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Valedictorians
Self-Motivated
to Pursue Learning Excellence
May 23, 2005
Self-motivation
is the common thread that has woven its way throughout
the lives of this year’s top graduating seniors. Otherwise,
Valedictorians Nancy Yang,
Plano West Senior High School; Jimmy Yang, Plano Senior
High School; and Philip
Dollin, Plano East Senior High School, possess widely-different
personalities, interests and goals. Meet these rising
stars, whose self-determination has catapulted them
to the top!
Nancy Yang, Valedictorian
Plano West Senior High School
 Emigrating
from China at the age of 10, Nancy arrived in the United States as
a young student in Richardson ISD, ready to immerse herself in the
English language and American culture. She and her parents, father
Ming and mother Ping Shang, relocated to Plano during Nancy’s
sophomore year at Jasper High School.
Achieving a balance between the discipline/work ethic of the Chinese
education system, and finding her unique individualism in America,
Nancy describes herself as ambitious. “I believe in self-actualization;
to be the best that we can be,” she explained. “I’ll
never know the extent of my abilities, if I don’t push myself…It’s
a lukewarm triumph to lapse into cynicism as a way to excuse yourself
from trying.”
She also describes herself as “pensive,” “understanding” and “sensitive.” “Nancy
is a deeply caring individual,” noted Pat Clipp, director of
guidance at Plano West, who explained that, when asked to invite a
favorite teacher to her National Merit recognition program, Nancy
invited a former teacher who is in home hospice, suffering with cancer. “She
knew that he would be unable to attend, but she wanted to honor him.” The
teacher - Neal Gander - is among her favorites. Others include Plano
West faculty members Bill Stone, European History; John Scott, Social
Studies Department Chair; and Sally Meek, Economics.
Nancy’s teachers have supported her in and outside of the classroom.
A competitor, she has participated in several speech/debate contests
and in citizen’s bee and math honor society testing. She is
a member of the speech team, National Honor Society, mock trial and
Mu Alpha Theta (math honor society).
Also an accomplished artist, Nancy shares her passion for art with
others. Her murals grace the walls of “Heart Home,” a
Dallas non-profit after-school care program for economically-disadvantaged
students, where she volunteers in her spare time.
Humanities has evolved as her favorite subject. “It’s
all about people,” she said. “Education, we take uniquely
for ourselves…It’s amazing how much there is to know about
the world. Whatever I do in the future, it will be to help people.
And, isn’t that what everyone does?”
Harvard-bound, with her sights set on an economics degree, she is
interested in advising governments in countries with emerging economies
on fiscal policy. She pictures herself working on the team at the
International Monetary Fund http://www.imf.org/ or World Bank http://www.worldbank.org/.
Nancy’s valedictory address will center around heroism. “I
will speak about how we can be heroic in what we do, even if we are
not heroes,” she said. “I would like to believe that we
have to be tolerant and be proactive in helping others.”
Little-Known Fact About Nancy
“
I played the accordion when I was a little girl in
China. It ’s probably a skill I will never use again.”
Jimmy
Yang, Valedictorian
Plano Senior High School
“My mom begs me to stop doing homework and go to the mall or
something,” confesses Jimmy Yang, a gregarious, light-hearted
research scientist who will attend Harvard in the fall to pursue a
degree in biochemistry and a lifelong dream of becoming a physician.
A “multi-media” aficionado, he said that he easily juggles
watching television, instant messaging friends and doing homework – all
at once. His favorite hobbies are playing tennis, swimming, watching
TV, reading and sleeping! He also plays the violin and piano. He sounds
like many high school seniors, until he describes his passion for
science.
Since the age of three, when he and his mother took a field trip
to Gunter’s Greenhouse (still one of his favorite local haunts),
he has been hooked on orchids, an “amazing, intricate plant,” he
said. His first science fair project, while a second grader at Aldridge
Elementary School, involved testing various types of water on plant
growth. He has since earned countless awards in science fair competitions
while a student at Weatherford and Gulledge elementary schools, Robinson
Middle School, Jasper High School and Plano Senior High School.
 Through the ninth grade, his science fair projects centered around
plant life. However, since the summer following his ninth grade year,
Jimmy has conducted laboratory research to explore a cure for cancer.
Through an internship at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas,
he has researched his multi-year science fair project subject, which
has involved inhibiting a specific enzyme within cancer cells, causing
the cells to become 15 to 25 percent more sensitive to radiation treatment.
“Science fair is a big commitment, but it’s helped me
meet some amazing people,” said Jimmy, who traveled to Washington,
D.C., in March as one of 40 National Intel Science Talent Search Finalists:
http://www.sciserv.org/sts/. During the weeklong Intel Science Institute,
he interacted with top scientists, participated in rigorous judging
sessions and enjoyed a little sightseeing. Traveling is among Jimmy’s
favorite past times. He has visited Taiwan, where he has relatives,
Italy, Greece, Britain, France, Germany and Belgium.
