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2000 Outstanding Youth Award Recipients

Fallon Ying-Ho Lin

Throughout my life, I have grown from being a child to becoming a young adult about to come into my own. But while nearly everything about me is and has been changing-- my body, my friends, and my relationships-- I have been able to count on the fact that I am and always will be Taiwanese not Korean, Japanese, or any other commonly confused Asian culture, but Taiwanese.

Growing up in a mostly Caucasian society has not been the easiest task, but with the values and beliefs that my parents have instilled in me, I have been able to succeed in my desires. Being able to speak one's native language is vital to continuation of one's culture, and I am proud to say that I know how to speak Taiwanese. I am currently a high-school junior attending Winston Churchill High School. I have maintained "A" average through my educational career, taking virtually all Honors classes and some AP courses. I am also a member of the Spanish National Honor Society, which helps to tutor fellow students. I will also be applying for membership to the National Honor Society for my senior year.

Music has had a major part of my life, and it is a skill that I will have throughout my existence. At the age of 6, I began my quest to excel in the art of piano, and I feel that I have done so. I have participated numerous Festivals and won many awards. I also started to play the trumpet in my school bands since the age of 10. Last year, the Churchill music department took a cruise to the Bahamas, where we competed with other bands across the nation, as our symphonic band took first prize.

Sports have also played a great role in my life. I have played soccer for a MSI club team for the past eight years; I have committed and grown with the team. We have won eight trophies in the past five years. I have also participated on my high school soccer team. Although my passion is for soccer, I have also played basketball, and volleyball.

Not only do I consider myself to be a good student, musician, and athlete, but I also have great leadership. Because I was elected to be the captain of my elementary school Patrol squad, I was taught at a young age the true magnitude of responsibility. Since then, I have participated in countless community service activities that included working in the library, hospital, school sport's management, Taiwanese community and religious foundation Tzu Chi. I was also employed by ITServ Inc., and IBM Taiwan during the past two summers.

In my life, I have learned to better appreciate my friends, my family, and what they have done for. I view everything as an opportunity to improve myself and succeed. I am grateful to my family for always supporting and encouraging me. It gives me great pride to be able to call myself a Taiwanese-American—abiding by my present location, but not overlooking or disrespecting my past. I am grateful for being given the opportunity to expand my Taiwanese culture.

Fallon is the daughter of Mr. Mingo Lin and Mrs. Marita Lin

Julia Huang

Achievement is the primary goal that I will always carry with of me, no matter how much I have accomplished. I feel that being successful is one of the most important components of my life. With hopes of achievements, I have sought out numerous beneficial activities that have helped, and will continue to help, pave the road to my own success.

I am currently a senior at Quince Orchard High School and academics play the most important role in my life. Succeeding academically is the main priority in my life. I feel that schoolwork and academics are to be put before anything else. It is extremely important for me to be able to apply myself to a learning environment so that I have the ability to be open to knowledge and understanding. I strive to succeed in a number of Advanced Placement and honors courses that better prepare me for further academic learning. Last year, I was inducted into the National Honor Society for my accomplishments in academics, community service, and extracurricular activities.

Although academics are number one on my list, I feel that being involved in other activities is quite significant as well. I have been involved in my high school's journalism and newspaper programs for the past three years. In the past, I have been the Arts and Entertainment editor for Quince Orchard's newspaper, The Prowler. Currently, I am the Features editor for the newspaper and devote numerous amounts of hours into the production of the paper. As a result of participating in these journalism and newspaper programs, I was selected last year to be a member of the National Quill and Scroll Honor Society. This is an honor society that selects a certain number of students throughout the country that have accomplished recognizable work in journalism. I am also an active member of SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions). I have been involved in this rganization at my high school since my freshman year, and I am currently Vice President. I plan activities and help stress the importance of the negative effects of destructive decisions. I attend general staff meetings and officer's meetings to make sure that the club's activities run successfully. A branch of SADD has been LEAG (Law Enforcement Advisory Group), of which I am also a member. This involves meetings with the Montgomery County Police, other students, and teachers in order to address the various problems of alcohol in our community.

I feel that being involved in the Taiwanese community is an important component in my life as well. I participated in the Washington DC Taiwanese Language School since 1989. Since 1998, I was given the honor of being a teaching assistant for the beginning level Taiwanese classes. I am also an active member of the Asian club at my high school. Its goal is to recognize the Asian community and bring awareness of our cultures. Another one of my passions is dancing. I have also been involved in the Taiwanese Language School's dance classes since 1989. I learned different folk dances which made me further appreciate the Taiwanese culture. I have also played the piano since 1993. I began by taking class lessons, and followed by taking private lessons with an instructor. I feel that playing an instrument is important because it helps me enrich the musical aspect of my life.

