Q. In what grade are you currently enrolled?

A. I am currently a senior at Emmaus High School.

Q. Please provide the first names of your family members: parents, siblings and pets.

A. My mom’s name is Amy, my dad’s name is David and my older sister is Jennifer. My grandma Kieu also lives with me.

Q. What is your favorite subject? Why?

A. I have trouble picking a singular subject, but my favorite subjects in school are those that involve math. From the sciences like physics, chemistry and computer science, social sciences like economics or math itself, I really enjoy it all because of how much problem solving is involved and how you’re expected to think on your feet, not memorize. I especially appreciate the sciences and the social sciences because they allow us to apply “useless” and “impractical” math concepts into a context applicable to the real-world.

Q. Have you received any special awards or recognition?

A. I was named a National Merit Commended Scholar and an AP Scholar with Distinction. I’ve also achieved Principal’s Honor Roll every year and have been inducted into National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society at school.

I’ve received recognition at the regional level for my performance in Science Olympiad. Additionally, our team placed third in the region and advanced to the state competition last school year.

I qualified for the state competition in my competitive event for Future Business Leaders of America and I was a finalist for the Pennsylvania FBLA Social Media Ambassador Program where my application ranked top five in the state.

I was also the regional champion in the Individual Documentary category for my History Day project my eighth grade year.

Q. Are you involved in any extracurricular activities? How has being involved in these organizations impacted your high school experience?

A. Most of my extracurricular involvement is with the school’s Science Olympiad team and FBLA chapter where I am a member of the executive board and media relations respectively. These two activities have allowed me to learn more about certain topics of interest in a fun environment.

I am also involved in the school’s music department where I’m vice president of the Tri-M Music Honor Society. I play double bass in the orchestra, Sinfonia and Chamber ensembles and share the first chair position in each. Through these activities, I’ve been able to express myself artistically and relieve myself of some stress that comes with academics.

In addition to those activities, I am a tutor through NHS and a mentor for new students/freshman through a new program at EHS. I run SAT Prep at the school which is a group I co-founded. I’ve been involved in some research regarding enrollment in STEM courses both independently and as part of the chief science officer program for the school, which I was selected for.

For the last two summers, I volunteered at Da Vinci Science Center as an exhibit guide. I’ve also been involved in the Key Club, Math League and I figure skated up to my sophomore year. Serving others has shown me how to carry myself in my community and provide me with unique interactions that have developed my communication skills.

In general, I’ve been able to meet incredible individuals with all sorts of talents and interests similar to mine. I’ve made some very good friends and built strong relationships with the peers and the adults around me.

Additionally, staying involved has helped me become disciplined. I really like being busy and having stuff to do and not just sitting at home, especially when I’m having fun with my friends.

Q. What do you consider your biggest challenge to date?

A. During my sophomore year, my mom’s side of the family immigrated to the U.S., so we had 15 or so people living in my house at one point. While I love my family deeply, this was a very big adjustment for me because I had never lived with that many people. As a result, I didn’t have much space and the translating work I had to do doubled. I was also tasked with helping my two younger cousins learn English and helping my older cousin get accustomed to the high school, even though I had hardly experienced it myself. This was all particularly stressful because I had a full course schedule and was just adjusting to going back to school full time, in-person.

Q. What is your next goal after high school?

A. After high school, I hope to earn a degree in biomedical engineering or mechanical engineering and pursue a career in one of those fields. I also hope to entertain my other interests in business, public policy and computer science and pursue an additional major or minors in one or more of those fields in order to become a more well rounded individual and engineer.

Q. Whom do you hope to emulate? Why?

A. I hope to emulate all of the adults active in my life, particularly their selflessness and instinct to help others. When my mom’s family first immigrated, my parents did a lot to make them comfortable and get them accustomed to the new lifestyle. In the everyday, my parents have made small sacrifices in my interest, from my mom taking me to and from practices, rehearsals, etc. when I couldn’t drive even when she was tired or my dad lending me his coat when I’m too stubborn to bring mine.

My teachers and advisers have also been a large source of inspiration. The night before our competition, our Science Olympiad advisers stayed until 7 or 8 p.m. so we could finish a build. In fact, I think they were going to leave earlier, but ended up staying when we were still working. Similarly, the FBLA advisers had offered to set up a Zoom meeting to help me prepare for my interview for the Social Media Ambassador program on a Saturday in the summer after I asked them if it was possible just the night before.

I really admire them for how willing they are to put themselves out and lend a helping hand, no matter the time of day. I hope to emulate this same composure and instinct to help others because all of these acts of selflessness have left a major impact on me and what I’ve been able to accomplish.

Q. For what would you like to be remembered?

A. I’d like to be remembered as someone who was outspoken and sometimes awfully blunt but unafraid to give help/be a friend to anyone that needed it. I’d also like to be remembered for the dedication I had for everything that I was involved in, whether that be the many hours I put into building devices and planning meetings for Science Olympiad or coming down to tutor every Tuesday.

Q. Do you have any advice for your peers?

A. Always be respectful to everyone, but don’t be afraid to use your voice to stick up for yourself and others. It can be as small as asking questions to better your understanding or backing up someone’s answer choice in class. These small acts can make a change on your trajectory and others’. And oftentimes, the only way to see change is to initiate it.