Catherine Tang

Hello! My name is Catherine Tang, and I am a senior at Glenbrook North High School in Illinois. My favorite thing to do in my free time is to wake up early and take photos of the sunrise. It’s not too great for my sleep schedule, but the results are definitely worth it. I am also a boba enthusiast and have a list of my favorite orders at each boba place.

 I chose to conduct my research on the Boxer Rebellion because my family has an interesting connection to its aftermath. After a force of eight countries stormed Beijing after the collapse of the Qing dynasty, the US took the lead in negotiating the peace settlements. In a display of cooperation, both the US and China agreed to the creation of the Boxer Indemnity Scholarship Program. To prepare the students, the Chinese government turned a royal garden into a preparatory school named Qinghua—my grandmother’s alma mater. While she never participated in the exchange program, it is still fascinating to learn about the history behind one of the top schools in China.