Featured Profile: Wenny Lin

A psychology graduate turned educator, Wenny shares her experience and insight on growth, culture, and self-perception.

1. Tell me a bit about yourself!

I am Yingyi (Wenny) Lin, from Shenzhen, China. I am an Educational and College Counselor at Cogita Education Initiatives. Coming from a humanistic psychology background from Colgate University and educational background from Harvard Graduate School of Education, I had first-hand experience in both a liberal arts environment and a big university, which supports my work with different students. I am committed to empowering students to strengthen their self-awareness along the journey, building the capacity to be flexible and resilient in the face of a challenging future. More importantly, to develop the skills to take care of themselves physically, mentally, and socially. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, working out, watching Netflix, and hanging out with my friends. Fun fact - I got “Wenny” from my uncle because “Yingyi” in Cantonese sounds similar to Wenny - I’ve been using Wenny since kindergarten so I consider it part of my identity but not just an “English” name.

2. What is your proudest achievement?

Professionally, I was able to graduate from HGSE with straight As, and most importantly to apply my learning to practice - no matter as an Academic and Personal Development Coach at Harvard Summer School before Cogita or all the wonderful works I am doing as part of the Cogita team to empower student’s holistic development. The proudest moment could be to gradually gain the trust from one of the more reserved kids and how they are finally willing to share more thoughts, speak up a little more, become motivated in advising sessions and follow through the tasks. Also when parents and families express appreciation and recognize our support as essential to kids’ growth.

Personally, I'm proud of being a genuine, responsive, and reliable family member, friend and colleague who always brings positive energy.

3. What stood out to you the most when you went to the U.S. for college?

Since I went to a liberal arts college for undergrad, the close-knit community was something that really stood out for me- especially how the professors are genuinely interested in supporting all students and they do care. Knowing that I am part of an inclusive, supportive community gives me the courage to try new things, and realize anything is possible when you take the initiative to try. For example, in my freshman year, even before I declared as a psychology major, I wrote cold emails and went to different professors’ office hours in the psychology department for any research opportunities and I actually got one- which helped set a great foundation for my further opportunity in research, also in relationship building with professors, and other involvement in the psychology department and beyond. I still keep in touch with some close professors now such as checking in around the holiday season for any updates.

4. Is there any part of your identity that you think is largely ignored or even marginalized by most people? If so, are there any examples you can think of?

This is a great question - I would say perhaps my appearance. As an Asian female especially in the U.S society, I look relatively young - which on one hand, it could be flattering as many people are obsessed with a youthful look, trying their best to take care of their skin, etc. However, in the professional world, looking young could be associated with a lack of experience, which would undermine your years of experience. People may not take you seriously, or even question your expertise and professionalism. For example, there was a parent who came for inquiry; instead of seeing and recognizing the great interaction I had with the kid, he directly asked about my years of experience and intended to switch to another counselor who looks more “experienced”.

5. What differences have you noticed from your high school and university years? If so, is there one environment you’d prefer over others? Do you think these differences represent their respective cultures?

Here are some differences I am seeing between high school (1st year in Gaokao system in public school, 2nd & 3rd years in the International curriculum center in public school in China) and university (a liberal arts college in upstate NY):

In the 1st year in high school, everything is pretty much set for you; you know you have to take the 9 subjects at certain time in freshman year of high school, goal of getting a good score in Gaokao, and going to a good university; then 2nd & 3rd year when you are in the AP curriculum, similarly, you need to take APs, take SAT, maintain academic excellence, write essays, etc. to help you get into a good college in the U.S. You are expected to follow the “structure”, the daily routine (I went to a boradin high school, only went home during the weekend), and a lot of school rules to follow. But in college, you have a lot more flexibility/freedom - you can choose your own course, have your own schedule, go to different places for academic/social time; no one is really “supervising” you but you are the one who is in full control of your own life. While this gives you a lot more freedom, it requires a higher level of time management and self discipline so that you are able to achieve your goals. In addition, in high school you have a direction of “getting into a good college” as a “default” route and a shared goal among peers, while in college, you will start to think about your own career path, what to do after college, which could look very different for each individual.

Yes, I think the differences are some types of representations of respective cultures where in China, many students slack off once they get into college since they finally achieve this goal of “getting into the college” since elementary school- they might feel lost and not sure where to go next. However in the U.S. culture, the college application looks at students more holistically, giving students a lot of opportunities to think about “who they are as a person”, “what do you hope to achieve in college”, which help strengthen their self awareness and look forward to the future even more.

6. What are your experiences with coming to terms with your identity? Do you have an opinion on the identity and evolution of societal narratives? (i.e. is identity more collective or more individualized across different groups? Within each group?)

I am not sure if I am grasping this question right but here is what I think - I think it’s a mix of both collective and individualized. For example, for me personally, identity should be first about how you see yourself, who you think you are as a person. However, it’s also about how you identify with a larger group and how others perceive you as a person, and if those are aligned.

7. Are there anything from your extensive knowledge in psychology that you think is interesting with respect to cultural and social identity?

I think the “possible selves theory”, which “differ from general expectations or aspirations in that they are vivid images of the self attaining a future state, rather than simply thoughts, wishes, or desires about the future” (Oyserman, Johnson & James, 2011). Three components are:

Hoped-for selves: Who I wish to become

Expected selves: Who I will likely become

Feared Selves: Who I am afraid of becoming

Could be an interesting one to look into for identity formation/development.

8. What do you think advocacy means to you? How do you practice advocacy?

Advocacy means holding a strong belief in yourself and giving a voice to the voiceless. For example, I advocate for creating a positive environment with responsive feedback so that every kid can be seen and heard. I practice that by genuinely treating each of my student, curious to learn about their stories, hand-holding them in this journey, create a safe space for them to freely explore themselves, provide adequate support (professional, emotional, etc.) in order to empower them to be the innovators of their own lives, find their true passion and get into a fit school.