The Hunter Envoy

Issue date: 4/9/08 Section: Arts

Yin Chang

A girl with no formal drama training flew on a whim to LA for an acting competition, won first prize in five categories and snatched up a manager. Now you can catch her on the CW11-and also in your creative writing class.

Yin Chang, a junior Creative Writing and Media Major at Hunter, has been spending her days and evenings filming with the cast of the popular show, Gossip Girl. She was originally cast to play a rich and callous character similar to Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), but will now be playing a rich nerd instead.

"Before the shoot, I was doing a fitting and the stylist told me they want me to play a stereotypical Asian nerd," said Chang. "I wasn't offended but I was like 'Wow, can't there be a normal Asian girl.' But I've never played a nerd or anything so it is fun."

Since the filming started, Chang has been missing some classes in order to accommodate the shooting schedule. She would have been missing a lot more if her family didn't stop her from dropping out and moving to LA. "My parents wanted me to be a doctor or a pharmacist but they are still really supportive," said Chang. "They kept me motivated to stay home and I'm glad I did because now I have something to fall back on."

College might be more than a back-up plan since she plans on writing children's books. Actress and writer, Chang also owns her own jewelry company, LeliMelo. Named after Chang's sisters' first names, LeliMelo carries handcrafted jewelry that she designs (visit lelimelo.com for more info). As if the arts weren't already integrated into every aspect of her leisure time, Chang is also a classically trained pianist.

"I keep my acting life separate from school," said Chang, whose only complaint during this interview was, "I have no real friends [at Hunter]. I commute an hour and a half, so I don't have time to linger and socialize." Yin, I wouldn't worry about that. You might have more "friends" than you think after people get word of your new found success.

Catch this gal's debut on Gossip Girl on April 28th at 8pm, in the episode titled "Desperately Seeking Serena." And kids, try not to swarm her in the hallways.

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