Kevin Chang
Information Science
Taipei, Taiwan
What Cornell memory do you treasure the most?
I'm sure a lot of Cornell students would say the same: the memory I treasure most is Big Red hockey games at home. I made sure to get a season pass in my senior year and be part of this incredible tradition, and it has proven to be one of the best memories I've had at Cornell.
Every time I walk into Lynah Rink, seeing every person in the bleachers wearing red or white, it never ceases to amaze me how the Cornell community is able to bring so many people with diverse backgrounds together and enjoy a fun time, in addition to achieving their individual academic and professional goals.
Putting our arms around each other and swaying left and right, singing the alma mater, I felt the deep sense of community that I was able to build despite not being from this country and only moving here four years ago. Hearing the cheers and the words of encouragement, screaming at our players as they battle opposing teams and throwing in some inside jokes and chants that no one other than Cornellians know, I can already imagine myself showing up to the Thanksgiving Madison Square Garden games post-graduation and continuing to celebrate these special moments with Cornellians across different generations.
As much as learning is a core part of the Cornell experience, being part of these hockey games reminds me that I am also living in Ithaca and at Cornell. This is a place where I've developed relationships, even invisible friendships with everyone at the rink, simply because we all are Cornellians. I will always see myself as a Cornellian beyond graduation.
What have you accomplished as a Cornell student that you are most proud of?
Since I arrived at Cornell, I heard about upperclassmen doing research on campus, but that was a foreign concept to me at first. How would I find a mentor, what topics would I focus on?
Fast forward four years, I have collaborated with multiple faculty members on research projects, and I can proudly say that that is my proudest accomplishment. My senior honors thesis explores why early-career adults (most of us college students) act so differently when presenting themselves on a platform like LinkedIn as opposed to Instagram. With this project, I mapped out a model of how individuals are influenced by their networks in real life, how they formulate judgments when reading people's posts on various platforms, and how both of these translate to behavior change.
Completing the analysis of more than 320 pages of material has challenged me in ways that I've never imagined. From designing an interview protocol that generated insights informative for the study to synthesizing findings from hours of interview transcripts, I now understand the rigor that comes behind all types of knowledge.
This project changed more than just the way I think about LinkedIn. It changed how I listen and interpret behavior more broadly. I have become slower to dismiss people as performative and more attentive to the invisible pressures shaping how they act. Now, when I encounter behavior that confuses me, I ask what norms, incentives or expectations are operating beneath the surface.
I also studied abroad at the National University of Singapore in the spring semester of my junior year, collaborating with Professor Brian Lim there at his Ubiquitous Computing lab, and seeing how research projects operate in different countries and academic cultures. This experience opened my eyes to how global institutions like Cornell and NUS can produce world-class knowledge in completely different ways. I took courses with Singaporean students about their tropical ecosystem (which included birdwatching) and their economic policy. Being abroad allowed me to reflect on education at Cornell and prepare for the last year, as I wrap up what I've learned and internalize those lessons to become my own.
Who or what influenced your Cornell education the most?
The people who have influenced my Cornell education the most are the professors, staff, friends, family and the countless unsung individuals working behind the scenes to make this university possible.
When I transferred into the College of Arts & Sciences and the information science major, Professor Qian Yang gave me the most unwavering support as I navigated through the academic program and also figured out what I wanted to do as a career beyond Cornell. I showed up to her office hours to ask questions about the assignments, but around five minutes in, we were already on another topic such as the future of technology, her career path or how I could best take advantage of my time at Cornell.
The amount of care and time she gave me and the advice she was willing to share has truly shaped how I think about my future beyond Cornell. Over the years, I was also very lucky to become her collaborator in a research study. I was able to take advantage of this incredible mentorship and develop a project that was eventually published in academic conferences.
Professor Susanna Bruyere has also had a strong influence on me. I sent her an email asking her to be part of a disability employment conference back in my home, Taiwan. Throughout months of collaboration, what initially started as a work relationship eventually developed into something incredibly personal and inspiring. Her dedication to social impact and human services has inspired me to continue to amplify this impact and place that as the forefront of my goals for future careers. She introduced me to what real empathy looks like when it is embedded in system design and how to best offer integrated and natural support for individuals through technology and policy.
Lastly, I have to mention my friends. They have been there for every lunch break, gym sessions and study sessions in the libraries when the day got quiet in the evening. I will always cherish the memories I've shared with them traversing hiking trails in Ithaca, visiting the farmer's market and trying all the great restaurants and cafes within the area. They have been a huge part of my personal development and made me feel at home despite being tens of thousands of miles away from home.
If you were to offer advice to an incoming first-year student, what would you say?
There are unlimited possibilities ahead of you. Create your own journey and try everything.
I came into Cornell as a human biology, health, and society major in the College of Human Ecology, planning to pursue research in the life sciences. As much as that interest still stays true, so much has changed since I first got to Ithaca.
As you imagine college, it is easy to fixate on the number of classes you need to take, your major and the topics you will be dealing with. However, the Cornell experience extends far beyond that. Throughout my years here, I switched colleges, changed majors, explored four different potential minors before choosing one and joined at least 10 student organizations where I explored my interests. All of these experiences were essential to my personal development and growth.
It is very possible that you might feel a little overwhelmed in the first semester by the breadth of opportunities, the directions where people are going and even the career paths that fellow students seem fixated on. But instead of seeing those things as a source of pressure, look at them as an unlimited flow of motivation that allows you to see every single possibility for your education at Cornell.
Every year, our faculty nominate graduating Arts & Sciences students to be featured as part of our Extraordinary Journeys series. Read more about the Class of 2026.
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