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我们最新的一届高年级学生准备进入他们人生的下一个阶段, 弗里蒙特基督教会想要表彰三位杰出的人, starting with our valedictorian, Harsha Rajkumar, who will be attending Duke University in the fall. Although Harsha originally planned to be pre-med, 他现在倾向于生物工程和计算机科学的双学位, with a bent towards AI (artificial intelligence).

“But that might change, too,” Harsha says. “There are so many opportunities.“他对科学的研究方面特别感兴趣, 对于他这个年纪的人来说，他已经很有经验了. After transferring to FCS his freshman year, he became a mentee to Edward Njoo, a PhD candidate in chemistry at Stanford University. 他的第一个项目是研究某些草药的药性, which was followed by more internships at the GRIPS (Genomics Research Internship Program at Stanford) program, 他在那里研究复杂的有机化学合成反应. Last year, he was a finalist in the Genes in Space competition, which allowed him to travel to Washington, DC, to present his project to a group of astronauts.

Harsha also participated in track and field for most of high school and joined the varsity baseball team (who placed first in their league this year) as a senior, 他非常喜欢这段经历，他希望能加入杜克大学的一个俱乐部. He credits this surprise love of the sport to Fremont Christian. “It's a small school but has so many opportunities,” he says. “The teachers and students just care for each other so much that you can get involved in any activity.” Even if the activity doesn’t yet exist: Harsha was instrumental in founding both the Medical Research Club and Speech and Debate Club. “That’s another plus for FCS: If you're interested in starting something, it's pretty easy to do.” 

He also feels that the close relationships with the teachers were beneficial in his education. “With small class sizes, I was able to learn a lot more. The conversations I had with teachers and students after class are something that I probably won't forget.” 

One of Harsha’s closest friends is co-salutatorian Stephen Lo. The two hit it off from their first day at FCS, back in freshman year, and not just because they had the exact same class schedule. “He's always smiling and laughing,” Harsha says. “He lights up everyone's mood.”

That’s an important trait to have when you’re the basketball team’s captain and MVP, as Stephen was. “Even though he's academically and sports driven, his personality is something that's gonna take him really far,” Harsha says about his friend.

Like Harsha, Stephen plans to study bioengineering, 不过他将在帕萨迪纳的加州理工学院学习, where he’ll also play for the school’s basketball team.

Stephen attended preschool at FCS but then went through the public school system through middle school. When he tried to enroll in high school, however, he wasn’t able to take the classes he wanted, so he—and his twin brother—transferred back to FCS. “Fremont Christian has a very flexible schedule and they let me take every class that I wanted,” he says. 这对双胞胎的弟弟很快也跟着转学了.

除了篮球(以及参加FCS提供的所有AP课程), Stephen also participated in choir, 他们在FCS演出的《推荐全球十大博彩公司排行榜》中演出, take second place at the Golden State Choral Competition, and even play at New York’s famed Carnegie Hall. He and Harsha also collaborated with the Alameda County Science Fair to form a nonprofit called the More-STEM Initiative, which partners previous fair winners with underprivileged students for virtual mentorships; Stephen and Harsha helped add a face-to-face component to the program. Somewhere in between all that, Stephen found time to act as head chaplain for the student body council and president of the Health and Science Club. 

“I just wanted to share a passion that I had, which was to help in science, and it was so easy,” he says, grinning ear to ear.  “这表明，任何你想在FCS追求的东西都是可以实现的. 他们为你提供了充分发挥潜能的机会.”

Stephen is also very proud of his friend Harsha’s achievements. “FCS isn’t like a lot of other schools, 学生们不想互相帮助，因为每个人都想成为最好的. 看到哈莎和我都在最高水平上取得成功，我很高兴. It’s like a family dynamic at FCS. 这是我想强调的，因为我们不把彼此视为竞争对手. 我们都在这里互相支持，互相激励，成为最好的自己.”

Co-salutatorian Melody Zhang echoes that sentiment. Melody transferred to FCS from a local public school just under two years ago—and she’s incredibly glad she did. “At FCS, you can actually feel the positive energy in the air. There’s so much school unity,” she says. 

Once she landed at FCS, Melody made fast friends with other students—and even her teachers. FCS’s art teacher, Ms. Yuan, recognized Melody’s talent early on. 
“Over the last two years, I have witnessed tremendous growth in Melody 's leadership, self-management, and teamwork,” Ms. Yuan says. “She is creative and a good leader—and adept at problem-solving.I believe she will be a great artist in the future.” With Ms. Yuan’s encouragement, Melody entered the 2022 Congressional Art Competition, which she won for her district; her entry is currently on display at the White House. 

Melody cites Spirit Week as one of her favorite FCS memories. Due to her aptitude in art, 她为今年的返校节设计并绘制了所有的海报. 她还参加了国语合唱团，并创办了创意卡社, which sends greetings to residents of senior homes. “We write uplifting messages and affirmations to remind them that they're not alone in the world and that there's always someone thinking about them,” she explains. 

