“Hellooooo Seniors!” yelled Anny Chen into the microphone during the Bronxtoberfest for seniors held on October 20th, 2022. Anny Chen, the president of Senior Council during the 2022-2023 academic year, is a phenomenal human being and student. Not only is she a bright ray of sunshine, but wherever you go, you can always hear her infectious laugh in the halls as she greets her friends. Anny Chen represents the best of the senior class. 

“She’s always making me laugh. Her energy is so contagious that you can’t help but smile whenever you’re with her,” says Mysha Ryaman ’23. 

Outside of her bubbly  personality, Anny is also a very academically involved student at Bronx Science. 

Since her sophomore year, Anny has been involved in the Social Science Research program, where she created her own project, Identifying a Relationship between Internet Addiction and Socioeconomic Status. When asked why she was interested in this topic, Anny said, “I started researching this project over quarantine, where everyone was stuck at home and online. Because people weren’t leaving their houses, an addiction to technology increased, specifically the internet with phones and computers. More people picked up TikToks, video games, or streaming services. Because of the surge in internet addiction, I wanted to research more about it, and see if there was any relationship between a person’s socioeconomic status and their internet addiction.” 

Aside from researching, Anny is passionate about business and economics, as she hopes to further pursue economics in college this fall at Hamilton College. 

“I hope to pursue business and start up my own after college. I always dreamed of traveling the world.” 

She has also been involved in our very own Model United Nations team since her sophomore year. 

“Model UN helped me strengthen my leadership skills and gain experience. Using these, I’ve built my leadership around inclusiveness and community.” 

Anny also has a lot of special talents and passion. 

“I would say I’m a big philosopher. I went to a program at Columbia where I was able to engage in philosophical discussions and debates. It was really interesting hearing different people’s perspectives on life and questioning the way of life. I’m not going to lie, I had a little existential crisis after each time, because of how ground-breaking the discussions are.” 

Chen’s philosophical passion was a great help to her during her college essay stage. She even wrote her college essay about her philosophical thoughts and her philosophical nature. She prides herself on thinking in a unique way that differs from others when discussing different topics and aspects. 

She defines being philosophical as being able to think about your own thoughts and understanding it. It might not always be right, but it’s about analyzing how you think and seeing the perspective that you view the world in. When she was writing her college essay, she wanted to emphasize to the admissions officers about her perspective of the world and how she was thinking. 

“I would say philosophy is a big part of who I am. It made me understand myself better and what I want to be in the future.”

As the Senior Council President during the past 2022-2023 academic year, Anny was tasked with making our senior year an epic one, which she has executed excellently. From the Bronxtoberfest to the numerous Senior Spirit Days, Anny has planned and worked diligently on making sure the senior events this past year were a blast. 

“She’s always front and center at these senior events. Whether she’s running around or directing seniors, Anny makes sure the event is going smoothly and that everyone is having fun. I love her for it.” Lili Matta ’23 added. 

According to Chen, the Senior Council this past year was focused on interaction between seniors and making events as engaging as possible. They tried to go as big and grand as they could for events like Homecoming, an event that many faculty members have noted was the best Homecoming they’ve seen in years. 

Being president, however, didn’t come without its challenges. “Something I faced when I became a president was probably my own self worth. I had a terrible case of ‘fomo’ [slang for ‘fear of missing out’] during the first month. It was hard to navigate my role when I didn’t understand the dynamics of Senior Council, and I didn’t know how Senior Council really ran. Over time, I simply tried to engage as much as I could, I learned the ropes and realized that the Senior Council runs how I want it to run.” 

When asked why she ran for Senior Council President, she said, “I wanted to make senior year fun. We had a really weird high school experience with the pandemic cutting our ninth grade year short and then coming back as a junior after a year of remote learning. I wanted us to have a great senior year, one filled with memories and trying to have a normal year. I love people, and I love being around people, so just being a senior council president and making a difference in our senior year was something I wanted to do. I wanted to make a difference, and I hope I have.” 

Last year, when they were juniors, Anny felt that her fellow classmates and friends impacted her in many ways. They held conversations with her and meeting new people from time to time changed her perspective on things. Running for senior council president allowed her to be in a position to help people and get to better know the senior class. She wanted to make remarkable memories and felt the support from the previous senior council president. 

“The last senior council president was my friend, and he made it seem that it was possible for me to be a president too. It just furthered my dreams of getting to know the people I go to school with and knowing that these people will do great amazing things in their future. I ran with the intention to put my all into it and make it the best senior year ever. These people have helped me so much, and I wanted to give back to those who changed my life.” 

“Anny does a great job as President. She’s always advocating for the seniors’ ideas and aims to give them what they want,” said Daniel Addoquaye ’23.

Her final feat during the 2022-2023 academic year was the senior mural out in the courtyard. She even did the senior crush wall, where seniors were able to write  their crushes on post-its and put them on the wall. Events like these bring the senior class together and build a sense of community among the senior class. 

“It was really fun. Anny always hosts the best events, and it’s a great time with a lot of memories being made,” said Andrew Morrissey ’23. 

Anny hopes to leave behind a positive legacy on her fellow classmates. She hopes everyone remembers their senior year in a positive way, either through a fun memory through a Senior Council event or something eventful that happened over the past year. She wishes that the seniors who graduated this year will leave Bronx Science with fond memories they can think back on later in their lives. 

In her free time, Anny loves to explore new places and create fun memories. 

“I love thrifting and trying new foods. My favorite place to go to on the weekends is Flushing, Queens. It has everything. The food there is amazing. I definitely recommend this one place called Spring Shabu-Shabu. It’s this hot pot place where you go and eat hot pot in a buffet style. It’s really neat, and I definitely recommend everyone go at least once.”

Chen also loves exploring the city. “I love hanging out with my friends after school and exploring new places. I know it makes me sound like a tourist in my own city, but I like discovering different places in New York City. I’m always discovering new spots to explore and enjoy. I especially love visiting cafes and bookstores. It’s very calming and relaxing.”   

Anny’s advice to the rising seniors for 2023-2024 are that they should look forward to the somewhat calmness of senior year. Though college applications are stressful and the idea of their future past high school or college plagues their minds, the realization that everyone is in this process together is comforting. It’s a whole other level of stress and community that rising seniors will experience, and she is confident that the next senior council will be able to aid in alleviating their stress.

“I would say to the next president: set working hours. Forty-five minutes three times a week is not enough to do all the logistical work that goes into running and planning an event. So when you’re doing work outside of school, set working hours for the Senior Council. Don’t work on event items past 10 p.m., and make sure to communicate these boundaries clearly with your council members,” said Chen.

Now that we are graduated seniors of the Class of 2023 and alumni, I can truly say that Anny Chen did a great job at being our president. I wish her the best of luck in college and give my thanks to her for being my friend and president.

“She’s always front and center at these senior events. Whether she’s running around or directing seniors, Anny makes sure the event is going smoothly and that everyone is having fun. I love her for it.” Lili Matta ’23 said.