I have been involved in a number of community service projects at the Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, the Shady Grove Nursing Home, and at secretarial offices. Taking my activities into consideration and the time that I spend to accomplish my goals, I feel that I am well on my way to success and achievement, the most important components of my life.

Julia is the daughter of Dr. Peter H. Huang and Mrs. Marie S. Huang

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Category: Outstanding Youth Award

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1998 Outstanding Youth Award Recipients

Chia Chia Hsu

Chia Chia Hsu is a senior at Magruder High School and a consistent honor roll achiever. She is a member of the National Honor Society as well as being a National Merit Scholar Student.

Ms. Hsu is very active in serving the community. At school, she is a peer mediator and counselor and is a member of the Key Club and SHOP (Students Helping Other People) Club. At the neighboring Sequoyah Elementary School, she has been a Buddy's Homework tutor for the past three years. She also volunteers at the Food & Friends in DC. The Food & Friends organizations provides fresh cooked meals for people living with AIDS in the greater Washington DC area.

Aside from academics, her first passion is music. She has played the alto saxophone for eight years and a soprano saxophone for three years. At school, she plays in the pit orchestra for the annual musical and performs in the symphonic band and marching band. Ms. Hsu is also the vice-president/librarian of Magruder’s Instrumental Music Department as well as the treasurer/historian of the Magruder Chapter of the Tri-M: Modern Music Masters. Outside of school, she plays in the Montgomery County Honors Band which is auditioned from all high schools within the Montgomery County system. She has also received consistent superior ratings at district and state music festivals in solo, small ensemble_and full band settings.

Her second passion is for the Taiwanese community. As a former student of the Washington D.C. Taiwanese Language School, she now teaches Taiwanese to the younger children as well as teaching an art class. She has also been in several protests for Taiwanese Independence in the DC area. Ms. Hsu is devoted to the camaraderie of the Taiwanese community and a participant in many of the various activities.

Chia Chia is the daugher of Mr. Jack Hsu and Ms. Mei-Yu Hsiao

Jason Su

I am currently a freshman at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. There are a number of areas that I am interested in, but one of my greatest interests is music. I play three instruments. They are the piano, violin, and percussion. I have played the piano for ten years. I entered the Alice Leesthma Scholarship Competition and placed first winning a scholarship of $500. I also entered the Composer Competition and was placed second, also winning prize money. I was selected and invited to perform for the Centennial Recital for the 100^th birthday of the National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) at the Harris Theater of George Mason University. I entered the National Piano Playing Auditions which were sponsored by the American College of musicians and received a score of 98^th percentile in the nation. For violin, I was a member of the Junior District Orchestra and seated Assistant ConcertMaster. I am now in the of T.J.H.S.S.T.'s Concert Orchestra. For percussion, I auditioned for the District XXII band and was selected to be the first chair percussionist of the band. I now play percussion in T.J.H.S.S.T.'s marching band. In middle school, I was a member of the Show Choir, the top choir for Fairfax County middle schools. This is a choir that sings music along with choreography. I was selected to be Dance Captain of the choir, and was in charge of teaching fellow choir members the choreography for the music. I was also selected to be in the District XII Choir. Finally, I won Fairfax County's Musicianship Award for all three categories- band, choir and orchestra.

I started taking martial arts, Kung Fu, at the age of five. Later, I learned Karate and wrestled in a league. I entered a competition for Karate and won two second place trophies. I also played baseball in the major league at the youngest age possible. I represented my school's track team in the mile run event and helped my school win the track meet. In the recent three years, I started to become active in basketball. I was selected to play for the travel A basketball team for SYA (Southwestern Youth Association), and also selected to play for the school team. Later, I played in a different league, and was selected to play for the All-Star series and was chosen MVP (Most Valuable Player). During the summer before freshman year started, I tried out for the Junior Varsity (J.V) team for the Summer Basketball League as a freshman and made the team. Currently, I am a member of the school's Freshman Basketball Team. For the Physical Fitness Test, I set every record that I could in the pull-ups category for my schools since fourth grade, and my highest number of pull-ups done was 38.

I was the president for my school in the Student Council Association (SCA). I have achieved all A's every quarter throughout my academic career. I have received the President's Award for Educational Excellence based on my grade point average (GPA). I was accepted to T.J.H.S.S.T and continue to receive all A's on my report card. I have also won the 1997 Outstanding Student Award from ACTO (American Citizens of Taiwanese Origin). I was active in the 24 Math Challenge Competition. I entered the competition and succeeded to represent Fairfax County in the 24 Math Challenge Championship held in the NASA museum in Washington D.C. I won the silver medal.

