Hi, my name is Hantong Wu and I graduated from Northwest in 2019. I recently graduated from Amherst College where I studied Asian Civilizations and Languages (Arabic) and Political Science. I鈥檓 now a Freelance Journalist based in Beirut, Lebanon. 🇱🇧
Sitting at the first Northwest Community Meeting, I saw students鈥攕ome even in middle school鈥攊nvite the school to join them in rowing, model UN clubs, and other niche hobbies that I could barely understand as an international student. I distinctively remember saying to myself: by the end of the year, I will find my own passion and share that with everyone. I began trying out things as curiosity shielded me from the fear of failure. This determination led to a series of unforgettable memories鈥攆rom the cross-country team, orchestra, and other activities I loved.
We also dared to dream. NWS is a place where wild thinking flourishes鈥攑erhaps prompted by some naivety, a lack of judgmental attitude, and mostly a shared faith in making the world a better place. Bob Martin, the retired Maintenance Manager, built a school in Ethiopia. Steven Wilbur, a Northwest Math Teacher, founded an education NGO in Lebanon.
I found Northwest鈥檚 Humanities program especially beneficial for my study of social sciences in college. NWS teachers synthesized history, literature, and politics in their presentations and led students through seminar-style discussions, so the liberal arts education at college was immediately familiar to me.
Although I do not know the exact profession to pursue, I know I want to dedicate myself to understanding, practicing, and鈥攈opefully鈥攊mproving humanitarian work. It was undoubtedly my experiences at NWS鈥攊ts spirit to fearlessly dream for a better world鈥攖hat planted the seed. The critical thinking that I began to develop at NWS also helped me become aware of the different dimensions鈥攊ncluding harmful ones鈥攐f humanitarian and other social-impact work.
