Coleridge’s theory of imagination and reality powered by human creative will.”
In her free time, Wendi loves reading books, news, music critiques, taking care of her plants, and going on walks around Concord. As an international student, especially during the pandemic, Wendi also needs to spend long periods of time away from home. This year, she will not be able to return back to Qingdao until after graduation, meaning that she has been away from her family for almost a year. On this, she states, “When I miss home, I always cook Asian dishes and video call my parents. These activities empower me and soothe my heart.”
Furthermore, as cohead of both the International Student Organization (ISO) and Mandarin club, Wendi strives to become a global citizen. She says, “I enjoy introducing my Chinese culture to the community while appreciating other cultures and languages.”
When asked to share a piece of advice to other students, Wendi states, “Try to enjoy solitude. For example, don’t freak out if you are not with a friend at dinner. Though it always feels good to be surrounded by people who care about you, we need time to calm down, muse, and reflect on our recent behaviors and mentality. Once you are able to handle loneliness, you will uncover a completely different world.” After a strenuous senior fall, Wendi is excited to use the new free time on her hands to further explore her interests and spend quality time with her friends. In addition, she looks forward to CA’s Centennial celebrations this spring, and is honored to be a member of the Centennial graduating class!