Cynthia is a member of the class of 2023 at NYU, majoring in Performance Studies and Art History with a minor in Creative Writing. She started writing poetry in high school in both English and Chinese and started writing short fiction in her freshman year. Before moving to New York City for college, Cynthia went to an international school in Shanghai,  where she is originally from. When it comes to writing in two languages, she has always been trying to explore the two writing mindsets generated by her attachments to two different language systems, along with the cultural imprints behind them. Meanwhile, she has also been translating her own works, mostly from Chinese to English. Many of Cynthia’s poems concern experimenting with various doubts and extended inquiry about the “self.” She is also intrigued by the separation under the inseparability between the body and the mind, which is shown in her writings.

Areas of concentration/study:

Performance Studies

Why PS @ NYU?

Performance studies opens up a new dimension for me to put myself into the world and make conversations with the environment that has constantly been shaping and changing my perceptions as well as sensibilities. The discourse it invokes allows me to experiment with thoughts and creative enthusiasms I’ve never had access to before. The boundaryless space of thinking in PS has become one of my biggest inspiration in art and writing.