The Architecture of Confidence: How Junchao Wallace ’26 Found His Future at Gould

• Special thanks to Mr. Kipp Greene, Ms. Maggie Davis, and Mr. David and Mrs. Leping Wallace — mentors and family who helped shape Junchao’s Gould journey.

At some point in high school, nearly every student gets asked the same question — and it’s one that quietly carries the weight of adulthood: What do you want to be? Even as I write this introduction, I can’t help but reflect on my own journey, and how many different ways I’ve answered that same question over time.

For some, the answer comes quickly. For most, it doesn’t. And for students with real talent, the kind that makes adults say, he or she could do this for a living, the question becomes even more complicated. Because once people can see what you’re good at, they start offering predictions and subtle expectations — but not necessarily choices.

The truth is, most young adults aren’t supposed to know the full shape of their future at sixteen. They’re supposed to find it.

That’s exactly what happened for Gould senior Junchao Wallace ’26, a calm, thoughtful student whose journey to Gould began not with a master plan, but with a winter trip, a family decision, and a quiet instinct that something more was possible.

 

A Visit That Changed Everything

Junchao didn’t grow up dreaming of boarding school. In fact, it wasn’t originally on his radar. He came to Gould from a public-school background in Maryland, close to his family and open-minded about what a different academic environment might offer.

The turning point came during a family trip to Sunday River Resort, just a few miles from Gould’s campus. While in the area, Junchao and his family decided to tour Gould Academy — along with a few other small New England boarding schools — looking for what many talented students quietly need most: smaller classes, dedicated teachers, and a school where support feels personal, not transactional.

But Gould stood apart for a different reason.

As Junchao put it:

“The other schools were great, but they were ski schools. I love to ski, but that’s not all that I am. With Gould, skiing could still be a meaningful part of my life, but not something I have to do or someone I have to be.”

That distinction mattered. Junchao wanted the freedom to ski often and enjoy mountain life, without being defined by it.  He wanted the space to explore who he was becoming academically and personally, without being placed into a single lane.

At the time, Gould was only a one-year decision — something he would “try and see if it was the right fit.” He had no idea it would become the place that helped him discover his future.

Talent You Can’t Miss, and a Mind You Can’t Label

What stands out about Junchao isn’t loud confidence, it’s quite the opposite. He carries himself with quiet control: steady, respectful, and composed in a way that feels older than high school. Among friends, there’s humor. Among adults, maturity. He’s the kind of student who doesn’t demand attention, but earns it.

And he’s gifted across the board — strong academically, athletic, observant. But one of the clearest expressions of his talent has always been his creative work, not as a single identity, but as a powerful thread that would eventually open an incredible door.

Junchao has always held a passion for creativity; not just drawing or painting, but working with his hands, constructing something beautiful out of raw material and imagination. At Gould, that interest didn’t stay a hobby, it became a serious commitment.

He began building a portfolio that moved beyond classroom projects into craftsmanship: blacksmithing and woodworking, creating pieces that reflected patience, precision, and an advanced level of technical skill.

Not every school is equipped to understand a student like Junchao. Where some would see an artist and perhaps stop there, Gould encouraged him to explore more deeply — to develop, refine, and discover what else, or who else, he might become.

 

 

The Shift: From Interest to Direction

By junior year, Junchao’s thinking had changed.

Through summer internships — both in architecture and real estate development — he began to connect the dots between who he had always been and who he could become. Architecture wasn’t an isolated interest, nor was it simply design for design’s sake.

For Junchao, architecture became the bridge: a way to combine creativity and structure, imagination and systems thinking, craft and real-world impact. It also brought him closer to a world he had grown up around, a path closer to home: real estate development.

From childhood, he watched how projects came to life. First in small ways, helping on job sites, learning the rhythm of work. Then in bigger ways, noticing the decision-making behind it: market realities, return on investment, planning, and long-term strategy.

Real estate development wasn’t just something his family did. It was something Junchao understood, respected, and genuinely enjoyed. Architecture gave him a way to bring artistry to life — to take something visual, tactile, and human, and turn it into a professional pursuit with purpose.

And once that clicked, Junchao did what high-performing Gould students often do when they find clarity: he asked the right questions, and went all in.

Cornell University and the Portfolio That Made it Real

Junchao began visiting colleges and universities, exploring where he could build the next chapter of his life. One program stood out immediately: Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP).

It was the kind of program that asks for more than grades. More than test scores. More than a transcript filled with strong performance (all of which Junchao had, by the way). It asks for evidence: a portfolio that proves how a student thinks.

And this is where Gould’s impact became unmistakable.

Junchao worked closely with several faculty members, but one relationship became central to the story: his mentorship with art teacher Mr. Kipp Greene, who helped him strengthen his portfolio — polishing talent while sharpening intention. The work became clearer. More cohesive. More aligned with the type of thinker Cornell looks for: creative, disciplined, and capable of solving complex problems.

As Mr. Greene said:

“Junchao never wanted to just complete a piece; he always found ways to expand the assignment to make it more complex. It was clear he wanted to push his work and make it stand out.”

At the same time, Junchao’s college counselor, Ms. Maggie Davis, supported the application process, helping provide the blueprint Junchao needed to visualize and reach his goals — guiding strategy, deadlines, school selection, and the narrative that tied it all together.

In Ms. Davis’ words:

“So much of the college counseling journey at Gould is learning who you are and connecting that with who you want to become. Junchao trusted that process and engaged in that discovery, ultimately pouring himself into his passions which has earned opportunities of competing at our highest level of alpine skiing and studying at the highest level of academia.”

It wasn’t just an application — it was the kind of submission that makes an admissions committee stop and take notice.

The Outcome

Junchao arrived at Gould as a one-year student without knowing who he wanted to be. This spring, he will graduate with something many young adults spend years trying to find — direction.

Junchao has been accepted into Cornell University’s esteemed Architecture program, and he will enter the next phase of life with a clear purpose, pursuing architecture not only as a passion, but as the foundation for the career he ultimately loves and believes in — advice his mother instilled from an early age.

And while there are plenty of logical explanations for that outcome, including his GPA, his impressive portfolio, his internships and his stellar work ethic, the truth is more human than that.

Junchao’s story is proof that the right environment can change everything: the space to explore without being rushed, to grow without being labeled, and to turn talent into craft and craft into calling.

Artist. Athlete. Builder. Designer. Future architect and developer. And a young man who arrived at Gould four years ago… “just to try it for a year…” now stepping into his next chapter with confidence, purpose, and a community he’ll forever be part of.