Student Interview with Helen Zhu, Ovation Flutist
How long have you been playing the flute?
8 years!
How long have you been at SDYS?
7 years...I am old.
Despite everything that has happened, what were some of the highlights of your senior year?
Eating lunch with my friends in the chem classroom tops most things, but all the casual discussions in my literature and psychology class and struggling to play piccolo in the school musical are close seconds.
Congratulations on graduating high school! Where are you going to college and what is your major?
Thank you so much :D I'm going to UC Berkeley undecided.
Congratulations on your admittance to UC Berkeley! What topics interest you?
I’m undecided because I want to do more exploring. For now, I know I enjoy making things and coming up with original ideas as well as problem solving and puzzles, so that could mean a job in computer science, but economics, data science, and cognitive science seem to fit those interests as well. I also want to teach high school math at some point in my life, so a degree in education is also on the table. The TLDR [too long; didn't read] is that ... I hope my future will be as fulfilling as possible.
Will fall 2020 classes look like for you? Will you live in Berkeley?
I'm excited and anxious to say that classes will be hybrid, and I will be living on campus.
Do you want to keep music in your life in the future? If so, how do you plan to do that?
Definitely! For college, I plan on joining the music department at Berkeley. Whether I pursue a degree or just partake in ensembles is still to be decided. When I’m out of college, I want to have a small (like 3 kids max) private flute studio. My final hope is to be invited to play at all of my friends' weddings and get gigs every now and then because of my brilliant wedding performances.
Do you have any advice for younger students on applying for colleges?
Before I started writing my apps, a friend from SDYS said to just go to a nice place like a coffee shop and think about all the times in high school that made me happy or feel good about myself. For some reason I never did that and that was my biggest mistake. Instead, I kept fixating on my mistakes, consequently making the first part of senior year way more stressful than it should’ve been. So to anyone about to apply to college, be proud of yourself; the good and the bad. Acknowledge how hard you worked and cherish all the good times you had. Best of luck to you all!
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I really miss everyone, and I hope everyone’s staying safe.
Thank you for the great interview, Helen! SDYS wishes you all the best in your future.
