Lisi Chapin
What is the most fundamental change you’ve experienced since your time as a first-year student?
Coming into Wake Forest, I was very nervous about trying new things, or trying things I wasn’t great at. I never wanted to raise my hand in a class I wasn’t confident in or do any activities that I thought would embarrass me. I had one teacher my first semester who pushed me to raise my hand, ask questions, and get out of my comfort zone. Since that class, I have pushed myself to try classes I’m not confident in, ask questions, and try new things that scare me. The me before my first year at Wake, stuck to what she was good at and didn’t take the many opportunities that were in front of her. Now I try new and scary things and jump at every opportunity that comes my way.
What non-academic experience at Wake Forest was most meaningful to you?
I’ve never acted in my life, but a friend of mine was helping produce a sketch comedy show here at Wake called LaughTracks. She told me to try out even though she knew I didn’t act. I decided it could be fun and went to auditions. I ended up getting the part and got to be in the show! It was an amazing experience that showed me an entire different side of Wake (and Scales) that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. When my parents and all my friends came to support me at the live show it was one of my happiest moments at Wake. It meant so much because it was genuinely something I have never experienced before, and it was absolutely magical.
What song or songs will always remind you of your time at Wake Forest? Why?
Beautiful Day by Trinix, Rushawn, Jermaine Edwards. I heard this song one time and it was absolutely stuck in my head, I could not get the chorus out of my head. I kept singing it (which bothered my friends a lot) but eventually they ended up loving it too. We would make sure to play it anytime we were listening to music. The lyrics are very simple: “Thank you for sunshine, Thank you for Rain. Thank you for joy. Thank you for pain. It’s a beautiful day.” These lyrics to me make me reflect on the ups and downs of my life. When things are going well I am so thankful for everything, when things aren’t going so well… I play this song and think about everything I have to be thankful for. It has quite honestly gotten me through some tough times and has reminded me just how beautiful life is.
Wake Forest’s Pro Humanitate motto is a guiding philosophy for many students and alumni. Did it have an impact on your student experience and has it influenced your plans for the future?
I was looking at colleges during COVID and could not visit any of them. None of them really appealed to me too much until I went to Wake Forest’s website. I saw Pro Humanitate and immediately did a deep dive on everything that goes on at Wake Forest from Hit The Bricks, to Wake ‘N Shake, to events put on my the Office of Community and Civic Engagement. I ended up doing early decision to Wake Forest, with my first steps on campus being my first day of classes. When I got here, I joined a few community service clubs, and took part in out larger events like Wake ‘N Shake and I even won Hit The Bricks my Freshman year. It wasn’t until sophomore year that I truly realized what the meaning of Pro Humanitate is to me. To me Pro Humanitate is a way of interacting with people. The obvious ways are through our community service and philanthropy. The not as obvious ways are the ways we treat one another. Ms. Brenda, the security officer in the library, welcoming me in and us chatting for a bit. I always tell her that I’m doing fantastic and she gets a kick out of that. Ms. Sunny in the pit makes every single student’s day. Talking with my boss, Kathleen, in Benson always puts a smile on my face. When another student holds the door open for me when my hands are full of books, or when a stranger compliments my outfit, a classmate sending me notes I missed. These are all just friends, classmates, and strangers treating you with kindness and respect. It is truly a community here at Wake Forest and the spirit of Pro Humanitate seems to have this kind effect on every member of the community.
What was your favorite class outside your major or minor areas of study and why did it appeal to you?
My FYS that I took taught me some of the most valuable lessons that I have ever received. My FYS was The Minority Experience in America through the lens of Art. We went on field trips and did group projects outside of class. We had open discussion where often times we weren’t only learning about the subject matter; we were learning about each other. Professor Sanhueza taught the class and it truly opened my eyes to a lot of things that I had never thought about. My favorite classes are the ones that teach you concepts that are applicable in everyday life, for the rest of your life. This class taught me concepts that I will take with me everywhere I go.
