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Alumni Spotlight: Lianjie 'Jerry' Wei '16
When Lianjie “Jerry” Wei (’16) wanted a different experience in his life, he and his family decided that attending boarding school in America was a good choice. They came across Tallulah Falls School. “We recognized it as one of the better boarding schools in the United States,” said Wei. “After being interviewed, I received an acceptance letter and knew I wanted
to go.”
In the fall of 2012, Wei boarded a plane in Beijing, China, traveled across the world, and began his freshman year at TFS. Moving to a new country far away from home was a huge cultural adjustment for Wei, but teachers, staff, and students warmly welcomed him, and he adjusted to life at TFS. “I was able to find my group of people,” he said, “ I made good friends, and the teachers were friendly. I loved my first history teacher, Ms. Carter, and my math teacher, Coach Heyl.”
“Teachers gave me the freedom to pursue what I wanted to pursue. I liked my chemistry classes a lot,” Wei said. “Dr. Morris not only taught us well, but she also gave us the freedom to explore.” As a senior, he designed his research project from scratch. “Ms. Popham and Dr. Morris helped me do the project and helped me purchase the materials I needed for the project. I appreciated that.”
As a boarding student, he served as a Student Life Assistant. He appreciated the diversity of different cultures within the residential life community at TFS. “It was the first time I interacted with people from different cultures, Americans and other international students,” he said. “I still value that experience because it helped me gain a unique perspective on life and to see the world differently. And now I have great friends across the world.”
In 2016, Wei graduated from TFS and continued his studies at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he double majored in chemistry and biology with a biochemistry track.
In 2020, Wei began pursuing his Ph.D. in biochemistry at Washington University in St Louis. He is now a Ph.D candidate with plans to graduate in May of 2025. Wei researches how cells know when to turn over mitochondria and what happens if this process isn’t done correctly in the cell. “Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell. When a cell doesn’t turn over enough, it leads to neurodegenerative diseases,” he said. Wei is part of a group of scientists who are the first to show the importance of “finetuning” mitochondrial turnover on cell and human health.
“I really like the idea of learning something previously unknown by humans. We are at the forefront of human knowledge,” he said. “All we do leads to new knowledge unknown to humankind. This motivates me.” Wei plans to pursue a career in academia and hopes to run his laboratory at a research institute someday.
Wei has advice for TFS students: Follow your passion. Don’t be afraid to pursue it. If there is no apparent opportunity to pursue it, create one yourself. It might be one email or request away from becoming true. Many achievements I could make were because I overcame the anxiety and fear of being rejected and reached out to people. There were opportunities for me, and there are opportunities for you.