Senior Spotlight Gene Chang: No Debate: A Good Gene

Gene Chang, a four year senior from Seoul, South Korea, is the quintessential Exonian.Chang is co-head of mock trial, co-head of debate, captain of boys’ Varsity Cycling, proctor in Peabody, classics scholar and Early Cum Laude."Often times the essence of talented students, like Gene, is clouded by the number of positions they hold and the variety of clubs they participate in," senior Joon Yang, one of Gene’s closest friends at Exeter, said. "I think sometimes Exonians, as a result of the college process, tend to look at people like resumes. Gene’s charisma doesn’t lie in his credentials, as astounding as they may be; his charisma lies in his obvious passion for work, genuine kindness and accompanying intellect."In eighth grade when given the choice between education in Korea or America, Chang chose to continue his education in America after looking at Exeter."The type of education in Korea didn’t appeal to me because teachers just walk around, students just sit in aisles and take notes," Chang said. "When I came to Exeter I saw that the Harkness table method was the exact opposite of what was offered in Korea."Now in his last term at Exeter, the Gene who will graduate in four weeks is very different from the Gene who arrived as a prep four years ago."Exeter definitely has made him who he is today, every year he has become more mature, intelligent and kind," Yang said. "Socially, he has changed a lot since prep year. At the beginning he was very shy, not because he didn’t want to interact with people but because he didn’t know how."Chang said that the impact proctors had on him inspired him to assume the same role as a senior. "When I came in as a prep, I kept my door locked all the time and didn’t really talk to the people in my hallway until the spring term," Chang said. "It was the proctors who came into my room and talked to me and sat next to d-hall, so I wanted to do the same thing and branch out to other people."Chang’s attitude towards academics has changed over his four years as well, according toYang. "Gene was smart before he came to Exeter but I remember prep year he would complain about the work load. During lower year his attitude changed: Gene grew to enjoy Exeter’s challenges," Yang said. "Now a senior, it has gotten to the point where he says: this is the amount of work I’ve got to do and I can get so much out of it."Other students commented on Chang’s dedication to everything he pursues. "I think that Exeter has allowed Gene to learn just how far he can push himself," Rohan Pavuluri, upper and fellow mock trial co-head, said. "As evident in his accomplishments, he has taken advantage of every opportunity this school has to offer. While most Exonians in Gene's shoes would be overwhelmed by his commitments, Gene has found enough time in the day to excel at every task he sets his mind to."As a prep, Chang’s first great endeavor was his decision to take Latin, a notoriously difficult and time-consuming subject at Exeter. After starting in the first level, Latin 110, Chang’s intrinsic intellect for the subject quickly carried him through the standard levels; Chang will be graduating as a Classics scholar."From our vantage point, Gene took advantage of everything classical that Exeter offered: he is taking Greek, he is in the highest Latin course we offer, he attended all the visiting scholar sessions, he participated in the Kirtland Society and ‘Certamen’ meets, he worked with the Harvard Classics department in the summer, and he attended the Winter Term in Rome," Latin instructor Sally Morris said.Classics instructor Paul Langford agreed. "In many ways Gene has done what we hope all our students will do, namely create a solid foundation in the language and then use it to understand ancient literature, and even of the relationship of literature to its cultural background," Langford said. "He seems to combine a great talent for language with the ability to organize himself and work both diligently and efficiently. I have known few students able to accomplish so much academically yet devote so much time and energy to activities such as cycling and mock trial."Not limited, but rather inspired by the Harkness table, Gene’s intelligence and success is manifested in many areas all over campus. His impact ranges from Sunday meetings in the Elting room with debate to the trophies won by the mock trial team."In my experience, successful debaters are not just the ones who have the best grasps of logic, but the ones who can ground it in the real world, so that judges can see the truth of their arguments, and they end up giving those kids the points," Chang’s debate co-head Connor Soltas said. "So, basically, Gene is the driver of all that. He's responsible for making sure that the kids are able to win the points at tournaments.""The rest of the team looks up to him as a kind of mentor and debater that we all want to take something from," Soltas added. "Gene just brings a very mature but always good-humored and casual presence to the team that few other debate heads or debate captains during my time here have. He’s very organized, but he affects the exact opposite: not that he's disorganized, but that he's more laid-back and more of the kind of upperclassmen who younger students aren't intimidated by and in the end look up to. The combination of all these things makes him very very good at what he does."Seeking yet another challenge, Chang joined the newly formed club Mock Trial his lower year."I found it interesting because it was the perfect combination of logical, argumentative, and persuasive rhetoric and dramatic plays," Chang said.Chang has had a positive effect on the Mock Trial team through his strong leadership. "Gene is bright and hardworking and calm. The mock trial club has a lot of type A personalities, and Gene is able to settle things down and get us to focus on what we really need to do. He’s a diplomat," Mock Trial’s faculty advisor Walter Stahr said.Chang is also an essential part of Peabody Hall as a proctor. He balances his knowledge of social and reclusive habits, connecting to all groups of Peabody Hall, according to Yang."I’ve always seen Gene as a great person of authority, yet he very easily makes himself very accessible. Although he is a proctor, I often find no hesitation speaking to him," lower Luis Dominguez, who lives in Peabody, said. "I often saw him as a friend and a source of guidance. And although he wasn't a student listener, I often found myself asking him for advice on things. And he is always very receptive to what I’ve had to say. Although he isn’t a student listener, I would say that in many ways he would qualify as one."According to colleagues, teachers and friends, Chang, who will be attending Harvard University this fall, has only success to look forward to in his bright future. "Due to Gene's plethora of academic interests, I could really see him in a variety of fields after college," Pavuluri said. "One obvious career would be law—either as an academic or at a private law firm."