Mira Loma Valedictorian To Attend Duke

Carmichael Patch Whiz Kids:

Name:  Joyce Lau

School: Mira Loma High School

Accomplishment: Lau, 17, will join her fellow Mira Loma graduates at today's graduation ceremonies at Sacramento's Memorial Auditorium as the class valedictorian, with a grade point average of over 4.0. Kedar Kulkarni has been selected to address his fellow graduates, Lau said.

Key to Awesomeness: "It's kind of scary graduating," Lau said. "I'm happy for my classmates and am looking forward to going off to college. 

Lau will attend Duke University this fall and is undecided in her major but said she wants to follow a career where she can help others, such as being a lawyer, or diplomat or going into business. Lau said she received a full scholarship from the Robertson Foundation to attend the prestigious school in Durham, N.C.

At Mira Loma, Lau was a tennis captain along with her doubles partner Aradhana Verma, who made it to the section playoffs. Lau was the freshman class president and involved in the Speech and Debate and Key Club (community service) student organizations.

Outside of Mira Loma, Lau started the non-profit group The Apple Project, where volunteers teach Chinese students English via webcam. Lau also worked at the Mother-Baby program at the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services office.

Before attending Mira Loma, with its International Baccalaureate program, Lau attended , which has a similar program.

"One great thing about Mira Loma is that it's a tight-knit community," said Lau, mentioning the SportsARama competition among students that includes arm wrestling. "There are a great group of people and a lot of different cultures that are representative of the melting pot that is the U.S."