Q. In what grade are you currently enrolled?

A. I am enrolled in the 12th grade at Emmaus High School, my senior year in the Class of 2024.

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

A. My father’s name is Ergash, my mother’s name is Guzal, I have a sister named Jasmin and a cat named Louis.

Q. What is your favorite subject? Why?

A. My favorite subject is chemistry. I find it incredibly interesting because it explains a lot of how things in our universe work, similar to physics. However, what sets it apart for me is the nature of chemical reactions and how atoms and ions interact with each other, in the most interesting ways.

Q. Have you received any special awards or recognition?

A. I have received many awards, besides making honor roll my entire high school career, I have also participated in the English Olympiad, for which I got second, I was valedictorian at Kingsborough Early College Secondary School, I won an academic excellence award my freshman year, I have received National Merit for my SAT scores and an AP Scholar with Distinction from the College Board, I won first place in a hand-to-hand combat tournament in Uzbekistan and I have participated and won junior piano competitions in New York.

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

A. I have been playing piano since seventh grade; playing the piano has fueled a lot of my musical passion and prowess which allowed me to participate in high school shows, be the accompanist for the high school choir and join the orchestra. I also play tennis for the school team, which was difficult to balance with my classes during the season, but was fun and enjoyable. On top of this, I also play chess and joined the chess club my sophomore year.

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

A. My biggest challenge to date must have been moving to Pennsylvania and attending Emmaus High School. From living in New York City to the suburbs, so many things were different and hard to get used to. I had never met any of the people here or relied on driving to get around places. I did not know what honors and AP classes were, or how the block schedule works or the layout of the school for that matter. It was especially hard moving here during COVID-19, where I was cooped up at home and still attending my old school online. Eventually, I got used to it and now prefer my life here over my life in New York.

Q. What is your next goal after high school?

A. My next goal after high school is to attend university. I want to major in chemical engineering with the possibility of going to medical school for my graduate years. I also want to start investing and start my own business, hoping to grow my assets and learn valuable skills in order to succeed in my adult years.

Q. Whom do you hope to emulate? Why?

A. I hope to emulate my grandfather, who single-handedly built and earned everything my family has. He was a self-made man, who worked through the troubling years of the USSR as a chemist in the 1980s, following the Chernobyl incident and left a great legacy when he died this October. Just like my dad, I want to make him proud and follow in his footsteps and make the world a better place.

Q. For what would you like to be remembered?

A. I would like to be remembered as someone who did it all himself. A good person, not famous or otherwise, but someone whose descendants would be proud to be related to. I am not sure what I would have to do, but I hope to figure that out eventually.