I would like to thank the Taiwanese Youth Arts Foundation, Inc. (TYAF) for choosing me to be one of the recipients of the 1998 Outstanding Taiwanese-American Youth Award. I feel very honored and appreciate that there are such organizations that support the next generation of the Taiwanese-American citizens.

Jason is the son of Dr. Hannsen and Mrs. Linu Y. Su

Julie Liu

I am Julie Liu. I was born and raised in Tainan, Taiwan. When I finished second grade, my family moved here, to the states, and thus beginning my life in America. The first year was the toughest. I didn't even know the alphabets. After a year of struggle, I set the cruise control and the school business was a smooth ride for the next seven years.

Currently, I am a junior at Thomas S. Wootton High School. School hadn't been too hard, or at least as hard as I expected. However, junior year is a different story. There is much more homework and I am not having as much fun anymore. Now my life seems to be consisted of three things: grades, grades, and grades! Being from a Taiwanese family, grades are especially important, though there are other things that occupy my life. Things such as piano and cello take up much of my time as well. I have been playing the piano for almost twelve years and the cello for about seven years. I participated in numerous competitions and somehow managed to win many of them too. For instance, I have won the MSMTA State Concerto three times, the MCMTA County Concerto two times, the Baldwin State Competition, and a few more. On the cello, my accomplishments have not been as abundant. I won the MSMTA Solo Competition twice and also the Gretchen Hood Scholarship Competition. In addition, I have been in Montgomery County Youth Orchestra for five years and been able to attend the Maryland All-State Orchestra for the last four years. I must admit that orchestra is a lot more fun than solos though because in an orchestra, you can play in the wrong key and no one would know. But enough about my accomplishments, let's move on to other miscellaneous things such as the fact that I am the youngest of three children, youngest and the only girl. My two older brothers are in college, which is great because I get the bathroom all to myself. Don't get me wrong though, I do miss them a whole lot, it's just that the joy of not having to share a bathroom with two others guys is overwhelming at times. I guess you get some and you lose some. On another note, I go to Evangelical Formosan Church of D.C. and have been for the last eight years. I must say that God is awesome and that He takes very good care of me.

Well, I guess that's all you need to know about me. If you like to know more about me, feel free to ask me questions. See you around!

Julie Liu is the daugher of Dr. and Mrs. Kuen Rong Liu

Ryan Hsu

Over the course of my life discovering my identity has been a constant struggle. Growing up in America, I have been exposed to two different cultures. It has been difficult to blend my ancestral culture with that of American culture. My life has become a delicate balance between my responsibilities as an American, as a member of the Taiwanese community, and my responsibilities to myself.

The first time I went to Taiwan my view of the country changed. As a child I always though of Taiwan as an independent country. I never knew of the strong Chinese presence over the country. I remember while I was there I got lost. I went and asked a security officer, in Taiwanese, to help me find my parents. He answered me in Chinese telling me that he could not understand Taiwanese. I did not understand why some people in Taiwan did not know their own language. I also couldn’t understand why they thought they were Chinese? After that first trip to Taiwan I have felt that it is the responsibility of my generation to teach the world about our unique situation. As a result, I have been a student of the Washington D.C. Language School for 9 years and have been volunteering my time as an instructor for the school. Another way for me to help the community has been helping out with the annual ‘Taiwan night’ where we all come together and talk about Taiwanese culture. Recently, I have been helping ‘Taiwan night’ by assisting the sound crew. Last year I also assumed the duties of being the Master of Ceremonies. I also was a Resident Advisor for last year’s TAC/EC.

Another important responsibility has been finding myself. As a senior at Langley High School I feel that academics have always been an important part of my life. I have always worked my hardest in school. Though grades are imperative I have always felt that involving myself in school events is equally important. I am active in my school’s Japanese Club of which I am currently the Vice President. I am also the President of the Langley High School Orchestra. In addition, I am the Technical Editor for our school's yearbook.

I have also been active with athletics. I have studied Tae Kwon Do for 11 years and currently hold the rank of Black Belt. I have been the assistant instructor at the Washington D.C. Taiwanese Language School for two years. In school, I am a sprinter for Langley’s Track and Field team.

