If you ever find yourself in trouble in the future, do not fret as attorney Baihe Jin will come and rescue you!
The prospective lawyer and co-junior captain of GAWHS Mock Trial is destined to shine in the future, in and outside of school and wherever she may end up.
Being passionate, serious and all business are only some of the traits that have set Jin aside from the rest of her peers. Jin currently proudly serves as a co-junior captain of Mock Trial, as well as being a cabinet member of the Code Team. She’s a part of the Production Pathway in drama. On top of all that, Jin is able to masterfully handle challenging academic courses, from her IB Diploma classes to others, including AP Literature, AP Chinese and AP Calculus AB.
Jin chose to become a IB Diploma student just this summer, right around the corner when school started. She had to make a lot of adjustments to her schedule, including taking more rigorous courses that she has not been exposed to.
“The most challenging AP class is definitely AP Calculus AB. It requires a lot of attention, effort, and resilience,” Jin shares.
Despite the challenges thrown at Jin, the junior still manages to look towards the bright side of life.
“Coincidence or not, my favorite class is exactly [AP Calculus]. I enjoy the challenge. It brings me great joy when I am finally able to understand the concepts and complete problems with ease.”
Jin’s biggest passion throughout high school is being a part of her school’s Mock Trial team. Her passion certainly has led her far, as this year she was elected to be one of the junior captains of the team—a great feat indeed.
“I was utterly shocked,” Jin confessed when she discovered that she was elected as a junior captain. “I felt a surge of responsibility, but at the same time, I was quite nervous because it means that I now shoulder important tasks and leadership.”
One of Jin’s favorite moments in Mock Trial stems from the leadership experience, where she and other captains teach new members the rules of law, such as objections.
However, being part of Mock Trial has not always been rainbows and sunshine. Mock Trial requires members to be versatile and brave, as well as swift talkers under pressure and difficult questions which takes a lot of training. Unfortunately this year, Mock Trial’s season ended early, with both their Defense and Prosecution teams unable to gain enough points to move on despite winning both verdicts. This is something that weighs heavily on Jin. She deals with tough losses by crying as well as thinking about her team’s performance.
Moving forward, Jin hopes to lead her team forward, creating a fun and serious atmosphere for members, as Mock Trial evidently means a lot to her.
“I hope to lead my members by working with my other junior captain to reform the team policy next year, as well as planning more rigorous pacing in practices, and I hope that everyone can have fun in the process in which we practice and compete,” Jin expresses.
Outside of being in Mock Trial, Jin is a part of the GAWHS Code Team and she is now a member of the cabinet, having been inspired by a past upperclassman to join.
“My passion for code started when a former CODE team member showed me his code projects and recommended me to attend the annual CODE camp,” Jin said. “I thought that if I have the skills like him, I can probably make lots of amazing projects.”
Her aspirations eventually came true, going on to create many exciting projects and problems for herself and others. Now a cabinet member of CODE Team, Jin has certainly grown far, reflecting on her favorite moment, which was becoming a mentor to others on ACSL (American Computer Science League) lesson days.
“Most of the topics we touch on are quite interesting and I also get to be a teacher, which to me, is an enjoyable and valuable experience,” Jin says.
To prospective and possibly future members of the CODE team, Jin understands their fears and worries of being frustrated as well as being anxious about coding; yet, she encourages them to continue believing in themselves.
“Frustration is very common in debugging,” reassures Jin. “You just need to have faith in your code and in yourself.”
On top of everything, Jin also shines behind the scenes, working tirelessly to make sure others are able to pull off a fabulous performance. As part of Drama’s Production Pathway, Jin is tasked with managing the techniques backstage.
Her friends and peers often recognize her as a very emotional, passionate and sometimes dramatic person. So, joining drama was not surprising at all, considering her personality and her love for the arts.
As someone who normally loves to be on stage and presenting herself to others, Jin instead chose to be backstage.
“I am also intrigued by all the factors behind the curtains that are also crucial to a show’s success,” she explains.
Being in the production pathway is not easy at all, for all those wondering. There are many variables to manage, from getting the lights and sounds ready and being the stage manager, something Jin acknowledges. Yet she does not often feel overwhelmed, as she also has a group of six diligent and brilliant team members to work alongside her.
All that hard work has paid off for Jin and her team, who recounts her favorite memory in Drama as being the first-ever performance of the year. At that time, Jin was appointed stage manager, which meant a lot to her to be able to take on such an important role in the show.
“I was appointed stage manager, and taking on such an important role for the very first show means a lot to me. I had a really good time,” she recounts.
Despite being demanded to constantly be around other people, Jin never loses her bright smile and outgoing personality. Instead, she gains energy and motivation from the people around her and cherishes those moments deeply.
When Jin is not busy creating slides and practice problems for CODE, writing up her opening statement for Mock Trial or busy backstages, she enjoys relaxing by sleeping and drawing, both traditionally and digitally.
“For me, the moment I wake up from a long sleep always means the start of a new day, so I always end up forgetting about the negative feelings before,” Jin says.
A notable teacher she cites as the main inspiration that has gotten her this far in her high school career is her sophomore math teacher, Ms. Zheng.
“She [is] someone that I look up to, because Ms. Zheng always exerts such positive energy that motivates and encourages others as well,” Jin passionately exclaims.
If you knew Jin in her youth or even in her freshman year of high school, Jin has certainly changed a lot, positively.
“I have grown to take a lot more responsibility for my actions since freshman year and I am proud of that,” Jin explains. “I have learned important lessons about causes and consequences.”
In the future, Jin hopes to attend a four-year university before heading to law school. In undergraduate school, she hopes to pursue a major in either engineering or philosophy.
Despite every adversity that stood in her way, Jin never gave up and pushed through. This type of attitude will surely get Jin far, and whether she’s shooting to become a lawyer, a wise philosopher, or a woman in STEM, Jin is born to excel in every way possible.
