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