Perhaps the most important part of my life has been my love of music. Since I was young I have always felt that music was going to be a big part of my life. Music has always been something I have felt comfortable doing and is truly an activity that I enjoy. I began playing the piano when I was six. I have entered the VMFC Junior Festival for nine years and have received superior markings every time. I have won 3^rd place in the Lion’s Club Bland Competition and have participated in the NVMTA annual competition. I have also played the violin for nine years. I have been part of the NVYSA for six years. I have also been accepted by the Killington (1997) and Aspen (1998) Music Festivals where I have studied with many Juilliard professors. In 1997 I received the Outstanding Soloist award from Langley High School and I also won the Most Outstanding Musician award.

These responsibilities in my life have helped me learn more about myself and understand who I am. I know I will continue to help the Taiwanese community by teaching people about our distinct culture and our fight to gain independence.

Ryan is the son of Dr. and Mrs. Jeremy Hsu

Scarlett Huang

For as long as I can remember, I have always striven to be the best that I can be. Success and achievement in several areas were always my top priority. The desire and determination to fulfill many accomplishments has directed me toward a number of worthwhile activities.

I have always loved music ever since I was young. I began playing the violin at age nine and have continued playing to this day. For nine years, I have been a member of the school orchestra. In addition, I have been taking private lessons for five years. Two years ago, I was one of thirty violinists selected to be a member of the Potomac Valley Youth Orchestra. Because of this, I have also lettered in the school orchestra.

Additionally, I lead the members of a club in school called SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions). Because of my active participation during my freshman year, I held the office positions of secretary during my sophomore year and vice-president during my junior year and am currently president. I am in charge of running officers’ meetings and general staff meetings and have the responsibility of making sure that all activities run successfully.

I have also contributed an infinite number of hours to being a staff member of my school newspaper. I began in my sophomore year when I took journalism and was news editor for the journalism issue. In my junior year, I was copy editor. This year, I was chosen to be beats editor. I write many articles and do layouts as well as gather much information on many of the school’s major events.

In addition, I have considered athletics to be a vital part in my life. I was a member of my school’s swimming and diving team and track and field team during my freshman and sophomore year in which we spent numerous hours competing with many of the area schools.

Beyond these activities, I have spent much time in appreciating my culture and heritage by attending the Washington, D.C. Taiwanese Language School for seven years in which I learned Taiwanese, Chinese, and Taiwanese folk dances. I have performed at many annual events including Taiwan Night, the Asian-American Heritage Dance Festival, the Mother’s Day celebration, and at most Taiwanese activities, gatherings, and social events. At school, I have also been a highly active participant of the Asian Club. With all of these activities, I still manage to receive an A average in all honors and advanced placement courses at school.

Scarlett is the daugher of Mr. and Mrs. Peter H. Huang

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1999 Outstanding Youth Award Recipients

Angela Hou

Being raised in a Taiwanese family and growing up in the United States has always been a constant cultural struggle for me. I remember as a child my classmates used to ask me where I was from since I was not in the white majority. I answered that I was from Taiwan, to which they responded, "Oh, so you're Chinese." This always confused me. I was Taiwanese, not Chinese. Wasn't it Taiwan that I answered? Not China. They are not the same.

Throughout the course of my life, this has always been an unshakable point in my parents' beliefs and has now been engraved into my own. I believe that all life exists in a delicate balance and that there are delicate balances within one life. It is a juggling act of three glass balls to the second generation of Taiwanese-American. One is of American responsibilities, the second of Taiwanese duties, and the third of personal morals. It is through this constant juggling act that I have become what I am and what I am proud to be today.

Currently, as a high-school sophomore, I have an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.9. I am a member of Key Club, which involves completing community service hours, including such activities as tutoring elementary students and serving at soup kitchens. I have also been a member of the Junior Honor Society, completing fifteen hours over the required twenty hours of service and maintaining a GPA of higher than the required minimum of 3.5 throughout the entire year.

Music has also played a very important role in my life. When I was young, I loved to sing along with my dad on the guitar. Seeing my love for music, my parents introduced me to the violin, which I began playing when I was eight and have continued to since. At age eleven, I also took up the piano. I have attended the annual Piano Festival every year for past three and a half years I've played and have attained superior ratings each time. For violin, I was accepted into the Junior District Orchestra both my seventh and eighth grade years. Last year, I auditioned for and attended the Senior District Orchestra event and was accepted into the Senior Regional Orchestra earlier this year. I am also a National Virginia Youth Symphony Association (NVYSA) orchestra member.

Since as long as I can remember, I have always loved to write. As a second grader, it was always fantasy stories about beautiful princesses and magical kingdoms. Now, with gained maturity, writing has won me various awards and recognition. In the 1998 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, a national competition with thousands of contestants competing at an international level, I was bestowed with a Gold Award for Poetry for the work I submitted. My writing has also been published in the Fairfax County literary magazine, Fragments, and also in national magazines such as Junior Scholastic and SCOPE.

