Q: What grade are you in?

A: I am in the 12th grade at Emmaus High School.

Q: What is your favorite subject? Why?

A: Three courses this year tie for my favorite: economics, English and art. I enjoy economics because it helps me understand the reasons behind many things in the real world. English is a fun class because I like learning about literary criticism and discussing texts during Socratic Circles and group projects. Art has been a longtime hobby of mine and my art classes this year give me time to work on long-term projects and get helpful feedback from my teacher and classmates.

Q: Have you received any special awards or recognition?

A: I have recently won first place in the graphic design competition at the regional Future Business Leaders of America conference and will move on to the state competition in April.

Last year, I entered three pieces in the regional Scholastic Art and Writing awards and won two Gold Keys, one Silver Key and had one piece nominated for the American Visions Award. I am also a National Merit semi-finalist, Advanced Placement Scholar and part of National Honor Society and French Honor Society.

Q: Are you involved in any extracurricular activities?

A: I have been part of Collage Magazine, Emmaus High School’s art and literary magazine, for four years, first as an editor and later as vice president. Outside of school, I volunteer at the Lower Macungie Library and am part of its teen advisory board.

Q: What is your next goal after high school?

A: I plan to study economics or business at college and go into business after college.

Q: What would you say your biggest challenge has been so far?

A: A big challenge I’ve faced has been figuring out what I really want for my future.

Q: What do you want to be remembered for?

A: I want to be remembered for being approachable and supportive.

Q: Who is in your family?

A: My father, Yuanzhi; my mother, Xuemei; my brothers, Ben and Jie; my sister, Lin; and my cat, Amber.

Q: Do you have someone you look up to?

A: I admire my parents for their dedication and hard work. Both do all they can to give me and my siblings a good life and have encouraged and supported me through all my academic activities, my competitions and extracurriculars and my career choice. They’ve made a huge positive impact on my life and I hope I can do the same for someone else.

Q: Do you have any advice for your peers?

A: My advice for high schoolers, especially freshmen, is to go into school with an open mind. As an incoming freshman, I originally had a strict plan of what I was going to do in the future and how I was going to shape my high school experience to get there. However, I later found myself participating in competitions and taking classes I didn’t consider trying out before and even changing my career path. Now, I’m glad I opened myself up to new experiences and I believe I have changed for the better.