Chelsea Wang ’21 Selected as Class of 2021 Valedictorian

Congratulations to Fifth Former Chelsea Wang, Valedictorian of Lawrenceville’s Class of 2021. Wang will address her classmates at graduation on June 6.

“I truly, truly did not expect this at all,” said Wang, who will attend Harvard next year. “I'm honored to have the privilege of reflecting on our high school experience at this milestone, but also nervous about the responsibility. Above all, I'm grateful for every advantage I've been given and every bit of love and support I've received.”

Wang has been a campus leader in the arts, politics, and social justice. She is president of the student Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) and Young Democrats, as well as co-founder and president of the Pan-Asian Alliance. She is the editor-in-chief of Prize Papers (collection of top Fourth Form creative and research papers), editor of The Lit (quarterly student literary magazine), and co-founder/managing editor of Spectrum (GSA publication which shares articles about LGBTQ+ history/contemporary interest). Wang sings alto in the School’s elite choir, The Lawrentians, and is keyboardist for a student rock band, The Disciples.

She was chosen as a Lawrenceville Merrill Scholar, a highly selective program which allows rising Fifth Formers to undertake literary research and creative writing during the summer. Wang’s research project was a study of Alicia Ostriker’s poetry with a focus on “Waiting for the Light.” Her other honors include the Williams College Book Award, Mercer County Mock Trial Competition championship, and selection as the McClellan House Scholar.

Wang’s other summer study program include the Yale Young Global Scholars Sustainable Development and Social Entrepreneurship Program (2019), and a summer internship with the Harvard University Personal Genetics Education Project (2018). In the summer of 2018, she taught at the Chang Yuan School for Migrant Children in Jiangxi, China.

For additional information, please contact Lisa M. Gillard Hanson, director of Public Relations, at lgillard@lawrenceville.org.