I have also been active in promoting the Taiwanese people. The previous year, I volunteered at the Washington D.C. Taiwanese School teaching Taiwanese and Taioaan-oe ( Modern Literal Taiwanese) to young students. At Taiwan Night last year, I also assumed the duties of hosting as a Master of Ceremonies (MC). In October, I also helped raise money for the Taiwanese earthquake victims at a nearby grocery store, the result totaling over $300 in proceeds. Recently, I also performed a holiday concert at a nursing home with several other Taiwanese peers.

As each of us continues to grow in our journey through the new millennium, I am discovering more about myself and who I really am. I know for a fact, though, that the Taiwanese people and our unique culture will continue to play an important role in my life all through the future and that this will be something I will always be proud to be a part of.

Daughter of Wen-Chun Hou and Shu-Ching Hou

Cindy Huang

I have a wide variety of interests, ranging from sports to culture to service work. All the activities I participate in reflect on who I am today because they have taught me different life lessons whether I realize it or not.

For seven years I have been with the Washington D.C. Taiwanese School and have participated in the dance and Taekwondo classes as well. The dance class has performed at the Asian-Pacific American Heritage Festival at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C. and Taiwan Night for several years. In the time I have been in the dance class, I have been very fortunate to have Ms. Deng as my dance teacher.

Through the Taekwondo class, Instructor Kim introduced me to the World Classic Martial Arts studio where I have been going to practice until last year. October 12, 1996 is my proudest day - I tested for and received my black belt, which reflects on all the years of hard work and training I have gone through.

More recently, I began the Washington School of Chinese Language and Culture (WSCLC) mainly for volleyball, but also because the conversation class not only helps me in Chinese (and Taiwanese) but also fulfills my desires to learn about the Chinese cultures and customs. I am also doing lots of volunteer work through the National 4-H Organization and Rotary Interact. Since 1995 I have volunteered at the Montgomery County Fair for the 4-H program. Jobs includes setting and cleaning up displays before and after the fair, taking pictures for the County Fair 4-H Press Team, and participating in the VIP Fair Host/Hostess program where I host a family with a child with disabilities and show them around the fair for the day. Also in the 4-H program I am a counselor for the County 4-H Camp (and now part of the County Camp Evaluation/Planning Committee) and the Maryland State 4-H Shooting Sports Camp. I have been selected to be part of the Maryland 4-H Technology Leadership Team in November. In Rotary Interact I participate in as many activities as I can throughout the year, some of which includes the March of Dimes walk-a-thon, Christmas in April, and canned food/clothing drives for the needy.

In my spare time I enjoy writing and computer-related activities. An internship over the summer at Caleum Research/Deus Technologies enhanced and broadened my knowledge of computers, as I digitized, scanned, and masked (on the computer) x-ray images of lung cancer patients.

Daughter of Shing-Kwan Huang and Ann Huang

Melody Shieh

My name is Melody Shieh and I am a senior at Dulaney High School in Timonium. During these four years, I have accomplished much culturally, academically, and athletically.
My musical and performing interest blossomed from nine years of violin lessons, six at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, and was enhanced by three years learning the two-stringed Erhu. I was invited to perform at major events in the Taiwanese community, Multicultural Shows, and New Year's celebrations. I am a member of the Shanghai West Ensemble that performed at Columbia and the Towson University Concert Hall. Aside from music, I also perform a mainly self-taught sport, the pull bell. This plaything has gained me much praise in my school and community. During my freshman and sophomore years, I co-founded the Youth Group at the Chinese Language School in Baltimore in which I taught kids the pull bell. I led the class in performances at New Year's celebrations and other locations.

Athletics have played an important part in my growth as a person. I have been the Baltimore County Badminton Women's Singles Champion for two years as well as the County Tennis Women's Doubles Champion two years ago. The Dulaney Marching Band Color Guard has been an integral part of my school identity and spirit. For three years, I have helped represent my high school at regional parades, football games, and the annual Marching Band Showcase. Aside from school sports, I teach Kickboxing at the Universal Academy of Martial Arts where I receive training in Chinese Kung Fu. My involvement has given me discipline, confidence, and knowledge unavailable to me in the classroom.
Finally, my most arduous yet most rewarding component of my high school career has been academics. As a member in the National Honor Society, I am active in many school activities while still maintaining a high GPA with a heavy course load. I was recruited to be the Art Editor of The Griffin, our school newspaper. My cartoon received 2^nd Place for the Maryland Scholastic Press Association Best Cartoon. This past summer, I was chosen to be a National Space Club Scholar for an internship at the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. It was exhilarating to expose myself to the wonders of aeronautical sciences as well as the world famous scientists who specialized in them.

