This next Senior Spotlight features Claire Wan, a day student who’s been at St. Stephen’s for the last 7 years! Wan’s legacy at St. Stephen’s is, no doubt, associated with being the face of our girls’ golf team for the past 4 years. In her time here, she’s been crowned SPC champ 3 years in a row!
Wan’s love for golf first started when she was just 8 years old. She and her sister, Audrey, started playing under the influence of their dad who wanted the two of them to start getting involved with a sport. Wan says she originally didn’t love golf as much as Audrey did, but after putting more time into it and starting to play tournaments, she couldn’t get enough. After so many years of playing, Wan now finds her love for golf in the little things, like just being in nature while walking/driving along a course. “Even walking by myself and playing golf is really fun […] it’s a good time to be away from the chaos and school and whatnot.” Golf has also rewarded Wan with a lot of life skills, namely, maintaining discipline as she practices and competes by herself. She’s also gotten closer to her dad and found lots of support through her golf community, such as coaches and teammates.
Out of all her years playing golf, one of Wan’s favorite memories is from playing the US Girls’ Junior tournament in Colorado in 2023 – one of the biggest tournaments of her career. It was an 18 and under tournament, so there were a lot of players, about 100-200 – all of which had to qualify in order to compete, making the level of play much higher than local tournaments. Wan ended up making it to the top 64 and competed in match play, which ended up being a great experience for her because she ended up playing well against the girl who ended up winning the entire tournament, an accomplishment for Wan on her own terms. “Playing with all these good players made me want to play better,” Wan notes, making this tournament a huge highlight for her.
Her love for golf, Wan stresses, is largely indescribable, but it’s been and will continue to be a major part of her life, especially as she continues her academic and athletic career at Dartmouth this fall. Dartmouth ended up being the perfect fit for Wan as she went through the recruiting process her junior year. She always wanted to go to a primarily academic school rather than a D1 golf program, so Dartmouth ended up being the best of both worlds for her. She first met the Dartmouth coach at a golf camp and instantly clicked with him: “What I loved about Dartmouth and their recruiting process is that it was based on personality, not just scores, so traits like integrity and honesty were just as important as your golf and academic talent. I ended up getting to know the coach really well and appreciated that he wasn’t all golf-focused – he cared about his players outside of the sport, as well.” Visiting Dartmouth truly sealed the deal for Wan as she fell in love with the campus, especially the smaller college vibe. She also loved the amount of outdoor activities she could get involved with through the beautiful scenery surrounding Dartmouth, as well as the golf team itself. When she visited, the players were the ones to give her a campus tour, giving her a sneak peek into student life.
“They took me to a club meeting about women in film and I loved seeing so many students just so involved and bonded by a passion […] it made me excited and also want to get involved. I also loved how everyone seemed to know each other across campus, showcasing just how strong the community is there. It reminds me a lot of St. Stephen’s, actually. It’s a great community, but in, obviously, a bigger environment.”
The experiences Wan has had on the Hill as a lifer has truly shaped who she is and her decision to go to Dartmouth. She credits St. Stephen’s for truly preparing her for the academic rigor at Dartmouth, especially in how to manage it. “I’ve already had a lot of practice learning how to balance golf, sleep, homework, and whatnot, so I’m not too worried about what school is going to be like now.” The St. Stephen’s community has also inspired her to want to foster that type of connection with others in the future and interact with many different people. Outside of golf, St. Stephen’s has also helped Wan explore other passions, such as jazz band and playing the flute! Wan first picked up the flute in 6th grade at St. Stephen’s and has been playing ever since with the jazz band. “I ended up loving not just the flute, but also playing in a band because jazz is the perfect mix of being upbeat and chill. It’s so fun to play with everyone and one of my favorite moments is always our concerts where we’re finally all in harmony and sound so good – it makes all the practice worth it.” Wan also found a newfound love for engineering through the Principles of Engineering class this year, which is something she might try to explore further in college.
Wan is going into Dartmouth generally undecided as she wanted to keep exploring her interests, like chemical engineering and economics. She hopes younger students here will help foster the St. Stephen’s community and appreciate it as much as she does, all while making meaningful memories and having fun!
