Humans of St. Mark's: "What scares me would be not taking full advantage of life"

by Rebecca Wu '21

I was born in Topeka, Kansas, and my earliest memories are definitely there. There are many memories around the same time. In my 2nd grade, I moved to Kansas City because my dad worked there, but I still remember my life in Topeka vividly. It’s quite interesting that when Kaleb is asked about his hometown, he would refer to Massachusetts, but not Kansas!

When I was 5 or 6, one of my best friends, Karlama, and I wanted to open a salon. I was going to run the business, and she was going to be the head stylist. We even drew the layout and the design of the salon with crayons. We decided to decorate it with pink and grey. And also hair and nails, and everything was pink and grey!

I would say the women in my family are the most influential people to me. It’s hard to choose one. They influence me in a number of ways, including professions, commitment to family, ability to travel, and to have fun, food, and confidence, and most importantly, being selfless. My mother, for example, is a great model for me. I have some distant relatives who don’t have children, you know, my mom would go to their houses and do things around the house. All the women in my family teach me how to manage to commit to personal goals and still take care of other people.

What scares me would be not taking full advantage of life. I never take experiences for granted. I regard every single day and moment of life as wonderful things. I make every single day and moment count, even the crunching leaves and the feel of snow.

Before I came to St. Mark’s, I worked at St. Paul’s School. In December 2011, I became a new wife, and the year after, I finished my master’s degree, and I joined this community. I like St. Mark’s. We are asking a lot of questions about ourselves. It feels like there is no limit at St. Mark’s. Also, the busyness here never distracts me from my personal life. I have to pay equal attention to how I grow as a person.

Humans of St.Mark's: Introduction

by Rebecca Wu '21

I was born and raised in Shenzhen, China, and I spent my childhood there. If I have to pick one thing that I feel proud of during my days studying at St. Mark’s, it would be bringing in my Chinese perspective to this community. Being transplanted into a different culture, I knew that I needed to be prepared for a series of questions: What is it like to belong to a minority group at a school? How do you blend into the culture of St. Mark’s? What is the culture of St. Mark’s? There are so many of us at St. Mark’s who must have wondered the same thing.

However, as it turns out, culture can never be labeled by a single word  especially since St. Mark’s is such a diverse community that accepts a wide range of racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. In addition,  the student and faculty body here embrace many different interests, passions, and personal traits.

I always believe the best way of bringing together a community from diverse backgrounds is through stories-talking with people and writing about them. Inspired by the photobook Humans of New York, I decided to create a platform that welcomes and encourages every St. Marker to share their own stories.

Being different is a gift. We should not ignore it.

If you would like to tell St.Mark's about your personal story in the next issue, please don't hesitate to reach out to me! My email is FeishiWu@stmarksschool.org. I can't wait to hear from you.