Alumni Check-in: Ryan Chen (Class of 2024)
- Matt Bailey
- Nov 6
- 3 min read
Q. Where do you live now? Why? What are you doing?
A. I currently reside in Toronto, Canada, because I study finance at the University of Toronto. I have not been doing much other than studying, playing sports, traveling. and hanging out with my friends.
Q. What are the biggest differences between there and Kaohsiung? What’s the biggest similarities?
A. Big cities mean more people, and with more people comes more trouble. So I would say there were times were I was shocked by how classless people are here. But at the same time, it's an amazing city with lots of space and freedom for you to roam around with.
I would say the biggest similarity will be how kind some of the Canadians are here; they really do treat people with hospitality.
Q. What does a typical day look like for you?
A. It all depends on whether I have class that day or not. Let’s say I have class at 9:00 AM, then my day would look like:
Wake up at 7:15 and drive to downtown Toronto
Jam to some music in the morning traffic and get to class around 8:50. UofT has a system called “UofT 10” so any classes start 10 minutes later than scheduled. i.e. 9:00 AM classes start at 9:10.
Lectures are usually 2 hours each, so I would finish at 11:00. Go grab some food and come back around 1. Then I’ll have class from either 1-3 or 3-5 or both. Oh, and most importantly, I need to get my coffee around this time or else I’ll fall asleep in class.
After two hours of lectures, I usually have a heavy brain fart, so I try to do activities that do not require thinking, like sports or reading.
I finish around 7, and I try to eat and study until like 11 or 12, mostly to avoid peak traffic hours.
I get home maybe around 12:00? Then I do absolutely nothing other than play with the cat or play some games.
I try to sleep before 1:00 AM.
Q. What's one thing you miss most about being a high school student?
A. I miss having to only worry about grades and how to get better at basketball. I feel like when I was doing IB in high school, it felt like the most difficult thing in the world, but looking back on it, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Screwing up a test isn’t the end of the world…etc. In short, after going to University, I realized life is a lot more troubling than school and sports.
Q. What's the biggest lesson you’ve learned in the "real world" that you wish you knew while you were in high school?
A. I learned that Success isn’t granted to those who work hard. I feel like the ladder hit me really hard, especially coming out of high school as someone who has better than average grades in IB, spending more time but getting worse results in university really bothered me. Try your best, and be okay with the results you get.
Q. What advice would you give to your high school self?
A. I would not change a single bit. I studied hard, I played hard. Looking back on it now, it was the best experience I could ever ask for.
Q. Did your KAS experience prepare you for life after graduation?
A. Yes, partially. For example, I think Ms.Shin’s biology class is a good idea of what a university class looks like. The professor doesn’t chase you after for homework; they only have a certain duration of office hours that you can attend and ask questions. But most importantly, you can’t plagiarize and cheat on tests.
But I think it fully depends on the person. The KAS experience is what you make of it. I tried really, really, really hard during my last few years. I felt an obligation to do what’s in the best interest of my future. I feel like once you have that mindset, you’re basically prepared for life after high school.
Q. What are you looking forward to most in the next five years?
A. I think I am most looking forward to traveling the world and growing as a person.
Q. Anything else?
A. Not much, just hope all the high school teachers who taught me are doing well. Please help me send my best wishes to Sensei, Mr. Sortino, Mr. Amedume, Mr .Borgi, and Ms.Shin.
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