Kate Luo ’21 would like you to know that despite the oft-mocked name of her hometown, she is definitely a Wesleyan student, not a student at Wellesley. And although her Wellesley High School apparel has sparked controversy in the Freeman Athletic Center, Luo’s nomination makes it clear that she’s known to many as “an amazing human being.” A nominated member of Wesleyan’s 2021 Phi Beta Kappa class, this STEM superstar is not only a top-notch student, but a dedicated violinist, chemistry TA, and has been Asian American Student Collective’s (AASC) Financial Chair since her sophomore year. Luo only has a few months before she makes the transition from college to medical school at the University of Virginia (UVA), but before her time is taken over by a whole new set of labs, The Argus caught up with the Neuroscience & Behavior and Chemistry double-major over Zoom.

The Argus: What activities or organizations have helped you stay connected to the Wesleyan community during COVID?

Kate Luo: This past semester, I’ve been doing a lot of work with Asian American Student Collective (AASC). I’ve been their financial manager since I was a sophomore, beginning around January, 2019. It’s kind of unfortunate; the reason that I feel like I’ve been more connected to this community is because of all the recent hate crimes and violence [toward the Asian and Asian American community], but there have been some really great moments like the vigil that we held a couple weeks ago. I thought that was [an] amazing moment for our community. And apparently, that was one of the first events for Asian and Asian American students in a very long time. I didn’t really organize [the vigil]. A lot of other people in the collective did, but it was amazing to be a part of something like that.

And April is also Asian/Asian American identity month. So I’ve been helping plan a lot of those events and meeting a lot of new freshmen. It’s really exciting to also meet some younger students that might not have as much access to like social spaces as I had as a freshman. I’ve liked meeting a lot more members of the community and then creating these spaces that feel relatively safe, even though right now, it’s kind of a tumultuous time.

A: The vigil was followed by a despicable hate crime on campus, which was a really terrible moment for the Asian and Asian American communities. I was wondering how the confluence of the supportive, healing vigil and the atrocity that followed has impacted the Asian and Asian American community at Wes.

KL: Yeah, the fact that it happened like 15 or 16 minutes after the vigil was honestly a huge slap in the face to us. And the student was likely walking back home from the vigil, a place where they felt really safe and appreciated. And then just to be confronted with something like that is just literally awful. I think it speaks to the fact that you never know what’s going on, like [with] the people around you. I’ve definitely felt a lot more afraid [in] these past few weeks since that incident.

I think the AASC board has helped bring one student’s idea to life. We created this GroupMe so [Asian/Asian American students] can ask for walking buddies to feel a little safer on campus. But I think ultimately what this shows is [that] we have so much work to do as a community and as an identity group. I think we’ve kind of avoided this in the past. Collectivity, there’s a lot of tension within the Asian/Asian American community. And I think it’s been hard to overcome those. Just because there’s so many ethnicities that are represented there. And that whole group, like Asian American doesn’t really mean anything. It doesn’t really connect us all in the same way. So I think it’s been really hard to find that common ground.

A: As you said, the Asian and Asian American community has obviously been putting a lot of hard work into making sure that Asian/Asian American students feel like they have a safe space on campus. What about Wesleyan as a wealthy institution? How can they use their immense resources to do better?

KL: It’s hard for me as an individual to speak on this because everyone wants different things. One major thing that we’ve been trying to do for all the years that I’ve been here—and even years before I’ve come here—is to make Asian American studies its own major [and] department. Many times the University [has] said [that] there’s no demand for it. They’re saying “Oh, it’s not necessary.” You know, we have CEAS [College of East Asian Studies], we have American Studies, [as if] that should be enough. But I think there’s a huge demand for it now, because we can’t just ignore this part of our history. And there have been people working on it. We were actually able to get a course cluster listed on WesMaps recently, because [Wesleyan offers] courses in Asian American Studies, but they don’t count for [an Asian American studies] major or anything like that. So it’d be nice to get that kind of academic recognition. 

