1993 Outstanding Youth Award Recipients

Davy Vuan

I, Davy Yuan, am currently a senior in Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School. During the four years in Wootton, I have ranked top 10% in my class and maintained a grade point average of 3.79. In Wootton, I participated in physics Team, Patriot Pride Club, Racquetball Club, Indoors Track, Pensation (Literary Magazine Club), National Honor society, Asian-American Club, and Cross-Age Teaching in Science"(CATS). In CATS, I often traveled on Friday, to an elementary school to teach and arouse elementary students' interest in science. During my third year in Wootton High School, I received a special grant by Howard Hughes Medical Institute, National Institute of Health and Montgomery County Public School to research in a fully equipped laboratory at National Institute of Health. Besides the academic involvement in school, I explored my talent in art and science by participating and competing in many extracurricular activities. I ventured into my artistic talent by training and mastering the art of Taekwondo. I have been training for about 5 years. Presently, I am a certified first degree black belt and an assistant instructor of Taekwondo in Taiwanese school funded by Taiwanese Youth Arts Funds, Inc. To sharpen the art of Taekwonodo, I competed in several Taekwondo tournaments and won first place three times.

Moreover, I also sharpen my mind and patience by practicing the art of Chinese Calligraphy and competing in Chinese Calligraphy competitions. In these competitions, I took third and forth place in Chinese calligraphy sponsored by CCACC and WMACS. In the area of science, I expand my talent by learning and entering in Engineering and Biomedical contests such as the National Engineering Design Challenge and American Federation for Clinical Research Student Research Symposium. In the National Engineering Design Challenge sponsored by JETS, NSPE, N1'N, and Johns Hopkins University, I took second place in Maryland state finalist. As for American Federation for Clinical Research Student Research Symposium, I was honored and received the National Institutes of Health Award for outstanding accomplishments in biomedical research.

Davy is the son of Mr. & Mrs. John Chen-An Yuan

Erin Ou

Outstanding achievements as well-rounded student is not and easy task to embark upon, but with dedication and perseverance. I engage in many different activities, yet still maintain a strong academic record. I enjoy spending a great deal of my time getting involved in extracurricular activities because they help in giving me a chance to express myself a better playing both the violin and the piano are two example of which loan for my aesthetic pleasures, along with painting and sculpting. I enjoy rehearsing in the string ensemble and quartet because I learn a great deal about the violin. The playing level is higher, the needed skills are greater, and plus, music is much more intense in the county orchestra, but I still find the ensemble and quartet at school rather pleasurable. Playing the piano with a great passion is also another hobby of mine. After playing the piano for twelve consecutive years, I have learned to play with full expression and enthusiasm where I can put in my own interpretations. Lastly, through painting and sculpting, I can take pleasure in expressing myself. I have created many art pieces, both sculpting and paintings, which were exhibited at the county fair and were also displayed in literary magazines (paintings). Other extracurricular activities I am involved with are mostly school related. The various clubs I am involved in at school are the International Club, Math Team, and the Asian Awareness Club, in which I am the treasurer of, and most importantly, the volleyball team. This is the most important to me because this helps me maintain a good attitude towards many different aspects of school life. As captain of the volleyball team my sophomore year, I have learned to work with the team and our coach in order to help us keep positive attitude landing us to a victory. Being on this team also has not only provided me with school spirit, but also has helped me condition my body both physically and mentally. The Asian Awareness Club was also a big part of my school life. I attend Wilde Lake High School where the background and culture of the people make the school special. The goal of the Asian Awareness club is to make others aware of the different backgrounds in our school and to take everyone proud of whom they are.

Leadership is a quality of which I have had many titles, treasurer of the Asian Awareness Club, an orchestra officer, concert mistress of the orchestra, and the quartet, and captain of the volleyball team. I was also the president of the 1992-1993 Baltimore Taiwanese Youth Group in which I had to organize and restart. Another important position I help was being a residential advisor in the Taiwanese American Conference on the East Coast (TAC/EC) of 1993. The elite group was to organize activities and maintain order among the five hundred participating youth. Out of these forty-five collegiate, I was the youngest individual who had the same responsibility as the others to help set up and run the activities over these five days.

I have been a member of the Taiwanese American Association all of my life, and as a member, I have participated in most, if not all, of these events. Ever since I was little, I attended and supported the many events. The older I grew. the more involved I became. After attending TAC/EC many Times, I finally decided to get involved in the planning. Helping people understand that they should be proud to be Taiwanese. I have heard Taiwanese people say that they were "Chinese? which is upsetting that they are that ignorant. After attending TAC, I attended another youth conference in North Carolina in which I represented the Baltimore Taiwanese Presbyterian Church. Out of the three thousand youth, I was one of fifteen Taiwanese attending this conference. The people there came from places as far as Mississippi or California where the majority was Caucasian and had never experienced racism before. I talked to them about what it feels like to be Taiwanese and that it was not the same Japanese or Chinese. I am positive I have charged their perceptions about some cultures, which satisfies me. The Taiwanese community around my area is strong and I also decided that it came time to restart the Taiwanese Youth Group, also to make a positive change in our society.

