By Raymond Tran

Copy Editor

  While most students struggle to figure out which password they used for their email, senior Michael Donaldson excels in the realm of technological literacy, being one of the top students in his class.

  Donaldson’s hard work throughout his four years in high school has paid off. He is one of the six seniors chosen out of his class to be in the running for valedictorian and salutatorian.

  With a weighted GPA of 4.6, Donaldson has had his fair share of honors and AP classes, taking a combined total of 13 Advanced Placement (AP) and honors courses throughout his high school career.

  “My biggest challenge is probably managing my workload junior year,” Donaldson stated. “I took 5 APs, so I had to manage my time much more carefully.”

  Although he has expressed his intelligence in many academic fields such as math and English, Donaldson’s interest mainly lies in computer science. During his junior year, his brother recommended him to try programming, and after a short online course, he was hooked.

  This prompted him to enroll in AP Computer Science his senior year. Throughout the course, many of his peers have also recognized his talents in computer programming.

  “He’s a computer science titan. When the entire class is lost, we can always count on Michael to know what he’s doing,” one of Donaldson’s classmates in AP Computer Science, junior Cady Ngo, explained. “His second language is probably Java.”

  Aside from academics, Donaldson is also an active member of Gabrielino High School’s Interact Club. Thanks to his four dedicated years of service to the club, he is proud to hold the position as the club’s secretary.

  “During the time that I have known Michael, he has always been a very responsible person,” Ingrid Lin, advisor of Interact, stated. “I am so proud to hear [that he is in the running for valedictorian].”

  Outside of school, the tech whiz also volunteers at the Asian Youth Center (AYC). As the summer approaches, Donaldson is planning to take it a step further and begin working at AYC. During his time at AYC, he has gotten the opportunity to learn and develop many life skills.

  “I have a lot of social anxiety, so [volunteering at AYC] has taught me how to work through arguments and talk about issues,” Donaldson revealed.

  This fall, Donaldson will be taking his computer expertise to the University of California, San Diego with a major in computer science.