My endeavors in the past few years have made me a well-rounded person and laid the foundation for excellence as a Taiwanese American.

Daughter of Ron Shieh and Suewhei Shieh

Richard Dzeng

As a 16 year-old Taiwanese-American at Gilman School in Baltimore, I like to immerse myself in many activities and interests. Personally, I consider myself to have two interests aside from school: photography and violin. Since picking up the violin at age 5, I have won prizes at the Maryland State Music Teachers Association Competition and was part of two orchestras. I was the assistant concertmaster of the Maryland Youth Symphony Orchestra, and participated in the 1998 European tour that included performances in London and Paris. As part of the North American Elite Youth Orchestra, I performed in their US-China-Taiwan tour in 1997 and in their Kennedy Center performance last year. Currently, I am a student of Klara Bergovich.

As a photographer, I am a photographer both for Cynosure, the Gilman yearbook, and the Gilman News, the Gilman monthly newspaper. Aside from these two activities, I am interested in many other things. This past summer I attended the National Forensic Consortium, a debate program at Stanford University. There I participated in numerous debates. I am also interested in politics. This past summer, as part of the Washington Workshops Congressional program, I worked as an intern for Maryland First District Congressman Wayne T. Gilchrest. An eye-opening experience, I saw, first-hand, the American democratic process.

At School, I participate in many clubs that reflects my interests. I am a member of the Model United Nations club, Fed Challenge and the Community relations group. The Model United Nations club continues my interest in politics. It is a club that participates in the Harvard Model United Nations every December as a part of hundreds of other schools to create a mock United Nations. Fed Challenge is an economic club that participates in a competition sponsored by the US Federal Reserve Bank, where the club creates a presentation that recommends a raising or lowering of the interest rate. Finally, the Community Relations group is a committee that is comprised of both students and teachers chosen by the headmaster. The goal of the committee is to determine the atmosphere of the school and make recommendations for the headmaster.

Son of Edward Dzeng and Shi-Yuan Dzeng

Teresa Yeh

When asked to describe myself, one phrase I am bound to use is 'Taiwanese- American.' Despite being born and raised in the United States, I feel unbreakable ties with Taiwan and its culture. I speak both Mandarin and Taiwanese at home, in addition to attending the Washington School of Chinese language and Culture for twelve years. I have taken Taiwanese folk dancing lessons for five years and serve as a teaching assistant. Dancing is both an outlet for me to express myself and an outlet for me to share Taiwanese culture with others. I have performed at public places such as the Kennedy center, award banquets (including an instance in which Tiger Woods was present), libraries, Montgomery Mall, Richard Montgomery's International Night, and Montgomery County's Ethnic Heritage Celebration. Another way I spread awareness about Taiwanese culture is through my involvement in Richard Montgomery's Asian American Club. As the treasurer, I aid in planning events for this club and often will center them around informing the public about the strength and beauty of the Taiwanese/ Asian community. In terms of the TAA, I plan to take part in TAA's community service activities by performing at various nursing homes and other public establishments.

Due to the fact that my parents were raised in Taiwan, I have inherited many of the morals and virtues that my parents were raised with. One of the most predominant would be the importance of academic success. Like typical Taiwanese parents, my parents have always stressed the importance of education. However, I have come to realize that somewhere along the line, their dreams for academic success have become my dream. I am a senior at Richard Montgomery and take part in the International Baccalaureate Program. I work hard to succeed in school and the hours of study have resulted in me developing a true love for learning. I rank among the top 5% in my school. I have also been awarded with several honors such being accepted into my school's National Honors Society and Chinese National Honors Society. I have also received the National Merit Scholarship Honorable Mention and Maryland Distinguished Scholars Award.

While academic excellence is important to me, I find being a well-rounded person even more important. Hence, I am involved in many extracurricular activities in and out of school. My love for Taiwanese folk dancing has sparked an interest in other forms of dance, and thus I have also studied ballet and jazz for several years. My passion for dance revolves around the fact that it allows me express myself. I find the same passion and comfort in music. I have studied the piano for more than ten years and currently I study with a teacher from the Peabody Conservatory. In addition to the piano, I also study the flute. I have played the flute in marching band, concert band, and pit orchestra. In the area of the flute, the musical groups that I participate in have won state competition. Knowing my love for dance and music, it should not be surprising that I also have an interest in drama. I am a member of Chapter #1748's International Thespian Society and I have participated in six of my school's drama productions. I have had several dance solos in these productions and I have also served as a Sign Language interpreter for the audience members that are deaf. I also play an active leadership role in my school. I am a member of the Student Government Association and a board member for the Human Relations Association. In the summer, I work at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital and the State's Attorney's Office.

