11/21/2021
Eliot Wang by Sam Tu
Class of 2022
Major/School:International Relations/CAS
Position: Events Team Director
The Friday night in between midterm weeks sits at an awkward juncture between working and chilling out. It’s confusing; It’s Friday night, but there are exams next week. Eliot was gracious enough to spare this confusing time to meet with me after a day at his internship. We found a relatively quiet spot in WSQ and started talking.
My first impression of Eliot is the way he talks. His sincere manner and firm voice put the listener at ease. His mannerisms and smooth hand gestures exude a comfortable sense of confidence. Eliot is stringent and thorough in his thoughts. Given that we are both studying politics, we talk extensively about current affairs, from US foreign policy to NYU professor getting canceled. Each answer he gives is a multi-layered analysis of the problem. He tends not to give straightforward yes-or-no answers. Although some may say he is being overly ambiguous, the complexity in his answers reflects the depth and sophistication of his thoughts. You can literally see Eliot thinking seriously about each question: he breaks eye contact and looks into the distance, his hands making a turning gesture as if they’re grappling with his thoughts.
Keeping up with Eliot in a serious conversation proves to be a challenge for me. As ideas race through his mind, I struggle to keep up with the pace. At multiple points during the conversation, I had to pause and collect my thoughts. Sometimes, before I even finish my question, Eliot already knows what I’m going to ask and responds with the answer. Eliot is really sharp-witted and attentive.
His strong rhetorical skill and swift thinking can be attributed to his experience in debate. Having participated in debate clubs throughout high school and college, Eliot is a force to be reckoned with in a rigorous conversation.
But other than his sharp wits, Eliot is quite approachable and supportive. His interests are diverse: he plays ping-pong, go and the piano; his favorite character in smash bros is Samus; he enjoys hip-hop; “Lose Yourself”, an Eminem classic, is his fav song; Lebron James is his hero and whichever team Lebron is on is Eliot’s favorite NBA team; perhaps most interesting of all, he trades Pokemon cards. He is open about sharing his interests and kindly reciprocates my curiosity. Eliot gives me invaluable insights and encouragement on navigating college life.
As cliche as it sounds, it is a pleasure talking to Eliot and writing his bio. His benign personality, keen perspective and diverse interest makes conversations with him enlightening and intriguing. Whether you want a casual chat or some serious feedbacks, Eliot is the guy to talk to.
