Yin Xzi Ho ’21 chats with us about why she chose Quest and how she has immersed herself in the community.
What’s your hometown?
I’m from Sungai Buloh, Malaysia, but grew up in Guangzhou, China from 2004-2014. I then moved back to Malaysia, where I graduated high school.
Why did you choose Quest?
I was looking for a small university, because I come from a small community. I was also looking for a school where you could let your passions guide your education. Small class sizes were also important to me.
What’s the best thing about the Block Plan?
I really enjoy the way you get to slightly re-wire your brain each block as you take in new information, and read books that you wouldn’t have read otherwise. You also get to have the most fascinating conversations with your friends, who are all taking different classes, as you explore the ways in which what you’re learning intersects.
You’re very involved with the Quest community. What do you do?
I am a Student Ambassador, so I work on campus, and give tours to visitors. I’m one of the creative directors for WERD, the student-run arts and culture magazine. I was also a co-director of visual arts for Cabaret, and performed a spoken word, as well. Just a lot of the art shows.
Tell us about the spoken word performance.
I performed spoken word while painting. It was my first time performing in front of such a large audience. The idea behind painting while speaking was that I wouldn’t have to look at the audience, because I could look at the painting. I did get more confident in speaking my poem by the end of rehearsals, and found that I had inadvertently made it harder for myself with the painting. During the performance, I was asking myself in my head “Why did I add this?”
What are your plans after Quest?
That’s the type of question you’re asked from the age of seven onward, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I know I wanted to be a writer from a young age, and that stayed with me until about the seventh grade. Later, after making videos and short films, I intended to be a filmmaker. However, multiple teachers have told me I would make a great teacher. A large part of me enjoys shaping communities, and teaching does ultimately help shape the community of the world. So I will likely go for a Master of Education.