Educational Perspective

English Hound’s interviewee today is Amy Huynh. Ms. Huynh currently resides in Hong Kong and is a Senior Associate at Noble Group, where she is part of the Global Mergers & Acquisitions team. She previously held positions at The Blackstone Group’s GSO Capital Partners and UBS Investment Bank and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with an A.B. in Economics and East Asian Studies and holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Ms. Huynh is currently a Board Director of the Harvard Club of Hong Kong and was on the Schools Committee of the Harvard Club of Long Island where she served as an alumni interviewer over five admissions seasons. She is a contributor to English Hound.

Helen: Hello, Amy. Thank you for taking the time out to be interviewed. Let’s talk first about your childhood. What was it like growing up as a Chinese-American in Long Island, New York?

Amy: I had a great childhood with supportive family and teachers, who gave me the time and space to be creative and inquisitive. At the same time, they also provided me with immense confidence and resources to push the boundaries of what I believed I could achieve. There’s this perception of certain unavoidable stresses associated with being “Chinese-American”, and I think I was particularly lucky to be isolated from these stresses. My parents were relatively laissez-faire about my academics, thus allowing me to discover my interests in learning rather than forcing my achievements through “tiger parenting” and perfectionist expectations. Also, my neighborhood had relatively few Chinese-Americans and I wasn’t inadvertently subjected to certain competitive pressures that some of my peers elsewhere may have felt.

Helen: Was English your first language?

Amy: At home, we spoke Cantonese. My first exposure to English was through my older sister, Kim, and PBS programs like Sesame Street. It’s amazing how quickly we can pick up a new language through interaction with others, particularly in a trusted and safe environment like school.

Helen: I think many students will want to know how you studied. Was there a technique you used to remember information?

Amy: My studying techniques evolved over time and depended on subject matter. In middle school, I would plaster the lessons all over the walls. In high school, I relied more on mnemonics — for instance, creating lists of key takeaways and then stringing together the first letter of each point into a new word. In college, studying was often less about memorization and more about internalizing the concepts. I found that I performed most strongly in classes where I was most engaged with the material– e.g. Confucian Humanism, photography, etc.

Helen: You attended the most prestigious university in the world, a school that many students dream of attending. What do you think helped you get admitted to Harvard?

Amy: I’m certain it had everything to do with the continuous support and guidance I received from my mentors: my loving sister, parents and aunts and uncles, as well as encouraging teachers. They helped me develop a sense of self and cultivated my drive to learn, to discover, and to be challenged. Harvard is an institution filled with students and faculty who approach academics, extracurriculars and community with great passion and commitment and those are deep lessons I learned from my mentors. I also think I was extraordinarily lucky.

Helen: Can you tell us about your experience at Harvard?

Amy: How much time do you have? I often wish I could turn back time and once again relive my college years. Harvard shaped who I am, from introducing me to friends to cultivating my interests to defining my career path. What I loved about Harvard was the vast opportunity to attend special lectures and events and learn from the leaders of their respective industries.

Helen: You interviewed students who were applying to Harvard University. What qualities were you looking for?

Amy: The candidates that most impress me are those who are natural leaders: passionate, driven, curious, excited and excitable. I want to know why they do the things that they do: what motivates them? I want to know if they want to change the world and how. I ask myself: could I see this person sitting in one of the classrooms or participating in one of the clubs on campus?

Helen: Much has been written about the Asian stereotypes at top universities — that they are math geeks who rely only on rote memorization and don’t socialize or participate in extracurricular activities. Do you think this is true?

Amy: I think there are those types of students at every university, and not exclusive to top universities nor to Asian. I’ve found that top universities tend to seek well-rounded candidates who can not only greatly benefit from that institution but who can also significantly contribute to the community as students and alumni. I know many Asians who are dynamic, social, engaging and highly involved, to say nothing of the fact that they are likewise, brilliant, worldly and exceedingly humble.

Helen: Do you have any advice for foreign students who will be attending Harvard?

Amy: Be open to meeting new people and having new experiences. I think it’s easy to quickly surround yourself with the familiar — those with similar backgrounds and from similar places. College is a great place to expand your horizons and extend your comfort zones. Keep your dorm room door open and you’re bound to meet lots of great people from your hall!

Helen: Can you share your educational philosophy? What advice can you give to students today?

Amy: I subscribe very much to the Confucian notion that learning is for the sake of oneself, and never for others, that learning is to develop the mind and character and not for expedient means. I encourage students to respect education, and not simply focus on attaining certain grades but to enjoy the overall learning process.

Interviewer Haewon Helen Whang is an attorney living in New York.