Queena Chen Senior Spotlight

What has been your favorite experience as president of ACA?

I can say two things: Boba Day and the AAPI Festival. They were both new events that we started last year. Ike, our previous president started the Boba Day craze with his iconic Mr. Beast posters, which I’m sure everyone has seen in the hallways, and it became a legacy that he left behind for ACA that we’ve adopted again this year. Boba Day has become an amazing way for ACA to share our culture through food for everyone at Masterman. As for the AAPI Festival, I noticed that we had never really done anything big for AAPI Heritage Month in the past since it’s during May and always filled with AP tests and finals. So, I was really excited to see AAPI week happen with all of our workshops and the AAPI festival, in particular, was a huge culmination at the end of the week. 

What inspired you to join badminton?

I first started playing badminton in early elementary school with my sister, and we would just go to a parking lot to play for fun. I’m not particularly an athletic person, but badminton is one of the few sports that I enjoy playing. So later in high school, I really wanted to join the badminton team here at Masterman. It’s been such a fun experience, and I can’t wait to play with everyone again in the spring for my last and final season.

What is interesting to you about business?

I’ve actually always struggled to find what I'm interested in. I first did marketing for Vibe in my sophomore year, which started my interest in marketing and later transformed into working with Root2Success and joining the Business & Economics Club as well. I was able to learn a lot through these extracurriculars, especially since business is one of the few subjects that isn’t offered at school. I think it’s really cool to learn about a field that is at the center of innovation—that’s why I’m interested in the intersection of marketing and entrepreneurship. I want to work in ideation and solve a lot of the issues faced by my community and the world. Last year, I worked with Tahsin and Tino to develop Phonetica, an AI-powered English translation and learning app. I was really happy to research about language barriers, which was a big issue I personally faced growing up, and then innovate to solve the problem. I think business is at the heart of solving these large and complex problems to create a better future for us all. 

What do you hope to accomplish in college or after?

I really hope to get a greater understanding about the foundations of business and have the opportunity to gain new experiences in the field. I’m very ambitious and hopeful to build a company from the ground up in the future. 

What has been your favorite class at Masterman?

If I had to pick a class that defined my high school experience, it would definitely be AP Calculus BC with Mr. Ostrikov. I think, hands down, I’ve never had a class experience like that because it was really rigorous with densely packed material. While yes, there was a lot of stress and panicking to understand everything for the exam, it was a really fun experience. I’m a huge math person and a big fan of numbers so I was able to spend a lot of time just working and grinding the problems out. Calc BC was also a space where I was able to collaborate with a lot of my friends, so it was enjoyable despite the challenge.

What is one thing you would change about Masterman?

I would give students more opportunities to voice their opinions. In particular, I wish there was a greater selection of classes for students to choose from. We don’t have a lot of courses like home ec,  calc ii, psychology, business, or environmental science for students to take. 

What is some advice for your freshman self?

I would say, don’t be afraid to try new things and to put yourself out there because you might find yourself enjoying something new that you normally would not have done. Join as many clubs as you can because they will be a core part of what makes you happy at school. I’ve made a lot of amazing friends and communities in the clubs, such as Vibe and ACA, that I am in. 

What are you most excited for right now?

I’m really excited for winter break and to finally rest after a long first semester. I’m looking forward to hearing holiday songs play non-stop and ice skating at City Hall without having to worry about anything.

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Matcha. The matcha soft serve from Cafe Maiko in Chinatown.