Andrew means “manly” in Greek (although this bears no special meaning when it pertains to him), and Li is one of the most popular Chinese last names. Andrew has one brother three years younger than him named Benjamin to whom he is very close. They spend time together watching shows such as Rick and Morty and Naruto. Although Benjamin is 5’ 5” and Andrew is 6’ 1” in the morning, Benjamin can beat Andrew at arm wresting any day. The brothers are very different people— while Benjamin loves theater, Andrew is currently planning on majoring in biology, something he has always been interested in. However, Andrew wasn’t always a bio major; in fact, he came into college thinking about majoring in economics because he enjoyed it in high school. After taking some classes in the department at Dartmouth, he realized econ was not the right choice for him and is now on the premed track.

Before Andrew was born, Mr. and Mrs. Li met as undergraduates in China, married, completed graduate school, and immigrated to San Diego, California in 1995 with only $300 US dollars in cash. While in China, Mrs. Li worked as an ophthalmologist, but after coming to the US she received her PhD at UCSD and began working in pharmaceuticals. Mr. Li is a PhD in biology and is currently a real estate agent. When Andrew’s parents first came to the US, they decided to become Christians because they saw it as a win-win situation: should Christianity be true, they would go to heaven, and should it be false, they would still find community. Over time his parents found deeper meaning in Christianity, but Andrew meanwhile hated the Catholic preschool he attended. He resented the teachers for banning Harry Potter, tag, and Pokemon, and deemed them strict and mean. In middle school, however, Andrew began going to a local Chinese church where he met some of his closest friends. At church, he warmed up to Christianity, but didn’t begin making an effort to really learn the Bible until his senior year of high school.

Growing up, Andrew’s favorite childhood memories involved his pets. He had various birds (which successfully nested and bred to create new generations), four ducks, five chickens, three turtles, a rabbit, frogs, lizards, one snake, three hamsters, one mouse, and both freshwater and saltwater fish. He loved his little zoo and became interested in the natural sciences that way, which eventually led to his interest in biology. One interesting fact is that he never named his pets, and he has no specific reason why. Andrew’s favorite hobby is fishing, something he was required to learn when he was a cub scout. Because he grew up in San Diego, he was able to take advantage of this prime fishing spot by the ocean.

Andrew applied to Dartmouth early decision because he had visited the campus and loved it. On campus he is involved in the DOC Bait and Bullet club, Agape Christian fellowship, and the Logos worship team. Music is a big part of Andrew’s life— he was forced to learn the piano when he was younger but eventually grew to love it. Although piano is his favorite, Andrew also knows how to play the guitar. What he really wishes he could do, however, is sing well.

Throughout his Dartmouth career, Andrew hopes to grow and mature— he has been poured into so much and believes that to those much is given, much is expected. He not only wants to love those around him but also those who feel left out. His goals include establishing a routine and schedule, implementing more structure and organization in his life, and focusing on his studies, Jesus, and rest. Andrew is most excited to be done with organic chemistry after this term and eagerly awaits sophomore summer. He fears being left out or giving a bad impression of being too prideful or not showing enough humility.

Because San Diego is pretty diverse, Andrew isn’t fully aware of how his Asian American identity has affected him back home. At Dartmouth, he finds talking to other Asians and other Christians most comfortable and wonders why he is naturally drawn to those like himself. Andrew identifies as an Asian male, but first and foremost he identifies with the Christian faith.