INTERVIEW WITH
Mr. HOWARD CHANG
What was your first contact with the JCL as an organization?
My brother, who is four years older than I am, was a very competitive Certamen player and really strong Latin student in the school system we grew up in. Like a lot of programs, we had a beloved teacher. There were a lot of very loyal students around her, including my brother, and eventually myself. So anyhow, he got in his head that I and a bunch of my friends were going to become Certamen players and take Latin. My brother had always played a big role in shaping my academic choices. I’m pretty certain I was dragged to more than one Certamen to keep score or to spot. I barely understood what I was doing, but I was put to work. I remember being nervous, not being exactly sure who hit the table first. In fact, I know I was dragged to at least one or two VJCL Board meetings before I was actually a student. This was during my 6th-7th grade years so I had contact very early on.
How have you seen the organization evolve?
There are aspects that are almost identical and things that have changed a lot. That’s sort of the beauty of the JCL. Anyone that’s been part of the JCL since at least the mid 80s, if not earlier, would definitely feel an element of homecoming if they came to a convention now. One of the ways I’ve seen the VJCL change the most, is the culture around spirit at National Convention. It’s completely changed for the better. Spirit has become really powerful and a unifying experience for our states and others. During my time, we tried at spirit and definitely lost our voices in General Assemblies. However, the teamwork, concerted effort and planning was definitely not happening. Even when I was a student, Certamen changed, tests changed, new competitions were added at Nationals, online contests were offered by the NJCL and there were all kinds of new opportunities. However, one of the things that haven’t changed are the racquet heads at NJCL. They’re still the same, love ‘em or hate ‘em, they’re doing what they’re doing. That is just one example of the many random pillars in the JCL experience. So I would say it’s the fun, whether what you care about is competing or cheering or being with other people with similar interests, that hasn’t changed. For me, when I look back at high school and middle school, JCL is right at the top of my most cherished memories. It’s the stuff I remember, which will be true for most people who go through the experience. What’s been nostalgic about it, as someone who didn’t come up in the social media age, is that it’s truly ephemeral in the day of your life. You’ll never quite be in that situation with those people working towards those certain goals again. It’s appropriate; you can’t forever be trying to win a modern myth contest. There’s a bittersweet element to it. It’s special.
Mr. Chang graduated from the University of Virginia College of Arts and Sciences in 1998 with a Bachelor's Degree in both English and Classics. He went on to graduate from the University of Virginia Law School in 2001, earning his J.D. Mr. Chang taught at Loudon County Public Schools before teaching Latin and chairing the Classics Department at Flint Hill School from 2006-2015. In addition to that, Mr. Chang served as VSCL Senior Adviser, a role he will be stepping down from this year.