Sharon Fong, a hero in the midst of college app season

Guidance secretary Sharon Fong hard at work with seniors' college applications.

She is virtually unknown to students not in the senior class, yet she’s essential to seniors’ hopes, plans and dreams. She toils hundreds of hours during application season in order to help get secondary school reports, teacher recommendation packets, and midyear packets done on time, yet she’s little seen or heard out of the office. This superhero who labors on behalf of seniors is none other than guidance secretary Sharon Fong.

Fong, who has worked at the school for 15 years, processes secondary school report packets and National Merit applications, sends transcript requests and oversees Senior Awards Night and graduation ceremonies, among other duties.

During college application season, which peaks between October and early December, Fong is often at her desk processing school report packets—that means working with as many as 351 seniors, some of whom apply to 10, 20, or even 30 colleges.

“Like any job, it gets very busy and hectic,” Fong said. “But it’s very rewarding.”

Fong said that the rest of the guidance department has helped her be successful.

“I work in a very teamwork [oriented] environment and really enjoy the people I work with,” Fong said.

Many seniors have been quick to notice that Fong puts a tremendous amount of time into her job. Fong recounts a time in which her work was appreciated by someone from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

“Many years ago, when I had completed the National Merit Scholarship applications, a National Merit representative called [former assistant principal Gail Wasserman],” Fong said. “He told [Wasserman] that the applications looked absolutely perfect. I was pretty proud of that. This was very long ago—back when I used a typewriter!”

Students say that Fong is among the most diligent people on campus.

“She definitely seems very hard-working,” senior Tim Park said. “I can’t imagine how hard her job is. I’m very grateful that she works so hard for us.”

Fong said that while she enjoys all aspects of her job, she especially enjoys Senior Awards Night and graduation.”

“I enjoy [Senior Awards Night] because the kids are being recognized for their achievements,” Fong said. “I also enjoy  graduation a lot. It is sad to see the seniors graduating, but many of them come back and visit me.”

Fong, of course, gets so familiar with the seniors that she can recognize most by face.

Even with all the challenges of her job, Fong says that she wouldn’t want to work anywhere else.

“I love my job,” she said. “I enjoy the people I work with and getting to know the students each year.”