Emily Liu is a senior at Ladue Horton Watkins High School (LHWHS). She entered her last year of high school, taking advantage of enrichment and leadership opportunities presented this past summer. 

Liu attended the prestigious Wharton School's Leadership in the Business World (LBW) program and the Asian American Journalists Association 2024 JCamp cohort. 

“I believe in pursuing opportunities where they exist and was motivated by my desire to expand my knowledge through hands-on experience in business and journalism,” Liu explained. “For LBW in particular, I wanted to explore what an education in business would look like in a collegiate and real-world context. I truly believe that given business' heavy integration into society today and the potential of businesses to uplift and improve communities, the study of it should not and cannot be limited to the classroom.”

Besides her enthusiasm for business, Liu is passionate about writing because it allows her to express herself. 

“My decision to apply to JCamp stemmed from a desire to sharpen my journalism skills,” she detailed. “One of the earliest and most impactful moments came when my mentor and camp co-director, Arelis Hernandez, gathered all 30 of us and had us look around the room—seeing the diversity in cultures, races, sexual orientations, and beliefs—and told us that this is what the future of journalism should look like. Journalism should be about representing the community, so being able to work with others from various backgrounds has made us more sensitive to issues like race, class, and gender.”

Liu credits Ladue Schools for amplifying student voices and facilitating important discussions through Panorama, a student-run publication.

“Panorama has tackled potentially sensitive topics, like abortion and school shootings, with the support from our administrators and district,” Liu said. “Ladue Schools also values diversity, as seen through our numerous cultural clubs, events like International Week, and the global perspectives our teachers bring into the classroom. Being part of a community that embraces differences has been crucial for me. It’s allowed me to draw strength from my identity as an Asian American woman rather than feeling constrained by it.”

Her work outside the classroom shines through in her impressive resume. 

Liu is the Design Editor-in-Chief of the Panorama and co-Editor-in-Chief of the Melodrama, LHWHS’ annual literary magazine. Outside of journalism, Liu is also passionate about public speaking. She is the coordinator/captain of Lincoln Douglas Debate, co-captain of Mock Trial club, and co-director of membership for the LHWHS Speech & Debate team, the Talking Rams. Additionally, she founded the Beading Club last year and serves as the club president.

“I would tell new students to truly spend their time in high school discovering their passions and becoming deeply involved in them,” stated Liu. “I think students will often look to the future and college and plan their activities and high school career around what they foresee themselves as or where they aspire to be. It then becomes easy to forget that high school is also four years of our lives, and it should be spent in a fulfilling manner to discover who we are and what our interests actually are.”

Ladue Schools celebrates Emily Liu and is inspired by her passion for making a positive difference in our community and world by laying a foundation to become more culturally and globally aware.