Duende (du·​en·​de) n. Spanish A heightened state of vulnerability, authenticity, and connection (among other definitions). “No philosopher can put it into words,” says Happy ’26, but, like Federico García Lorca, the poet who popularized the term, “that's what I've been trying to do as a writer and poet myself.” Happy’s thoughtfulness as a writer and poet can only be matched by her dedication to the nonprofit she established (at twelve years old) to support children with congenital heart disease living in rural China. Keep reading to learn more about her organization, Chance of Life, as well as her not-AI-written blog; her unvarnished first impression of her fellow Commonwealth students; the perfect birthday meal; and the other things that delight her.

Getting to Know You

What is bringing you joy right now? 

My little sisters, my friends, having time to read new books.

What is your favorite book (or a book you’ve re-read)? 

My favorite book is The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. I love that book so much, and I read it yearly, because the meaning shifts a little bit every time. It's just so beautiful. I also recently read Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh, and I just learned last week that she graduated from Commonwealth, which is insane to me and so cool.

What do you think is the most intriguing paradox? 

I’ve been thinking about this question, because everyone took the best ones! But my friend and I were talking about the word “heterological,” which means a word that does not describe the word’s meaning. So is the word “heterological” heterological? 

What are your favorite comfort foods? 

Oh, this one's easy, because my mom makes the best scallion noodles. It's a dish that 's originally from Shanghai, and my mom's Shanghainese. We have a tradition of eating them on our birthdays, because in Chinese culture, it's good luck to have noodles on your birthday, because it means you'll have a long life, like the long noodles, which I think is really beautiful. 

What was/is your favorite class (at Commonwealth or elsewhere)? 

I love so many of my classes. Ever since I came to Commonwealth, it's just been a mind-blowing experience, because it's super different from other schools I've been to—and I've been to many schools in my lifetime. 

I really loved Mr. Kerner's English 11 class last year. My favorite subject has been English my whole life, and I love to write on my own time. But coming here and then getting to take his class just completely changed my perspective. My favorite unit of the class was our translation unit at the beginning of the year. Mr. Kerner is a translator himself, so it was really awesome to hear his perspective on things. We read this collection called After Lorca by Jack Spicer, who is basically translating Lorca's poems and writing letters to Lorca in the transitions. Keep in mind they lived in completely separate times and in different countries. But what was really moving to me was how Spicer talks about translation not only as between languages but also between ideas, translating feelings and thoughts into words. And I think that's the most accurate description of poetry or creative writing I've ever heard. 

When I was researching Lorca, I found out that he was super obsessed with this concept called duende; it's like a heightened state of vulnerability and authenticity and connection, but no philosopher can put it into words. And to this day, that's what I've been trying to do as a writer and poet myself. 

When do you feel the most enjoyably challenged?

This year, it's been my Statistics class, with Mr. Letarte. It's a class based on proofs and talking about the why behind statistical concepts. My favorite proof was for correlation. It's just so cool to see behind the scenes. 

Recently there was a test with four problems total, and I did not know how to do one full problem. The question was kind of haunting me, so I did it again by myself. The next day I talked through how I did it with Mr. Letarte, and it ended up being completely different than he did it, and I thought it was so interesting to exchange ideas on how to prove the same thing in different ways. That experience sums up how I feel in his class.

What never fails to make you laugh?

I would say both of my sisters. Izzy is fifteen. She's at boarding school, but we FaceTime all the time, and she always has something funny to tell me. And then Alex, who's six, is just silly. 

What are people most surprised to learn about you?

I feel like most people at school know me as a writer, because I work with poetry and literary magazines a lot, but I think they'd be surprised to learn that I'm also very interested in AI. Last summer, I actually started a blog, which has always been a dream of mine, called This Blog Was AI Generated. Everything on there is my own words, but I thought that title was so funny! It deals with the intersection between human creativity and artificial intelligence, asking questions like, “Can AI preserve cultural nuance? Can it preserve authenticity?” AI is a challenge to creative writing and human creativity, but it also helps us define what is human at the end of the day.

Coffee or tea?

Earl Grey tea!

Pen or pencil?

Pen. I like the act of crossing things out instead of erasing. It's never completely gone.