A: I didn’t know that this has been a campaign for so long. It’s interesting because one of the things that Wesleyan tends to pride itself on is the number of languages that they teach and the number of cultural experiences that they provide.

KL: I know. Yeah, I have not been the person to do this pushing. But yeah, a lot of people around me [have advocated for Asian American Studies].

A: Who have been the most impactful people in your Wesleyan experience?

KL: Interviewing for medical school, a lot of people asked, “Oh, who’s one of the most influential people in your life right now?” The easiest and most correct answer is my chemistry lab professor, [Erika] Taylor. I think she’s a very strong woman in a field that has historically been dominated by men and is probably still dominated by men. And I think she’s just so inspiring. There’s so much to say about how she balances her life. She doesn’t have to forego any “academic prowess,” I guess, for anything else in her life. Her kids are amazing. She’s an amazing cook. She actually taught my biochemistry class when I took it last fall. And it’s a hard class. I’ve come to her sometimes [when I’m] really stressed and nervous. She always has this way of making me feel okay, especially [because I’ve] known her for a while. I’ve been in labs since I was a sophomore. And she just has a way of making people feel like they can do things. I think that it’s really great that she can see potential, and really, like, nurture it. And yeah, I don’t know, I think being a part of labs and doing research has been a really big part of my college experience. And I’m very glad to have had her as my mentor this time.

A: Do you think that there needs to be more inclusivity in the STEM community for students who have come from less privileged backgrounds and are now entering STEM at the college level?

KL: I think it’s something that [every institution] needs to work on, not just Wesleyan, but yes, also Wesleyan is included in this group. Professor Taylor is in charge of the McNair program, which FGLI students apply to. So I’m not a McNair Scholar, because it’s specifically for those students, I believe, who want a PhD. Professor Taylor has been running this for a while. So I noticed [that] diversity [is] something that’s on her mind. And it is really difficult. The University can definitely be doing a lot better in terms of making these STEM spaces and these huge introductory classes feel more accessible to people who might not have had a rigorous high school education. Peer tutoring is fine, but it’s all very individual, and I think there are [more] ways to show support for that. If people take a huge engineering course, and they don’t really understand it that well, they will not be inclined to pursue STEM further. And I think that’s a huge shame. Because, again, like all these people like that are hugely prominent in chemistry are just like old white men. And they have said some really problematic things, like saying minorities don’t really belong in chemistry. It’s just not always been the safest space, or the most welcoming space for minority scientists.

A: Lastly, I wanted to ask you what it was like to earn Phi Beta Kappa, and what that means to both in relation to your work at Wesleyan and going forward?

KL: The way that I chose [the chemistry] major was kind of interesting. I came into college thinking like, “Oh, I’m going to be a chemistry major.” And then I took the first class here, and I was very overwhelmed. And then I was in organic chemistry, and was doing relatively well. And so my pre-major advisor who happened to be [a chemistry professor] was like, “Wow, you’re doing well in orgo? What do you think you’re gonna major in?” And I told him neuroscience, and he goes, “What a shame.” So I was like, “No, no, no, not like, you can’t say that to me. Like, I’m gonna do both, like, Just watch me like, it’s not a waste, I’ll do both. And weirdly enough, I love the neuro major as well, but I’ve just spent so much time in the chemistry department, both as a student and a researcher in Professor Taylor’s lab, but also as a TA. At this point, I feel like I know most of the faculty, and getting nominated by that department just felt like I chose the right home. [The chemistry department is] really welcoming. For me, it was like, I’ve put a lot of [into chemistry]. I’ve really enjoyed my time here. And [being nominated to Phi Beta Kappa] was like being rewarded. It felt right, I guess, to wrap up my time in that department with this amazing nomination. And I think, yes, the academic aspect of it was important for me, but just getting nominated by my department showed that they knew how much I cared about them. And [that] they knew how much I love chemistry. And I think that was what made the deal a lot sweeter, in my opinion.

 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Chiara Naomi Kaufman can be reached at cnkaufman@wesleyan.edu