I would like to thank my parents for their constant love and support. It is because of them that I have been able to reach so many of my goals. And it is because of them that I will continue to see my dreams materialize.

Daughter of Tai Ping Yeh and Suzanne Yeh

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1996 Outstanding Youth Award Recipients

Joanne Chi

I enjoy challenges in life and have always kept myself active and busy. Since childhood I have been participating in many activities and playing a variety of sports. I started taking dance lessons when I was young and continued on and off for about eight years. In elementary school I joined the Jump Rope Team and performed all over Virginia and performed at a convention in Georgia. I began dancing with a Chinese dance troupe when I was eight years old, and over the course of eight years, we have performed at the Kennedy Center, many universities, multi-cultural festivals, and numerous places around the area.

I participate in many school based activities. currently a member of the McLean Varsity Cheerleading Squad, my afternoons and evenings in the fall and winter have been spent in cheerleading practices and games. During the spring season, I play lacrosse, a sport which requires a five mile warm-up run every day to stay in shape. Last year the McLean Lacrosse team won the district and regional titles, and was eligible to play in the first state girls lacrosse competition. I also belong to extracurricular clubs including Keyettes, Interact, Teens for Transplant, the National Honor Society, the Spanish Honor Society, and the Asian Student Association.

Another activity that has consumed a great deal of my time is volunteering. I have been volunteering in the Arlington Hospital Pediatrics Department since my freshman year. In hope of learning more about the field of medicine and to help me decide which path I would like to choose in the future, I have continued to volunteer there whenever I have free time. I have also volunteered at Country Day School, Dolly Madison Library and Arleigh Burke Nursing Home.

Having the influence of two cultures has greatly affected my life, and has often times been a guiding factor in the directions I have chosen to take. Since my parents are typical Taiwanese parents, I was ecouraged play violin and piano. I have played violin for three years and piano for nine. I have attended yearly Taiwanese community activities since childhood, the attendance of these activities has allowed me to be exposed to a culture I am not exposed to daily. I am currently a member of the Taiwanese Youth Group and I have gone to and enjoyed TAC. Although at times I complain about the pressures of the two conflicting cultures, I know that in the future I will be appreciative of the influences that the two cultures have played on my life.

The most difficult part of juggling all of these activities is maintaining my grades. So far I have been satisfied with my academic achievement and continued receiving good grades while taking the most challenging courses available to me. Hopefully I can pursue an active path in the future, but my main goal in life is to be happy.

Leslie Liao

Leslie Liao was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho on July 22, 1979. Currently, she is a senior at Magruder High School in Rockville, Maryland. Her interests include dancing, playing volleyball and basketball, playing the piano, painting, and singing. In school, Leslie is a member of the National Honor Society, Magruder Pompon Squad/Dance Team, Asian American Club, Youth for Christ club, and Students Against Drunk Driving. Outside of school, she has been involved with the Taiwanese Presbyterian Church Youth Group and Youth Choir, and Taiwanese Youth Group of Washington D.C. However her greatest commitment has been to the Magruder Pompon Squad/Dance Team. From Ninth grade to the present, Leslie has been an active member. The squad has been very successful, winning the Division I Montgomery County Championship since 1993 (the first county competition) and the first-ever Maryland State Championship in March of 1996. As a junior on the squad, she was elected treasurer, and currently, Leslie is one of the captains on the team. She hopes to continue her dancing in college and beyond. Other leadership roles include being the treasurer of the Taiwanese Youth Group of Washington D.C. from 1993-94, and the vice-president of the Magruder Asian American Club this year. In addition, Leslie has consistently been on the school's Honor Roll and has received the Scholar Athlet e Award since her freshman year.

Nelson Liu

My name is Nelson Liu, Liu Chih-Hung in Chinese and Lau Tiehoong in Taiwanese. I am the second son of Mr. Kuen-Rong Liu and Mrs. Hsiu-Yen Liu. I have an older brother, Frank, and a younger sister, Julie. This is my junior year at T.S. Wootton High school. I am sixteen years old and currently reside in Rockville, Maryland.

The year of my birth was 1980. I was born in Taiwan, Taiwan, on April 30. Being the second son and naturally skinny, I didn?t receive much attention as my brother did. Not much was done by me to attract attention, either. I was the quietest of the three siblings and rarely cried as a baby. My mom would tell me that when I was a baby, I would always fall asleep in the middle of a meal with food in my mouth, then in a few hours when I woke up, would resume chewing on the food. Sort of like a cow. When my sister came along, I got even less attention. As one would notice when he browses through our family photos, there are barely any pictures of me in my early days.

