Shannon Gu
UW Honors Graduates
Shannon Gu
Biology: Physiology
Designation: Interdisciplinary Honors
Honors Grads 2018/2019
Proudest Moment: Planning the Chinese Student Association's 52nd Annual Lunar New Year Gala during my senior year.
I came to UW with the mindset that college was a blank slate; being in a place where no one knew me was liberating, for it allowed me to freely pursue my interests and passions without being restrained by other people's expectations. What I didn't expect were the opportunities that came my way and how much I would learn and grow from each of those opportunities. Many of my classes, both in my major and in the Honors Program, encouraged independent study and allowed me to integrate my personal experiences into the content I was learning. Outside of the classroom, I built my leadership experience from scratch, helped found a travel magazine with a group of friends first-year year (it's still going strong!), became involved in mental health advocacy, and found a community (and second family) in the Chinese Student Association. I used to be overly focused on racking up achievements that would look impressive on resumes or applications, but quickly realized that such a mindset was extremely draining and made it much harder for me to articulate the meaning I gained from each experience. Letting go of the need for prestige or recognition and pursuing opportunities simply because they interested me made me much happier, and it actually propelled me to better success. Now, at the end of college, I am a more confident, engaged, and mindful person, and I’m truly grateful for all of the opportunities I've had.