Life as a Commonwealth Student (and Beyond)

What was your first impression of Commonwealth and how has it mapped to your experience? 

I remember when I was applying here, I just loved it immediately. At that point, I was in Shanghai, so I had never actually stepped foot here. I wish I could’ve visited, because it seemed so fun. But even looking through the website, I just really loved it. And when I was applying and interviewing, I could see the energy was very different here. I always talk about this mysterious spark, because I feel like that's the only way to describe seeing something that you just feel different about but you can't put it into words yet. 

Then when I actually came here as a junior, my first impression was just, Everyone's so terrifyingly smart! I remember sitting in class, and everyone was so eloquent and so eager to share their own ideas and add on to other people's. It obviously seems intimidating at first, but, you know, first impressions often leave out other stuff: Commonwealth students are not only smart, but they're also helpful and kind and funny. I know that now. 

Using metrics besides grades, how do you define “success” in your classes?

If a class has changed my opinion or my perspective—or if I’m able to change someone else’s perspective and they feel more open minded after the discussion—that's a success in my eyes. 

You’ve been an advocate for Chance of Life—a youth-advocacy organization you started that helps children with congenital heart disease (CHD) in rural China—at school and in our greater community. Can you share how and why you established it, what you're working on right now, and what you envision for its future?

It was by chance that I fell upon something I really cared about. I was pretty young back then, and it was mainly just about donating money. I would tell my friends, like, instead of getting birthday gifts, we should raise money for a cause. So, originally it was just supposed to be a fundraising initiative. We basically funded three or four heart surgeries before we realized the main issue isn’t necessarily getting money to families who need surgeries: it’s that people are not even aware that CHD exists, so they don't know when to test for it. CHD is actually one of the most treatable birth defects, but a lot of this information is just not out there, especially in rural China. So we decided we wanted to tackle these issues and the root causes, and that's why we went into more legislative and educational directions. We're still trying to pursue all three of these paths at once: fundraising, legal, and education. 

It's been so meaningful for me to come to Boston and then to Commonwealth and have everyone be so supportive. Ms. Borman helped me from the get-go to start a club here, and then a lot of Commonwealth people joined, and we've been working on a bunch of different projects. We sent out 5,000 educational workbooks to Guizhou province in China last year. We got to design the workbooks and include information about CHD that people could really use. I'm really proud of that. In April we went to the Youth in Public Health Symposium at Harvard. We all got to learn about public health and public policy, and also it was just very inspiring to see other kids who are change makers trying to make as much difference in the world as possible.

We've been working with doctors and charities in China, and Boston is just such a good place to be for anything health related. There are really great opportunities to do research here. I want to spend more time seeing how CHD training is done, and then maybe incorporate that into Chance of Life. Getting to talk to Ph.D. students and professors has been especially helpful, because they've given me suggestions on how I can improve and keep going with this project. 

Over the summer [of 2025], I spent a lot of time in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, which is a rural part of China, and got to actually stay in an orphanage for CHD kids. I still think about that all the time. Spending time with them and getting to play with them has been one of the highlights of my life. I did some magic tricks for them—they were so bad!—but the kids were so happy. 

When you're describing the project in broad terms, it's always statistics: this many people need help, this many people need heart surgeries. But then when you get to talk to these kids, it's so different. You can see how they're individual human beings who just want to play with their friends or play soccer or have fun, and that ultimately reminds me why I do this project at all and why I love it so much. I think I'll be doing it for a long time.

How does your love for writing and poetry factor into your future plans?

Writing has always been how I make sense of the world and find myself. I’m passionate about using writing and storytelling to preserve voices that might otherwise be lost, whether that is in technology or public health and policy.

When do you feel most connected to other students (or teachers/staff members) in our community?

Trying to dethaw a turkey at Hancock with nothing but our fists and stubborn determination.

How has your Commonwealth experience colored the way you look at the world? How you plan for your future? 

Commonwealth taught me that being a beginner is okay; in fact, it’s necessary! Asking questions and admitting when I’m unsure is valuable. And that outlook on life Commonwealth taught me will remain with me forever.

What’s your advice for transfer students?

It sounds cliché, but the truest piece of advice I could give is to get out of your comfort zone. Join clubs, raise your hand in class, and ask teachers for help!

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