Though I was quite reserved as a baby, which is abnormal, I turned out okay as I entered kindergarten in a local Taiwan YMCA facility. My fondest memory of kindergarten was the first day of school. I was so afraid of going to school that I hid in the bathroom and pretended to be in great pain. This strategy worked to perfection, at least until my mom found out that the door wasn?t locked and stormed into the bathroom to snatch me. Although it was twelve years ago, the memories of YMCA are still colorful and vibrant whenever I reminisce.

After YMCA came elementary school, I attended the Yung-Fu (Forever Fortune) Elementary School in Taiwan. I was a student at Yung-Fu from first to fourth. It was mostly all hard work in elementary school. After the completion of fourth grade came the fateful summer. I learned that my family was moving to the U.S. It felt like the world was ending to me; in a way, it was. I was leaving behind all my good friends and relatives, the delicious food, and our old house.

The second chapter of my life began poorly. I didn?t know any English, and was mocked by a few students. However, my fifth grade teacher and some kids in the class helped me overcome my language barrier and adapt to the new system. The reason I can speak fluent English was due to the dedication of my teacher.

Coming to the U.S. helped me change as a person, I learned to interact with people more than ever and the many opportunities for extracurricular activities helped shape my all around interests. In junior High school, my third year in the U.S., I was already taking a third language, German. I joined the school band by playing clarinet and began playing basketball in seventh grade. I?m currently still taking German and playing the clarinet. Basketball is still my favorite sport and I?m on our school?s varsity team. Science, for the first time, seems interesting to me when we did labs in seventh grade.

So maybe the U.S. isn?t that bad after all. Our coming here is as much a gain as a loss for me. I?ve become well adapted in the American culture, and still keep the Taiwanese traditions. The second chapter is coming along just fine. The rest, they say, is history.

Hung-Lin Sandy Chen

My name is Hung-Lin Sandy Chen, daughter of Cheng-Tyng and Ai-Ing Chen. I am currently a junior at Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, Maryland.

I participate in several activities at school, including Newspaper, Asian Awareness Club, Students Sharing for the Homeless, the North Atlantic Invitational Model United Nations, Model Congress, the Student Health Advisory Committee, the School Basketball and Lacrosse teams, and Choir. I am the Front-page and News Editor of the school paper, the Quill, one of two junior representatives at Harvard Model United Nations, and one of the founders of Model Congress and the Student Health Advisory Committee. Last year I was in Camerata, the highest auditioned singing group for ninth and tenth graders at my school. I am also taking art electives such as Ceramics.

I am actively involved in violin studies at the Peabody Preparatory outside of school. Currently I take lessons, chamber, music, and orchestra. I recently received the Peabody Amateur Chamber Music award last year as a result of my work in my quartet. I am currently first violin in my Mozart Quartet. This year I won a place in the first violin section of the Peabody Sinfonia, the most selective orchestra at the Peabody Prep. In addition, I have been a participant in the Maryland All-State Orchestra since seventh grade. I have also been very active in the community at the Institute for Academically Advanced Youth. have received the full Goldsmith and Holland scholarships for the IAAY's summer programs. I took a Computer Science course at UMBC on scholarship from IAAY. This summer I worked in the Cervical Cancer Lab at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions under the direction of Dr. T.C. Wu. I received the Henry N. Wagner Jr. Science Award for excellence in the sciences as a result of my supplemental science studies.

In college, I plan to major in computer science and pre-med. I also wish to continue to play violin, sing, and participate in Model UN, Model Congress, Newspaper, community service, and Tae Kwon Do.

Vivian Chao

Vivian Chao is a senior at Mount Vernon High School in Alexandria, Virginia.. She is currently an International Baccalaurerate Diploma candidate and is involved in a variety of activities. Last fall, she was a member of her high school’s marching band as a Color Guard captain and plays the clarinet in symphonic band. She also plays the piano for her church. However do not be deceived into thinking that she is brilliantly musically inclined!

Vivian is a member of several honor societies and clubs. Among her favorites are the Young Democrats Club and Biology II club. She enjoys playing lacrosse on both an indoor and outdoor team and has played a number of other sports for her school such as, tennis, soccer, track, and gymnastics. During her rare moments of free time, she likes to hang out with her friends and sleep.

Vivian would like to give special thanks to her parents Felix and Julia Chao, and her sister Angie. She would also like to thank the TYAF for providing the opportunity to receive such an award.