By Kelly Quach

Staff Writer

  “Being valedictorian would be an honor, but wouldn’t spell the end for my effort,” explained senior Kevin Quach. “Instead, it’d be something to keep on motivating me to excel rather than being content with only succeeding in high school.”

  With a dream of becoming a physician in the future, Quach has spent his four years in high school preparing for the next step: college.

  In the tenth grade, Quach enrolled in two AP courses, World History and Chemistry. Passing both tests with a four, he challenged himself by taking four AP courses in Junior year.

  “I survived the holy trinity of AP Biology, AP Language, and AP U.S. History with a mixture of luck, effort, and an emphasis on collaborative studying,” stated Quach.

  When he is not studying, Quach is volunteering at the Methodist Hospital to prepare for his career.

  “I aim to become a physician because I believe that being able to impact other people’s lives as a role model for the community is rewarding enough to outweigh the many years and money one has to dedicate,” explained Quach.

  During his junior year, Quach held the position of treasurer of the Biology Olympiad club and has advanced to becoming vice president as a senior.

  In addition to Biology Olympiad and other various volunteer opportunities, Quach has been apart of the Gabrielino String Orchestra for three years, taking a break during his sophomore year.

  As a senior, Quach further challenged himself by enrolling in five AP courses: United States Government and Politics, Mechanics, Electricity and Magnetism, Calculus BC, and English Literature and Composition.

  Quach has worked hard to maintain an academic GPA of 3.975 and a weighted GPA of 4.63.

  “My father has taught me to persevere through how much he supports me in my endeavors,” stated Quach.

  Due to an offer of a renewable $10,000 Regents scholarship, Quach will be majoring in Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology at UC Riverside in the fall.

  “Riverside has a strong emphasis on self-initiative and is one of the fastest improving universities in the nation,” stated Quach.

  Despite scoring a 1570 on the SAT and a 35 on the ACT, Quach was most proud when he successfully competed in his AP Biology class and received an opportunity to participate in the Pasadena City College’s Stem Cell Training Workshop.

  “There isn’t anything I would have done differently throughout these past four years. I’m going to miss Gabrielino and its supportive environment,” explained Quach.