Valedictorian, salutatorian announced

Senior Sabrina Chen is one of four editors-in-chief of the Falcon this year as well as president of WiSTEM, a club that encourages girls to pursue science.

Senior Max Chang is president of App Dev club, captain of Mock Trial and concertmaster of Saratoga Strings, the school’s top orchestra. 

On Jan. 29, both Chen and Chang learned that they had received the honor of being the top two students in the Class of 2015.

Chen, the valedictorian, holds a grade point average of 4.84, likely the highest in the school’s history, according to assistant principal Brian Safine, and Chang, the salutatorian, has a GPA of 4.81, also one of the highest ever.

Chen took 17 AP and honors classes over the course of her high school career, but she did not take an AP class until her junior year. She attributes her high GPA to her organization, efficiency and laser-like concentration skills.

“When I'm working, no event or person can get me out of the zone,” she said. “To balance schoolwork with extracurriculars, I  focused on always finishing homework and studying way ahead of time so I didn't get too stressed out.”

For Chen, however, the path to valedictorian has not been easy. Despite her desire to get excellent grades, she said she now realizes that “valedictorian is nothing more than a title.”

Looking back, Chen said that although hard work is important to succeed in high school, overworking herself was not necessary. She often disciplined herself to forego time that could have been spent doing activities she loves such as reading, painting or enjoying nature. 

“I could've gotten by without that extra two hours of Chemistry studying or that extra round of Trigonometry homework,” she said. 

Chen’s study techniques include making color-coded study guides, songs, dances and doing her math homework multiple times.

Likewise, Chang has had an academically rigorous schedule throughout high school, culminating in a total of 18 AP and honors courses. He has managed to balance schoolwork with an abundance of extracurriculars by using his academic interests to “pursue extracurricular interests with intensity.”

“Whether it be developing apps, writing poetry, playing music, digging into constitutional laws or researching a new technology, my goal is to apply what I’ve learned in an academic setting beyond the classroom,” Chang said.

Both Chen and Chang are admired by their teachers, not only for their academic excellence, but also for their passion for learning. 

English teacher Suzanne Herzman said Chen is the type of student who, by example, “won’t let teachers slack.” 

Herzman also added that Chen is a great student because she not only has the work ethic but also the intellectual interest for what she is studying.

“[Chen is] such a curious person and it’s always nice when someone is truly academically curious,” Herzman said.

English teacher Amy Keys shared similar sentiments about Chang.

“What made [Chang] an incredible student is that he’s a really authentic learner,” she said. “He’s constantly engaged in learning and he’s so thoughtful about what anybody says.”

Chang’s friends say they admire his perseverance and work ethic.

“[Chang] is the type of student who doesn’t really give up,” said  senior Kevin Lian, one of his close friends. “He’s willing to put in the extra effort to get a good grade, but he doesn’t let that consume his whole existence.”