Sophia Chok ’20

January 12, 2022

MAJOR: law and society

COLLEGE: Yale – National University of Singapore College (2021)

One of 15 recipients nationwide of a State Department-sponsored scholarship to study abroad
Varsity wrestling team
President, Advocates for Housing Rights

Linguist: Speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, Malay, Hakka; working on Korean: “Lan-guages have power as we become more global.”

My gap year, 2020-21: A U.S State Department intensive, immersive Korean language and culture study program in Seoul, Korea.

Asian women have traditionally been brought up to be quiet at home. Tech offers and creates an environment where if you want to be someone different, you can.

Why wrestling? “It empowers women. It made me stronger and tougher. It helped me stand my ground, physically and mentally.”

Being a woman at Tech means... “To do beyond what is expected and be a powerful woman in the room. To inspire other women to be the same.”

Always in my backpack: “A metal spoon. It’s more eco-friendly.”

Cool thing I did: Raised over $7,500 and organized a 50-student trip to the annual Harvard Crimson Student Journalism Conference.

Influential book: “The Prince” by Niccolo Machiavelli

Career aspiration: Study urban studies, computer science and east Asian studies in college: “I’m not certain what career I will pursue, but I aim to uplift low-income, immigrant communities in New York City.”