The Lantern
Two seniors achieve title of SalutatorianMonday, June 04, 2012 By Angela Henkel and Lauren Weidinger
Revere seniors Edwin Zhang and Daniel Li are sharing the title of Salutatorian for the class of 2012. Zhang and Li earned the prestigious honor by gaining the second highest GPAs of their graduating class. Following graduation, Zhang plans on attending Yale University with an interest in studying economics, political science and engineering. Li will be going to Duke University, where he will study pre-med and biological engineering in hopes of becoming a doctor. Becoming a Salutatorian requires applying oneself to the most rigirous classes one can take. Taking such classes can boost one’s GPA and allows one to be challenged and allows him or her to realize what he or she is truly capable of achieving. Li shared some advice he would give to future students striving for Salutatorian. "[To become a Salutatorian] you need to work hard and challenge yourself in your classes. Do not take easy classes that you know you will get an A in, but challenge yourself and learn something new," Li said. With the honor and title of Salutatorian comes the privilege of addressing the senior class at graduation. Though speeches may be a terrifying topic for some, Li claims that he is confident now, despite a few nerves before. "[When I learned I had to give a speech,] I was kind of nervous at first, but then I realized it is my senior year and it would be nice to give a speech to everyone before I leave," Li said. Looking ahead to the future, Zhang wants to focus on getting the best education possible in college to prepare for his future goals. He discussed one specific goal he plans to accomplish. "I have many future goals [regarding] academics; one of them is to become a lawyer," Zhang said. Both Zhang and Li mentioned that their teachers were very supportive throughout high school, and helped them through their goals and academic achievements. Li described his experiences with one of his most supportive teachers, Jeffrey Shane. "I like a lot of my teachers. There is no particular favorite, but this year I really [enjoyed working with] Mr. Shane. He really helped us out this year in class with Physics. I learned a lot and he also helped us out in Science Olympiad too. This year the Science Olympiad team did our best and we set a school record. It was a pretty wonderful team," Li said. Li knows Shane from participating in Science Olympiad for two years as well as attending his AP Physics class this year. Shane explained how proud he is of Li and how he has been a terrific student. "Li is simply one of the nicest students I have had. He is polite, diligent, studious, friendly, humorous and witty. His parents must be extremely proud of him; I know I am," Shane said. RHS guidance counselor Linda Weigand talked about how Zhang took high school math classes before he became a freshman, so she was not surprised when he was named Salutatorian. Weigand highlighted some of Zhang’s achievements throughout high school. "[Zhang] received a perfect score on the SAT, he was identified as a National Merit finalist, and he was recognized as a United States Presidential Scholar. Out of 75 students in Ohio selected for this honor, he was selected as one of seventeen semifinalists. His achievements have just been outstanding," Weigand said. Graduation is approaching quickly, leaving many memories of high school left behind. Zhang and Li plan on following their career ambitions at their desired universities. They are both proud of the level of success they have both achieved, and they plan to continue working hard in their future studies. |