Upper School students and faculty gathered to hear remarks from novelist and writer Weike Wang, the presenter of the 2026 Courtney Steel ’87 Visiting Author Lecture. The award-winning writer spoke on her life as a student, a researcher in STEM, and as a novelist, sharing photos from her childhood through her early 20s. Students listened to what it was like for Wang to attend college and then graduate schools in two disciplines, and the enormous decision of choosing one to pursue professionally.

“By the end of graduate school I realized I had to prioritize one, and I realized it had to be writing. How did I come to that decision? I asked myself this question of, what would I miss the most if I couldn’t do it? Writing was the answer for me.”

Wang also shared what a day in the life of a writer looks like for her, what books she keeps nearby at all times, and the importance of giving oneself grace when making impactful life decisions. Wang has published three novels and numerous short stories. Wang’s first novel, Chemistry, was a New York Times' notable book and earned her the 2018 Pen/Hemingway Award.