Secretary of both the Plano Senior High School LASER (Learning About
Science and Engineering Research) Club and National Honor Society,
Jimmy said that earning the title of valedictorian is “a perk
of working so hard over four years.” He said that his goal has
not been to achieve good grades, but to “have a good experience
and try my hardest.”
Living in “The Present” will be the topic
of Jimmy’s valedictory address. “As high
school students, we stay so focused on college and
on the future that sometimes we forget that we’re
living in the present,” he explained. “History
is ‘one second ago,’ so we need to make
the most of it.”
His family includes parents Jim and Leigh and sister Linya, who is
currently pursuing her residency in pediatric medicine
in New York .
Little Known Fact About Jimmy
“I read weird stuff like, ‘Stiff – the Curious Lives of Human
Cadavers.’”
Philip Dollin, Valedictorian
Plano East Senior High School
An International Baccalaureate (IB) student, Philip Dollin said that
carrying an all-honors course load is “all about time management.” He
is motivated “not just to get the grade, but to learn.” The
IB Program is a rigorous course of study designed to meet the needs
of highly motivated secondary students and to promote international
understanding. http://k-12.pisd.edu/schools/planoeast/ib/ib_description.htm
Highly motivated is the perfect description of this year’s
Plano East Senior High School valedictorian. Philip
entered the IB program at Clark High School, following an early education
at Sigler
Elementary School and Wilson Middle School. He will
attend the University of Texas Plan II and Business Honors programs
in the fall. His best friend Matt Vera, Plano East salutatorian, will
room with him at UT. Keeping his prospects open regarding his eventual
career
choice, he said, “I’m open to whatever’s out there.”
“If you’re willing to take courses beyond the regular
scope of school work, IB is the program for you,” said Philip. “That
is, if you’re interested in the material and not just the grade.” He
said that he did not expect to achieve the title of valedictorian,
but that he has always done his best in school. “I’m happy,
but not overbearing about it,” he said.
Philip said that he had certain expectations to live up to, but he
never really thought about how his gene pool may have affected his
success, until recently. “Now that I think about it, my grandmother
- my father’s mother - was valedictorian of her senior class,
as was a cousin in Virginia, on my mother’s side of the family,” he
said.
A National Merit Scholar, Whiz Quiz competitor since the sixth grade,
and UIL mathematics state champion, Philip enjoys the art of competition – team
and individual. In fact, he and his friends recently teamed up against
students from 30 schools across the country to ace the National High
School Quiz Bowl, an online whiz quiz-formatted competition in which
speed and accuracy count: http://www.hsquizbowl.org/.
Philip is a member of the Plano East State Economics Challenge team,
which competed in April in Lubbock. For his reading proficiency, he
placed third in the state at the Pan American Spanish contest.
 He
shares his passion for success not just with his peers,
but with much younger, struggling elementary students
in the Hickey Elementary
School T.E.A.M.S. (Together Everyone Achieves More
Success) mentor program. A patient, determined mentor,
Philip’s
compassion shines through as he tutors student Andrew
Moore, a fourth grader, in math
word problems. “He slows it down for me,” Andrew said
of his mentor. “He
explains math, step-by-step, so that I can understand
it.”
“For a lot of these kids, the class lesson moves too fast,” Philip
said. “They just need a little extra time. I also believe that
the mentor program helps their self-esteem. So, in both respects,
it’s a great program.”
One reason Philip is keen on volunteer service is that his mother
Patricia served as a role model in that respect. “She was always
a big volunteer at my school - Sigler Elementary,” he said.
Philip also volunteers at St. Mark the
Evangelist Catholic Church in Plano and has served
as a volunteer judge for local academic competitions.
In addition to the strong support system he has at home – which
includes mom Patricia, father Chris and siblings Thomas, a 10th grader
at Clark, and Amy, a sixth grader at Wilson – Philip said that
Plano, “is a great neighborhood community, and Plano ISD provides
excellent support for its students.”
He credits many of his teachers for sharing their passion for learning
with him, especially educators like David Farquhar at Plano East. “He
takes an intimidating subject like calculus and teaches it in a way
that makes it accessible,” Philip said.
Believe it or not, Philip does have spare time, and spends it playing
cards (poker and blackjack), reading great fiction, like “The
Sun Also Rises” by Ernest Hemingway, and following the Dallas
Mavericks and other sports teams.
When Philip addresses his graduating class on Tuesday, he will discuss “beginnings.” “We
are beginning a new set of opportunities,” he said. “We’ll
be making our own choices and decisions and guiding our own lives
from now on.”
Little-Known Fact About Philip
“
When I was about three years old, I would get really
excited every time the garbage man drove by in his big truck. He even
brought me a t-shirt from the sanitation company. ”
Thought for Graduating Seniors:
“ Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among
the stars.”
-Les Brown
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