Wake Forest has lots of traditions, and sometimes students create their own. Do you have a favorite Wake Forest tradition?
This is a difficult question because there are so so so many my honorable mentions: Hit The Bricks, Pitsgiving, and Lovefeast. However, I absolutely love the Artisans Fair. I work in Benson and call dibs months before on working all day during the Artisans Fair. I wake up at 6 a.m. to get there are 7:30 even though I don’t have to be there until 8, because I know some of them like setting up early. Professors, staff, and sometimes students will bring in awesome crafts, art, food, and other things that they create. They are all so talented and amazing people to talk to. The head of the Artisans Fair is named Gale, and if you’re lucky, sometimes she’ll bring in her famous cupcakes for the workers. It is just a beautiful display of so many different talented people.
What surprised you most about your Wake Forest experience?
How many resources we have here on campus. I didn’t know coming in that we would have counselors, nutritionists, doctors, academic counselors all at our finger tips. I have taken advantage of all these opportunities, and it has helped me stay healthy, be a better student, and make sure that I am doing all right. Wake Forest has so many resources. All you need to do is ask what building they’re in.
Who most impacted your Wake Forest experience?
I have a long list of people who have impacted my Wake Forest experience. I am very grateful to all of them. However, my boss, Kathleen Hurley, in Benson has probably had the biggest impact on me. She has this way of cheering everyone up in a room. She doesn’t know it, but she has seen me at my best and my worst, and every time I’m with her I just end up smiling. I actually hated my job in Benson my first year there and only stayed because if I left, I knew Kathleen wouldn’t be my boss anymore. She taught me a lot of life lessons, and whenever I need advice, I ask her. She is very fair and unbiased and I know I can trust her opinion. Sometimes we’ll have some particularly hard work to do and even though she doesn’t have to, she helps us with it. She cares how we feel about the job, and pushes us to do our best. She is my role model and the kind of person I want to be when I graduate Wake Forest.
What was the most rewarding experience you had as a Wake Forest student?
One of my most rewarding experiences at Wake was receiving the Richter Scholarship. I was able to go to Ireland and research a small printing press called the Dolmen Press. I then got to present this research on URECA day. It was such an amazing opportunity that completely changed myself. I had to create a budget, a travel plan, and got to do super interesting research. This was one of the first times I traveled alone and it was an absolutely amazing experience meeting new people, and meeting scholars who were just as interested in my research as I was.
Imagine you return to campus for your 10-year reunion. What do you hope will remain the same? What do you hope will be different?
I want the trees to still be here, the ones on the quad, by Farrell, and the one right outside Kitchin Residence Hall. They are so beautiful, particularly in the Fall, I think I would cry if they were cut down. I’m not sure what I would want Wake Forest to change.Perhaps renovate Collins Residence Hall.
Now that you are a graduating student, what advice do you wish you could have given yourself as an incoming student four years ago?
I would tell myself to ask that classmate to go to lunch, to try out for that club, to do or try anything that interested me. We have so many opportunities here at Wake Forest, I wish I could have done everything.
Compare your career plans as a first-year student with your career plans now. Why did your plans change or not change?
When I came into Wake Forest, I was determined to be on the PreMed track. I wanted to be a doctor. In high school I was in all the AP sciences and absolutely loved it. I came to Wake Forest, and while I enjoyed my STEM classes, I absolutely loved some of my other classes. I realized that maybe I don’t want to be on the doctor. I was more interested in helping people, and in my mind the perfect job for that was always being a doctor. My job that I’ll start in June following graduation is at a healthcare software company called Epic Systems. I will be teaching physicians and hospitals how to use the software and bettering the interface of our product. It was kind of awesome when I got this job because it felt sort of full circle. I was pretty panicked after I realized I didn’t want to be a doctor, but I still got to scratch that itch of wanting to do something in healthcare and helping people.