Johnny Yang finds inspiration in pre-college programs to become first-generation college graduate
A first-generation college student, Johnny Yang is the son of parents who fled to the United States to escape political persecution.
“My father was a participant in the Tiananman Square uprising (student demonstrations demanding democracy in China), and he feared being imprisoned, so my parents immigrated to the United States to escape persecution” Johnny said.
They eventually settled in Winona, a rural town with a population of 5,000.
“I didn’t really have a lot of exposure to people going to college in my community,” he said. “There were few role models.”
Johnny found that exposure on the Ole Miss campus in the summer following eighth grade, when he attended the UM Lott Leadership Institute for Rising Ninth Graders. A collaboration between the Trent Lott Leadership Institute and the Division of Outreach and Continuing Education, the program is designed to develop critical thinking and leadership skills in soon-to-be high school freshmen.
The summer institute did just that and propelled him toward academic success. When Johnny started high school, he decided that he would do “everything in my power to eventually become a University of Mississippi student. I was more motivated than ever to create opportunity for myself,” he said.
He returned to UM in subsequent summers, attending Lott Institute programs for high school students after 10th and 11th grade. Each experience sharpened his leadership and critical thinking skills. He also spent part of his sophomore year summer in Mississippi StarTalk, a program funded by the federal government to provide high school students with intensive instruction in Chinese at the university.
Johnny finally made it to campus as a full-fledged Ole Miss student in the fall of 2017 as a chemistry major with emphasis in biochemistry and minors in mathematics and biological science.
He dove into an intense natural science curriculum with the goal of becoming a physician because he was inspired by his hometown doctor, a primary care physician who “got involved with the community by helping and caring for so many people with disadvantages.”
He had mentors to help him with the rigors of a being a pre-med student, including Greg Tschumper, chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Kelli Hutchens, an adviser in the Health Professions Advising Office.
“She’s been instrumental in crafting my application and interview skills as well as serving as an emotional support. “Her passion for pre-med students is inspiring and led to my being an Oxford Baptist Memorial Hospital Student Assistant,” said Johnny, who will be attending medical school next year.
His hard work and talent landed him a joint Harvard-MIT summer research internship, originally planned for last summer. Although the internship was postponed because of the pandemic, the invitation to attend such a prestigious and selective program boosted his confidence.
“I always doubted my abilities, given my background, and being offered this internship was somewhat unbelievable for a me, a small-town Mississippi boy getting involved with a premier institution,” Johnny said.
Johnny wanted to help other students become more confident, so he founded his own startup, Oxford Helping Hands Tutoring Service, which charges a fraction of comparable services.
“I thought about how much a lot of tutoring services charge per hour, and it’s crazy,” he said. “I wanted to make my services attainable for anyone who wanted a tutor. I want everything I do to be rooted in the idea that it could potentially help someone.”
Helping Hands was a trifecta. It aided students, gave him a supplementary source of income and provided business experience, bringing yet another dimension to his college years.
Reflecting on his time at UM, Johnny said, “I’ve realized that I can do the things I am motivated to do. I am always in search of opportunity, and UM has taught me to keep looking forward and looking for the next thing that drives my passion.”
Story by Kathryn Albritton/College of Liberal Arts