I have always been successful in my studies at school. While maintaining my many activities, I still keep up a very strong academic record. My cumulative grade point average (CPA) was 3.9375 (receiving a 4.0 my sophomore year). earning fifteen and three-quarter credits at the end of the 1992-1993 school year. By the end of my junior year. I will receive twenty-five credits through our school only requires twenty credits to graduate. I am working towards another 4.0 this year, and hopefully I will be successful. I am also eligible for graduation under merit standards. This school year. I am taking two college credit courses and the rest Gifted and Talented (GT) courses. Two years ago, I received a departmental math award. which pushed me to work harder throughout high school.

Finally, I ranked in the top five percent of American high school Students, thus receiving an award from the United States Achievement Academy. I feel that my studies are extremely important and that high school is the most important time in life. I have worked hard in all I have done and I plan to work hard for all that I do. In the end, they always give me extreme satisfaction, looking back to see what I have accomplished, both for myself and other people.

Erin is the daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Young-Shi Ou

James Hsiao

Whenever I look at the wide range of possible fields of study which I could pursue, I almost always narrow down my choice to the field of molecular biology. Research, in reaching the molecular level, has moved itself in a definitive direction towards improving health diagnosis and treatment. In trying to get an early start in research, I have pursued many research experiences in molecular biology. The first was NIH-funded Minority Summer Research Apprenticeship Program at the University of Maryland Baltimore County in which I researched DNA purification methodologies. During the second semester of the following school year, I held a research position in the Microbiology and Immunology Department of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, through which I researched recombinant plasmid vectors and Bordetella Pertussis virulence genes. This past summer, I worked at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, through a fellowship from the Retinis Pigmentosa Foundation, conducting research on a miicrodissected library of the disease locus containing the gene responsible for Usher syndrome. Presently, I am conducting research in oncology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, I have presented research at the 1992 Eastern-Shore American Chemical Society Convention and at the 1993 National Institutes of Health Poster Day, and have won three grand prizes at the 1993 Baltimore Science Fair.

I have been a co-author of several publications made from the documentation of my research experiences: two articles on acrylic graphs in the 1991 Journal for Advanced Research the Maryland Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology, along with a pamphlet entitled "Analysis of Surveys of Substance Abuse Among Adolescents in Howard County, Maryland," which was presented to the Howard County Board of Education.

In balancing out schoolwork and research with an avocation, I have made music an integral part of my life. My involvement as a violinist in the Maryland Youth Symphony Orchestra has taken me on a concert tour of the Far East (1987) and to the 1992 international Festival of Youth Orchestras at Valencia, Spain. I have performed three years in the Maryland All-State Orchestra, and currently perform for my third year as a first violinist in the Centennial High School Orchestra, I have won Second Place and Honorable Mention awards at the 1988 and 1990 Maryland Music Teacher's Association Spring Festivals. I have also pursued the sport of tennis, playing on the Centennial High School Team Orchestra my freshman and sophomore years (JV and V),and currently play for the Greater Baltimore Region Tennis Patrons Association.

Aside from music and sports, I like to contribute to my school in other ways, I was a staff reporter for Centennial Wingspan newspaper in my junior year, and now serve as News Editor of the paper. I have been a member of the Centennial Mathematics Team from freshman year up to the present, and have received an award for placing in the top 20 in the countywide mathematics league in my junior year. I participated in the Model United Nations Club in my sophomore year and attended the 1992 Model United Nations Delegation at the George Mason University.

I have also set some time aside to provide assistance to my community. I have participated in annual orchestral performance for the Wintergreen retirement home, and performed in the 1991 Benefit concert at the Lyric Opera House in support of the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Organization. I have volunteered periodically for the American Red Cross Blood Donor Center, and have done volunteer service through the National Honors Society for the Harmony Hall retirement center. I am now volunteering for the Columbia Volunteer Corps by tutoring for Saturday School students at the Jeffers Hill Elementary School.

James is the son of Mr. & Mrs. Tzong-Yang Hsiao

Jeffrey Ko

Over the last few years I have tried to extend myself as much as possible. I know many people who are afraid of extra work, but I see it as a way of seeing who I am. Trying different activities tells me what I like and dislike, I know, though, that no matter what, my education comes first.

