法拉古特人物志 | 破茧成蝶：从TFS到哈维穆德，Olivia的蜕变之旅

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Upon first meeting Olivia, her intelligent eyes sparkled with vitality, and her speech was clear and well-organized, with unique ideas, making one curious about the campus stories of this spirited young woman. Upon further interview, it was revealed that this Farragut Class of 2025 graduate is set to enroll at Harvey Mudd College, a top-tier liberal arts college in the US (ranked 12th in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report rankings for liberal arts colleges, often referred to as the “MIT of liberal arts colleges”), where she will pursue a joint major in Chemistry and Biology. With a TOEFL score of 110, six AP courses (555544), and multiple roles such as co-founder of the Life Sciences Society and choir director, she led her team to win the iGEM Global Gold Award and the HOSA Regional Gold Award, among other honors. She also initiated a mental health advocacy campaign and completed the Spartan Race challenge, showcasing the diversity and richness of her growth trajectory.

“I attended public schools from a young age. In third grade, I moved to the United States with my father for a year, during which time my family began considering sending me abroad for further education, though we had not yet decided whether it would be for undergraduate or graduate studies. During the summer break of my ninth-grade year, while visiting schools in Tianjin, Farragut was the last school I toured. The campus environment reminded me of the school I attended in the United States during third grade. After interviewing with the principal, I felt this was an ideal environment for my academic development, so I decided to enroll here,” Olivia recalled.

The transition from the domestic education system to international education was not merely a geographical move; it also broadened her educational horizons, giving her a global perspective during her formative years.

The photo above shows Olivia dining with her father's mentor and classmates.

The photo below shows Olivia on the Harvard campus.

In the interview, Olivia mentioned that since many activities were initiated by students themselves, she needed to independently organize the competition process, plan regular meeting times, control the overall progress, and set task milestones for team members. This experience of independently managing the entire process became a valuable opportunity for her to learn team coordination and planning, and also allowed her to deeply understand the essence of leadership through practice.

As founding members, Olivia and her partner Emily have transformed the Life Sciences Society into a platform that combines academic depth with practical vitality. The theoretical courses they designed delve into the mysteries of cells, while the experimental courses recreate real-world research scenarios. They even take members on visits to pharmaceutical factories, bridging the gap between textbook knowledge and industry practice. Even more challenging was leading the team in international competitions like CTB and HOSA—without institutional backing, she took on the role of a project manager, organizing the schedule, assigning tasks, and overseeing key milestones, driving the entire process from literature review to experimental design independently. The laboratory resources and competition guidance provided by the school acted as a catalyst, transforming the scientific passion of these young students into outstanding achievements such as the HOSA Gold Award and BBO Silver Award, while she honed her ability to coordinate projects from inception to completion.

Olivia, who has been passionate about music since childhood, began to stand out when she joined the choir in her sophomore year of high school. After taking on the role of choir director, her leadership skills shone even brighter under the stage lights. When planning the Christmas and New Year's Eve gala, she not only arranged the vocal parts and designed the stage, but also crossed over to form a band and serve as the lead singer. Additionally, she took on the challenge of performing highly difficult dance routines during the musical's rehearsals—the sweat from those late-night practices ultimately translated into smooth dance moves and harmonious vocals on stage.

The performance platforms provided by Farragut, such as art festivals and New Year's Eve parties, have allowed her artistic reach to extend beyond the campus to a wider world. The experience of organizing a team of dozens of people to complete complex performances has also taught her how to use her passion to ignite the collective spirit.

When Olivia first entered campus, as an out-of-town student living alone in Tianjin, she faced many challenges. Her homeroom teacher, Mr. Sun, became her “anchor” with his care and concern. “Are you eating well?” “Are you getting used to living here?” “Be careful when traveling!” “Come over to my house for dinner sometime!” These everyday greetings made her feel the warmth of family while studying far from home.

In the fog of the application season, college counseling teacher Zhou played a pivotal role as a “game-changer”—when Olivia was fixated on the idea of “only applying to non-California universities,” the dual challenges of the UC system's lack of an Early Decision (ED) program and the high difficulty of applying to top-tier institutions left her temporarily trapped in a blind pursuit of “reaching for elite universities on a whim.”

“When Zhou teacher handed me that list of liberal arts colleges, I realized there was an 'academic haven' in the U.S. higher education system—institutions that only offer undergraduate programs with a student-to-faculty ratio of 1:8.” She recalled that Zhou not only explained the “small yet elite” educational characteristics of liberal arts colleges but also precisely matched her with Harvey Mudd College—a institution renowned for its STEM strength yet emphasizing humanities immersion. “People often assume liberal arts colleges lean toward the humanities, but its integrated design of biology programs with humanities courses perfectly aligned with my academic aspirations.” Combined with her childhood connection to California, this professional guidance ultimately helped her find the perfect balance between her interest in STEM and her desire to live in a specific region.

Olivia's main essay contains a metaphorical story of growth: a novice athlete who was stuck in the Spartan Race due to cramps felt the warmth of the community thanks to the help of a stranger.

She said this story perfectly embodies one of her personal labels: “Embraced by community and dedicated to the community.”

During her three years at Farragut, “transformation” was the central theme of Olivia's growth. She broke through her academic ceiling with a TOEFL score of 110 and six AP courses (555544), honing her leadership skills from “zero to one” through founding the Life Sciences Club and participating in the iGEM Global Gold Award team. She also achieved a cognitive leap from “self-breakthrough” to “social empowerment” through completing the Spartan Race and the Anxiety Alleviate Hub project. This multidimensional growth was no accident—when she followed Zhou's advice to switch to a liberal arts college during the application season, she already understood that the essence of education lies in exploring possibilities: “Choosing a major is not a fixed track, but finding passion through trial and error.”

Looking back now, the expansion of her interests from biomedical science to media studies was the most precious gift Farragut gave her—allowing her to understand, within an education system that balances the arts and sciences, that every club activity, every competition challenge, and every teacher-student dialogue is an opportunity for self-discovery. She often warns her younger peers with the lesson she learned from her early planning during the application season: “What's more important than grades is anchoring your growth coordinates through exploration.”

When Olivia entered Harvey Mudd College armed with the transformative power bestowed upon her by Farragut, the growth story she crafted over three years had already transcended the confines of a mere resume. From scientific exploration in the laboratory to artistic expression on the stage, from academic research in competitions to the warmth of community service, she embodies the essence of education through her approach of “self-directed growth and mutual empowerment”: true transformation is not merely about enhancing one's abilities, but also about understanding how to illuminate others while illuminating oneself.

「 Note: The order of publication of "Profiles" will be arranged according to the time of appointment for interviews and the time of provision of information.」

Article  | Brand Promotion Department of TFS 

Image Credit | Olivia