A Chat with Fox Lane HS Valedictorian Grace Kwan

Graduation is coming up for Fox Lane senior Grace Kwan. Her resume is what you'd expect from the top student at the school: full of advanced coursework; a prestigious internship with The Stanford Daily and multiple awards for her academic achievements. Kwan was also a science tutor, an assistant Mandarin Chinese teacher and a library volunteer, in addition to participating and leading several student clubs such as the Academic Challenge Team, Robotics Club and Mathletes. She's headed to Shanghai for a month this summer to attend Fudan University to take an accelerated Mandarin program. I caught up with Grace to ask her about leaving Fox Lane, and starting the next phase of her life.

Patch: How does it feel to be at the top of your class?

Kwan: It's a bit intimidating—I never imagined I'd get here five years ago. It's an honor, but I see grades as a stepping stone for college and career; I think it's not just the number that matter but the achievement.

Patch: What's your favorite subject and why?

Kwan: Chemistry and computer science were the classes I enjoyed the most—they allowed each student to do more hands-on work, and have real experiences as opposed to listening to a lecture. It's satisfying—you can actually see the changes in color in lab. I also took an independent Chinese class—I don't speak it at home, my parents speak a dialect—which was challenging with no class to attend, but I found that really rewarding.

Patch: Are there any teachers that especially influenced you?

Kwan: On the whole I have to say there are great teachers here. I had Mrs. Harrison for two years in a row, for AP History and a Syracuse University public affairs class. They were not in my core strengths, so I needed to have a great teacher. She was funny and always took a real world approach. The class had a lot of textbook reading that is self-explanatory and she made it interesting with projects like keeping a current affairs journal.

Patch: How do you balance school and a social life with everything else you're involved in?

Kwan: I don't think it's as hard as most people think—for the most part, I do the work first and get it out of the way, then have plenty of time to socialize. Junior year is definitely the most challenging. But I participated in activities that I enjoyed and had passion for, and in a way, they were part of my "free time." If I do have down time, I try to fit in my piano playing, drawing and running.

Patch: What do you like about Fox Lane?

Kwan: I think the freedom of choice here is good. Fox lane is so well-rounded and diverse and each student can excel in their fields of strength—this was very rewarding for me. I could pursue independent study.

Patch: What's one thing you'd change?

Kwan: More physical freedoms would be great. It's too restrictive in that we can't leave campus, unless you are a senior with two free periods in a row. It's not good preparation for next year when we will have to make good choices about how to spend our time.

Patch: What do you want to do at Stanford?

Kwan: Since I've spent a summer there, I already feel completely at home. I am thinking about a unique interdisciplinary course of study there called symbolic systems, which combines subjects like computer science, linguistics and philosophy, among others. It's exciting to be able to go where I've been dreaming of for year.

Patch: Where will you be in ten years?

Kwan: I would love to work at Google or have my own startup, which is what a lot of people do out there.

Patch: OK, here's five quick questions you don't have to think about. Ready?

Most played song or band on your iPod?

The Goo Goo Dolls. I'm seeing them July 3 in Atlantic City.

Favorite snack for late night studying?

Fruit.

Favorite book?

The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman.

Comfort item you'll bring from home to college?

I have a stuffed animal—Piggy—I got it from a friend for a birthday gift.

What will you'll miss most about Fox Lane?

I'll miss the familiarity of the people I know, and New York City. I love being there and it's exciting to go when I have a free day. I'll miss it though I am excited to be a Californian.