I started private lessons for the violin when I was in fourth grade. Last year I switched from the violin to the viola. In recent years I have played both the violin and the viola in the school orchestra, Montgomery County Youth Orchestra, and various quartets.

Besides playing instruments, I play sports. Since the sixth grade I have been playing table tennis. Through my coaches' training I have played in various tournaments like the U.S. Open and the Junior Olympics, in which I have played in every year for the past seven years. At the Junior Olympics I have won many medals, including two silver medals for the Maryland State Team the last two years. Some people would say if you play table tennis it is only natural to play tennis. So since the ninth grade I have played seriously with both private and group lessons. I could probably make the school team if it didn't coincide with the volleyball season. For the past three years I have played in the Taiwanese Volleyball Club that I help organize. The year the time spent at the club helps to prepare me for the volleyball team at school (which the coach has guaranteed me a spot). Another sport that I have picked up is sprinting on the track team. This past year I sprinted on the JV team, but I will be on the varsity team for Indoor Track. Sometimes I wonder where I can find the energy to play so many sports.

Everything isn't fun and games all the time, Responsibility has taken up a large portion of my time also. On Sundays I teach table tennis at Taiwanese school. Teaching kids to start something new is not as easy as it sounds. It takes a lot of patience and understanding. Another position I held was manager of the indoor track team. I organized their times, events, and records. But 1 also learned from the experience, I saw how hard they worked and that is why I joined track myself. Right now, though, I am managing the girls? volleyball team. Besides having responsibilities, I use the time to gain volleyball tips to improve my own skill.

Being a member of the Taiwanese association gives me a chance to interact with others like myself. Whenever I have the chance I try to use those opportunities. My family goes to most of the celebrations like Mother's Day, Taiwan Night, Lunar New Year, etc., and so over the years I have had the opportunity to participate in some of them. Sometimes I have performed with the Taiwanese orchestra, and this past year I performed with a quartet, both on Mother's Day and Taiwan Night. I have also participated in Taiwanese table tennis tournaments and tennis tournaments. But the two activities I have enjoyed the most have been this past summer's TAC and Taiwanese Homecoming for the past two years. These two events allow me to spend time with Taiwanese youths like myself.

The most important part of my life right now, though, is my studies. The top universities do not want someone who doesn't apply himself. I have been on the honor roll all four years and maintain a G.P.A, of 3.93. My S.A.T. scores have been 1430 and 1440, but by parts they add up to 1460. It is because I apply myself and also do other things that I was accepted into the National Honors Society. Another association that I am part of is the Math Team, in which I was B-Team captain last year, and a member of the A-Team this year. I hope that I continue to keep up my grades for years to come.

The last part of extending myself is helping others. This means volunteering to help the community. The last two summers I volunteered at Doctor's Community Hospital. During the school year I volunteer on Saturday's with the handicapped and am a member of our school's community service group. After all, what good is it to lead your life,

James Lo

I am a 17-year-old senior at Langley High School in McLean. Virginia. I have bean attending Chinese School for a very long time at Potomac Chinese School and the Northern Virginia Chinese School. I have been involved in some Chinese School competitions such as the calligraphy and speech contest. In school I have been in the school band since my freshman year. I am part of the school marching band, wind ensemble and jazz lab. I am the rank loader, section leader and lead saxophonist in each of the respective ensembles. I have also been part of the Pitt Orchestra for my school musical and another musical set up by the WildWood Summer Theater. In both musicals I was playing the Reed I part. Last year I was also in the All District Band as an altosaxophonist. In addition, I have been playing the violin since the 4th grade. I used to play in the school orchestra and the McLean Youth Orchestra and Ensemble. But, I now study privately. In the school I also participate in the school athletic teams. Last year I played on the football team as a linebacker and defensive end. For the past two springs, I did track and field as both a sprinter and thrower. Outside of school in the winter I play on a church league basketball team and in a McLean community league. In the community I am in a Boy Scout troop. In Boy Scouts, I help to lead my troop as an Assistant Junior Scoutmaster. In the band, I help in leadership as a rank lander, lead saxophonist, and section leader as I already stated.

For participation in Taiwanese activities. I almost always come to the annual Taiwan Night activity. Furthermore, this past summer I was helping the youth program in the Taiwanese-American Conference in Delaware as an "RA." Moreover, I participated in the performance of a choreographed dance and also performed a musical piece on the alto saxophone.

In school, my academics have in general gone very well. I take some of the most challenging courses my school has to offer. Yet, I still am able to attain a CPA of 3.9 along with all my activities. I am now in the highest French, English. mathematics. social science and science classes my school has. This year I am taking four AP classes. I scored a 5 out of 5 on the American History AP test last year. And I scored a 790 out of 800 on the Math 2 Achievements test. James is the son of Mr. & Mrs. David Lo