Are you an Asian American student graduating from high school or college? You may be eligible for the Northwest Asian Weekly’s Outstanding Graduates column.
To qualify, you must have a minimum GPA of 3.6, have overcome personal adversity, or are an outstanding athlete, community volunteer, or artist.
Jianlong Huang
Rainier Beach High School
“I know that a successful person needs a healthy physique and mind.”
Jianlong Huang is a unique individual who understands that a successful person commonly maintains a healthy physique and mind.
He is an accomplished student, a community leader, and an athlete. Though Huang only came to America a year ago, he was able to maintain a high GPA. Huang’s academic strength is in mathematics. He enjoys solving problems and helping his peers. His teacher recognizes his talent and encourages him to participate in math competitions.
Not only does he solve math problems, but Huang also loves to hit tennis balls. He also enjoys shooting hoops and playing tennis. Huang does not forget to give back to his community. He is part of the Wilderness Inner-city Leadership Development (WILD). He uses his multilingual abilities to teach English. He can speak fluently in Mandarin, Cantonese, and English. After the earthquake in Sichuan, China, Huang worked to raise money to alleviate the situation.
Huang graduated with a GPA of 3.83 and will be attending Bellevue Community College.
Florence Lau
Forest Ridge High School
“Maybe someday, Mr. Fenoli will really be able to pick up a copy of [my future novel] at the local Barnes and Noble because of the encouragement and inspiration that he gave me at Forest Ridge.”
Florence Lau wants to become a writer. Since the first grade, Lau was a confident writer. Through her primary education, her dream to write developed as she received more and more encouragement from her teachers. As a child, she wrote about everything from strawberries and what her friends were eating for lunch, to talking about lions.
During her junior year in high school, however, Lau became deeply interested in biology. Seeing Lau’s talents, her biology teacher recommended her to write a book on biology. She titled it, “And Then, You Will Die.”
Lau then realized that she does not have to choose one particular path, but can pursue both. Recently, she wrote a one-act play for Bellevue Community College’s one-festival. Her play won the Best Original Drama award.
Lau graduated with a 3.92 GPA and will be attending John Hopkins University.
Thu-Ha Truong
Mount Tacoma High School
“Some are destined to be educators, politicians, or doctors. I was destined to be a dentist.”
Thu-Ha Truong is a well-rounded and inspiring individual. She is recognized for her outstanding grades, community services, and athletic abilities. She has led her peers by being the Key Club president for two years, student body secretary and treasurer, and tennis team captain.
Due to her leadership skills, she received the City of Seattle Recognition for Outstanding Leadership to Seattle Community award, among other various awards.
Truong is an individual who knows what she wants to do, and knows how to do it. After being a regular at her dentist’s office, Truong believes she is destined to be a dentist. To achieve this goal, she has shadowed several dentists in her local area and participated in the Project Health Occupations Preparatory Experience (HOPE). She has already prepared herself to be a dentist by researching several different angles of this occupation.
She graduated with a GPA of 4.0 and will be attending Stanford University.
Dao Nguyen
Rainier Beach High School
“I hope that one day, I can demonstrate that not only men can do well at engineering, but women also can do it, too.”
Dao Nguyen’s strong character and ambitious heart sets her apart. Nine months ago, she arrived to America hoping to achieve her dreams of becoming a computer engineer. Originally from Vietnam, she is known for her beautiful voice. She was even invited to sing at her country’s capital, Hanoi.
At her high school in Vietnam, she organized several projects to enforce recycling and planting trees.
At Rainer Beach High School, she is a member of the Asian Student Coalition. Nguyen assists teachers with grading homework and other duties. For the future, she plans to disprove all those who frown on women engineers, and wants to show that women can be outstanding engineers.
She will graduate with a GPA of 4.0 and will be attending Highline Community College. ♦