This year has upended life and required everyone to adjust expectations andplans. For our recent grads just starting out in college or careers, it posed an additional layer of uncertainty and we wanted to see how they were navigating COVID-19 at college and beyond. We hope Poly prepared them for life’s challenges. If you’re an alumnus and would like to share your story with our community, please contact the Alumni Office. We’d love to hear from you.

Meet our third of three profiles, Connie Chen ’19 who is attending the University of Chicago where all of her classes are remote, although she is still on campus.

Connie Chen ’19

“It definitely takes some adjusting,” she said, “especially for classes that involve more discussion. It is a little weird to meet people over Zoom, but I can still attend labs in person, which is nice.”

How well did Poly prepare you for your college experience?

“At Poly,” Chen said, “I was able to study a lot of different things so I already knew roughly what I wanted to study in college. Consequently, I already knew what my goals were so it was easier to focus on certain things. I felt comfortable reaching out to professors/TAs because I already had experience interacting with teachers at Poly. I have been in touch with a few Poly teachers; one of them is my old AP Chemistry teacher, Ms. Cheng. We talk about our families and what we’re up to; she gives me a lot of advice on classes, research, and life in general.”

What does the future look like for you in 2021?

“I will be on campus in 2021,” Chen said. “I am excited to get back to the lab and start my own research project on stem cell differentiation. I hope to start this project soon and work on it throughout the summer. I would also like to spend more time staffing events and getting involved in community service with the school’s EMS unit.”