Campus takes on a festive look for Lunar New Year—thanks to Zoe Zhang ’25 and her grandmother
One of the biggest holidays in Asia, Lunar New Year has become a big part of Williston seasonal celebrations, too. In February, students kicked off the Year of the Dragon with an all-campus Lunar New Year dinner, speeches from students about their family traditions, and a colorful new campus decoration from junior Zoe Zhang. Zhang, who is from Beijing, has always had a passion for calligraphy; in fact, her recent Williston Scholars project (above) focused on the evolution of written Chinese. Zhang asked her grandmother, an experienced calligrapher, to create spring couplets—a traditional Lunar New Year decoration—for Williston. The long red banners were hung on either side of the entrances to almost all campus buildings and dorms. The messages, which express well-wishes for the upcoming year, varied slightly depending on location. Zhang’s favorite was the couplet on The Schoolhouse, which wished for students to achieve their goals. Seeing the banners around campus was special for Zhang. “I felt so happy and proud of myself and also my family and my country,” she said. “They are so pretty, and it shows a different side of Williston. I’m glad Williston gave us the chance to really show a different culture on campus.”
