By Lauren Farberman
Theme Editor
Senior Audrey Phan spikes anything life throws at her, whether on the volleyball court or on campus.
Throughout her four years at Costa, Phan has been involved in a plethora of clubs, including Together We Tutor, where she aides elementary school students in English, and Lend a Hand Club, where she feeds the homeless. She also played for Costa’s beach volleyball team for three years and has been dedicated to Girl Scouts since kindergarten.
“When I first saw the list of students eligible for the Student of the Year award, I saw so many qualified and talented students that could easily be chosen as Student of the Year,” Phan said. “I never thought that I would be chosen as a nominee out of so many other qualified students.”
Phan said that in addition to maintaining an extremely high grade point average, her biggest achievement throughout her high school career has been her Girl Scout Gold Award project. For her project, Phan travelled to Vietnam last year to volunteer at two orphanages and deliver care packages with school supply items such as notebooks, pens and erasers to the young children. She also created the websites thienanorphanage.weebly.com and vinhphuocanorphanage.weebly.com, after the trip to allow people to donate money to finance the project’s efforts.
Visit her websites: http://thienanorphanage.weebly.com & vinhphuocanorphanage.weebly.com
“Going to Vietnam last year was an incredible experience, and it was really eye-opening,” Phan said. “After meeting all the girls and seeing them without parents, I wanted to make sure my help would continue after I left Vietnam.”
As far as favorite classes, Phan said she has loved every English class at Costa, but her top two favorites are Advanced Placement European History and AP Biology.
“I have never stayed up later for a test than for AP Euro, but I would do it all again if I had the choice,” Phan said. “The unforgettable memories from the class along with the amazing friends I made make it one of my favorite classes from high school.”
Phan believes that Costa is a positive learning environment that has helped her succeed in the past four years.
“I always feel that I am in a supportive environment when I am at school and that my teachers really do care about my well-being,” Phan said. “That, along with the clear and obvious passion my teachers exude when teaching encourages me to try my best everyday.”
Phan plans to attend University of California, Berkeley, and is still considering possible majors.
“One thing that I will take with me throughout life that I learned at Costa is to do what you’re passionate about because seeing my teachers happy and passionate about their lives makes me want to do the same,” Phan said.
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