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BREATHING IN: CANDID CAMARADERIE
Lea Tsao, newly minted Haverford freshman and denizen
of Gummere, has filled her first semester at Haverford with an eclectic
batch of courses — calculus with Curtis Greene, philosophy
with Jeremy Fantl, and introductory Chinese with TZ'u Chiang; they
seem to combine with her freshman writing seminar, Critical Issues
in Education with Alice Lesnick, to illustrate someone wracked with
indecision — but Lea is actually pretty certain that she wants
to major in anthropology or sociology. These are fields, she says,
that will allow her to explore her interest in people, relationships,
and society. Lea finds people fascinating, she says, with a wry
grin, “[which] does not always mean I get along with them.”
Lea laughingly describes herself as being blunt, which
is not terribly kind. It would be more fair to say that Lea is honest
and practical, two traits that might not serve her so well in initial
contact with others, but which are absolutely essential in forming
solid, long-term bonds with people — something that will prove
invaluable not only in her research, but also in her life as a student
at Haverford and beyond. It’s no surprise, therefore, that
what Lea likes the most about Haverford is the personal atmosphere,
and the opportunities for close interaction not only with her fellow
students, but also with the faculty and staff. Lea is also excited
to already be involved with Haverford’s public service organization,
Eighth Dimension, which will help her interact with the larger community.
But Haverford, to Lea, is the whole package, and the
physical campus also appeals to her. “I love it because it’s
not in the middle of nowhere, but not in the city, either,”
she explains, and considering that Lea is a native of Brooklyn,
having lived there for the first six years of her life, but is actually
joining Haverford’s student body from half a world away in
Singapore, it is no wonder that she was ready for a change. Lea
and her family originally went to Singapore to follow her father,
John, in his job at Chase Manhattan Bank, and while her mother had
to give up her job as a children’s fashion designer in New
York, she quickly developed an interest and a business in antique
Chinese furniture and jewelry. She still pursues the work, with
no small amount of success — some of her pieces are on sale
at museums in New York.
An interest in art runs in the genes, it would seem,
as Lea herself is an avid and successful amateur photographer. “Photography
is my passion!” she enthuses, and attributes her survival
and sanity in the “slums of [her] senior year of high school”
to the hobby. “After I was admitted to Haverford, school just
seemed pointless,” she sighs. “I wanted to either go
to college right away, or do something more worthwhile.” Lea’s
photography helped sate that longing, and she looks forward to enjoying
her art even more at Haverford, now that she need not cling to it
like a life raft.
Lea did not leave all of her family in Singapore —
she has an older brother, Brian, majoring in government at Cornell.
She is quick to point out, however, that his proximity — nice
as it is — could not have made matriculating at Haverford
more attractive. She applied early decision after visiting Haverford,
and notes that even the visit was unnecessary: “Before I came
to Haverford,” she says, “I was already obsessed with
the school. I built up the school so much in my head, I was afraid
of it not meeting my expectations.”
Considering the way Lea already walks the campus like
she is home, black hair glimmering in the sun and a smile shining
on her face, it is pretty obvious that she has not been disappointed.
“Haverford has won my heart,” she laughs.
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