You’ve seen her in the Reg, you’ve seen her at every PanAsia event, and you’ve seen her food blog (or at least all her Facebook wall posts about food). After four years at UChicago, you’ll now see Julianne Zhang at the Baccalaureate Ceremony as the event’s co-chair, showing just how much she has loved her time at the University and reminding 2013’s graduating class of how quickly time has gone by.
“I wanted to Chair this Committee because I think that it is a very special event that really allows the seniors to remember our four years, classes, friends, Snowacalypse, and more,” says Julianne. “I have really enjoyed my four years here, and I think that everyone’s memories, good or bad, of all-nighters, formals, classes, and houses should be celebrated.”
For Julianne, most of those memories came from her times with PanAsia and Eckhart Consulting, both of which shaped her years at UChicago. As Vice-President of PanAsia, Julianne has met some of country’s biggest Asian American media sensations like Dale Talde and Wong Fu, both of whom made it to UChicago thanks to Julianne and her PanAsia team. With EC, Julianne found a family on campus that not only helped her gain the necessary experiences for her post-college plans, but also provided her with a support system that made for a more-than-fulfilling community.
That same sense of community motivated Julianne to co-chair the Baccalaureate Committee, for which she’s in the process of recruiting College seniors to talk about their own experiences, and those of others, at UChicago.
“What really gets me excited about this event is that in a way, I am putting on an event that all of my friends are going to attend and I want it to be something they remember amongst the madness of Senior Week and moving out,” explains Julianne. “Our parents are there, too, so it’s a really amazing time to remember just how far we have come, and I wanted to play a large role in allowing parents and peers to really enjoy those last days.”
With Spring Quarter just around the corner, graduation is coming all too soon for the Class of 2013. That being said, mark your calendars and make sure you attend June’s convocation to not only see off Julianne, but also her other Class of 2013 peers after a tough, but more than rewarding, four years!