As you likely have read elsewhere, we hosted Yanying “Nicole” Hao ’21 on April 2, 2026, as our third Alumni in the Classroom visitor. It was an exciting and productive visit focused on her many interests and talents. I want to share a personal story about her that gives even more evidence of her intellectual range and commitment to learning.
Because I was her Theory of Knowledge teacher, and because she was aware I also taught philosophy, she approached me during her junior year to ask if I would be her Extended Essay advisor. The EE is a required project for all International Baccalaureate® Diploma candidates. It must be over 4,000 words and demonstrate personal commitment, probing research, and skillful writing. It is graded externally by the IB organization. Nicole wanted to write about the philosophy of John Paul Sartre and two works of literature. One work would be Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis; the other not yet determined. I knew immediately that her conception was original and workable; it was easy to say yes immediately.
Nearly all of us remember moments with teachers when, for a variety of reasons, we connected and had some kind of important experience. Students feel how these moments led them forward and, I expect, taught them something about the joy and excitement of learning. What most students aren’t fully aware of is how much teachers enjoy such moments and are nurtured by them in an important and different way.
The second work of literature had to be originally written in English. What work would Nicole enjoy that would connect well with Sartre’s focus on bad faith and alienation? How about a book I read at her age? I suggested The Catcher in the Rye. After hearing a little about it, Nicole liked the idea, and we set off on our intellectual adventure.
It was a pleasure working with Nicole on this project. Listening to a brilliant young Chinese woman reflect on her close reading of a very American book I had once thrilled to in my youth was remarkable and fun. We had a series of wonderful conversations about all her thinking. Her first draft was great, but overly ambitious. I simply suggested that she should reduce her exploration of four themes from Sartre to two. In short order she produced an excellent essay that earned a “A” from her external reader, with the IB an uncommon grade. She thanked me for my help, but the truth is I made two helpful suggestions but mostly just listened. I really didn’t do much, but the fun of our relationship played a positive role in a general way.
While Nicole might have some different things to say about it, this experience with her is an important part of what made it so easy and natural for me to invite her to be an Alumni in the Classroom visitor. Nicole’s visit was a major success in every way. We hope our alumni visits will inspire both our visitors and the students, and that is what happened. We hope she will be back in years to come to share her considerable gifts with the CA community.
Want to contribute?
Do you have a CA story that illuminates the nature of our great school? If so, please email something in the range of 200-300 words to chip.boyd@cheshireacademy.org.
