Bellaire High School is attracting media attention and making history in the process. Nine BHS seniors with perfect GPAs of 5.0 will complete their schooling this year—all as valedictorians.
The nine star students and the colleges they plan to attend are:
- Daniel Chen—Carnegie Mellon University
- Alkiviades Boukas—University of Texas
- Evie Tsen-Ying Kao—University of Texas
- Miles Mackenzie—University of Texas
- Angela Ling—undecided
- Wenson Tsiah-Hao Tang—Carnegie Mellon University
- Christopher Zhou—Rice University
- Shirley Zhu—undecided
- Annie Zhu—Stanford
“I think a big part of school is just being able to explore interests—so I’ve just really enjoyed taking all of my classes and pushing myself to do the best of my ability,” Annie Zhu told 12 News.
Interestingly, Annie’s twin sister, Shirley, who hasn’t decided on a post-secondary institution yet, is also graduating as a valedictorian.
“Take joy in learning! There will be challenges, but challenges are what make something rewarding in the end,” she suggests. “Put the time, effort, and energy into classes, but also explore your interests with different clubs and please prioritize your mental health. When you start to have tunnel vision … take a step back and take a breather.”
This major achievement proves that anything is possible when you work hard. These students took online classes for the majority of the year due to the pandemic and proved that there’s nothing bigger than their ambitions.
“Just not being able to see all your other classmates makes it feel like you aren’t really in class—so having that discipline was definitely more important this year,” said Annie.
The twins have been in the news before this milestone. Their activities garnered attention when they co-founded Fresh-Hub, a nonprofit organization that redistributes unwanted food to the locals.
“And that’s something that’s going to continue on after we leave Bellaire High School with juniors taking the lead,” said sister Shirley.
Both “unweighted” and “weighted” scores are calculated in Houston Independent School District (HISD). The school is expected to hold its graduation ceremony on Sunday, June 13.
“These students are inspiring examples of what can be achieved through dedication and hard work,” said HISD interim superintendent Grenita Lathan. “I am incredibly proud of all of them for this milestone achievement and know that they are also actively involved at Bellaire High School.”
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