After FCS, Melody will be attending the University of Pennsylvania to study graphic design and user experience. “Those are both really useful and a lot of fun,” she says. 她希望利用自己的学位从事网站工作，可能还会从事电子游戏工作. “It's fun to see how even little changes to the design and the interface can totally enhance the experience,” she explains. 

FCS is incredibly proud of our seniors. We wish you the greatest of success!

FCS很自豪地介绍我们的两位杰出的大四学生，Jake Meyer和McKenna Nolasco. No strangers to their classmates, 两个学生在课外活动中都非常活跃, from sports to performing arts to student leadership.

Although not quite a 13-year student, 杰克从一年级开始就和FCS在一起，他来自一个FCS毕业生的家庭. After graduation, he will attend Grove City College, where he will major in communication arts and enjoy the wide variety of seasons Pennsylvania has to offer. Jake chose his major because, he explains, he wants to help people, 他知道，要做到这一点，他需要能够与他人良好沟通.

In addition to the numerous sports teams he played on, Jake has been performing in student plays since elementary school and considers his castmates an extended family. 他还曾担任班级委员会成员，并担任过其他领导职务. “I try my best to be kind and to reach out to everyone,” he says, 她补充说，被选为返校节国王感觉是对这些努力的认可. 

During his freshman year, Jake founded the FCS chapter of Best Buddies, an international organization whose mission is to create awareness of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and to provide support for those with them. As president of the chapter during his sophomore year, he attended a national leadership conference where he met other likeminded students from across the country. The experience is one of the main reasons he cites Best Buddies as a high school highlight, in addition to how the organization helped him to grow personally and learn more about treating others with respect. 

“The idea of high school is really fun,” Jake says, “but when it comes down to it, you’re going to be safe at FCS, whether it’s with other classmates or teachers. You feel very valued.”

同学麦肯纳·诺拉斯科比杰克早了一岁——她从学前班就在FCS上学了. She will be attending Chapman University in the fall, where she’ll study business management and play soccer. 

Looking back at McKenna’s school involvement, it’s a wonder she fit it all in  — volleyball, basketball, school board, chorale, handbells, plays. She credits this ability to diversify to FCS and its staff. “老师们一起工作，让你成为多个项目的一部分，”她解释说.

“The school makes it possible to do anything you want to do.” As an example, she cites how her advisors allowed her to alternate one period between handbells and choir, rather than having to choose just one.

The faculty also made sure McKenna could participate in The Sound of Music her sophomore year, even though she had broken her leg. Their creative solution: cast her as a nun in a wheelchair so she could still use the gift of her voice. 麦肯纳的FCS表演历史可以追溯到小学, when she and Jake both appeared as Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz.

她对领导的亲和力使她参加了班级委员会, where she helped plan Spirit Week and fundraisers. 她说:“我喜欢参与做出这些决定，并看到一切顺利进行。. She was also the vice president of Best Buddies. 

McKenna’s family is another exemplar of FCS school spirit. Her brother Jeremiah graduated in 2013, 她的母亲是排球和篮球教练，并在学校董事会任职.

McKenna cites FCS’s small classes as one of its benefits. “You get to know teachers personally,” she says. “They know what’s going on in your life. That helps build a good connection, trust, and respect. I’ve always felt comfortable asking for extra help, which I think I’d be intimidated to do in a larger class.” 

One of her favorite memories was the Mexico mission trip during J-Term, where she had the opportunity to travel with a small group of friends to work together for a bigger purpose. 她说，他们建造的第一所房子是为一个住在帐篷里的家庭建造的. “这真的让我们对所拥有的一切心怀感激, including the opportunities,” McKenna says. “看到你的努力工作意味着什么，这既让你感到谦卑，也让你得到了回报. It’s something I’ll carry with me forever.”

爱丽丝周被评为国家优秀奖学金计划半决赛!

在参加了一个由高中生教授的数学课程后，她发现了自己对数学的兴趣, Math Olympiad for Elementary and Middle School, in 4th grade. After entering high school, she wanted to give back by volunteering to teach a younger group of elementary students and introducing them to the fun of math. She has taught over 40 students in the past two years and will be returning to coach again this year. Additionally, she organized a free, virtual math program over the summer, where, for two weeks, she taught students 4.每天5个小时，让他们领先一步，或者复习传统的数学概念, 以及数学和逻辑谜题和谜语的介绍. After the long process of researching and preparing materials, 寻找其他学生志愿者帮助回答参与者的问题, and advertising to students across the nation, hearing words of affirmation and gratitude from parents and students alike helped confirm that it was all worth it.

In addition to her appreciation for math, Alice has also taken an interest in computer science. 她的目标是将自己的两个兴趣结合起来，在大学里攻读数据科学专业.

We are so proud of you, Alice! You have already accomplished amazing things at FCS and we know you will continue to do so throughout your life!