Many THHS students immerse themselves in extracurricular activities to explore their interests or strengthen their resumes, but for alumna Emerald Yee, joining Science Olympiad became an experience that shaped her academic interests, and helped build lasting friendships. 

Yale undergraduate sophomore Emerald credits Science Olympiad for her growth as both a student and a person, leading to her decision to join the Science Olympiad Executive Team at Yale.

Having joined Science Olympiad in her THHS sophomore year, Emerald served as the team’s Spirit Coordinator for the 2023/2024 season. She was captivated “by the investigative process of determining disease symptoms in Disease Detectives, the minuscule yet powerful pathogens of Microbe Mission, and the creativity of Experimental Design,” leading her to try out and compete in each of these events. Over time, she said that Science Olympiad “helped me realize my love for biology and for the medical field.” 

She added that the experiences gained from being a part of the team were more important than the titles and medals she earned: “Science Olympiad gave me far more than medals. It gave me community and some of my closest friends ever. It gave me direction and shaped my passions. And it gave me the courage to try new things I never would have done otherwise.”

Growing individually, Emerald also had an impact on the team as a whole. Junior and Treasurer Saniha Jasrah described Emerald as “the kind of teammate who made you calm just by sitting next to you.” 

Saniha and Emerald worked as partners in the Microbe Mission event. Saniha also said that Emerald made complicated material much easier to learn: “For Microbe Mission, she could take a really complex topic and break it down into simple, understandable parts. Emerald’s presence made SciOly a lot less stressful for me.”

Science Olympiad Head Coach Ms. Comer said that Emerald’s “enthusiasm and love for the team is what stood out to me.”

She said, “Emerald was consistently determined, and that showed in the time she put into studying and her work as Spirit Coordinator. Her work really impacted the way I view the position in general.”

Former Science Olympiad president and Yale undergraduate freshman Jenney Huang said, “[Emerald] was a high-achiever, and that definitely motivated me to shoot pretty high for myself,” said Jenney.

“Emerald made being on the team something that I will remember past high school. As Spirit Coordinator, Emerald documented memories, celebrated all our small wins, and made the team feel like a community. The importance of doing all this cannot be overstated, since this morale is what helped us push ourselves to keep coming to study sessions and making it through stressful weeks,” Jenney said.

When asked what motivated her to return to Science Olympiad, Emerald said, “despite all the invitational jitters and the endless hours studying for each of my events, I did enjoy it. It brought me so much joy knowing how to solve the problems on the exams, cheering my teammates on, and running to the stage beaming with my newly acquired medal. And it warms my heart witnessing this from the other side as the Director of Graphic Design, and being able to play a huge role in the joy of invitational day [Yale University Science Olympiad Invitational (YUSO)].” 

At THHS, Emerald said, “I learned to take risks,” whether it be trying out for the fencing team, cold-emailing professors for research opportunities, and even joining Science Olympiad her sophomore year. This risk-taking mindset is one she said she brought with her to Yale.

“My biggest piece of advice for any of you considering Science Olympiad is this: take that risk,” Emerald said.