As the year comes to an end and seniors move on to the next step of their academic journey, we here at the Preuss Insider have decided to interview seniors to highlight their time and accomplishments at Preuss. Hong Wen (‘23) is one such student who has been an exceptional student and community member.

Q: What schools did you get accepted to and which did you pick?
A: “I got accepted into the University of Southern California, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, UCSD, SDSU, CSU Long Beach, CSU San Marcos, and CSU Chico. I chose to go to the University of Southern California.”

Q: Why did you choose that school?
A: “I chose to go to USC because I love the social atmosphere the school has. I am trying to get out of my comfort zone socially and USC brings that perfect mix of academic focus and social life. They also have the major I want [Business Administration] and allow me to focus on a specific area of business [Finance].”

Q: Do you know what you want to do after college?
A: “I want to go into corporate finance as a financial advisor or manager. Working with money and budgets is something I am interested in, and being able to advise people about what to do with that money is something I want to make a career out of.”

Q: What was your favorite high school memory?
A: “My favorite high school memory was the aftermath of my final varsity basketball game in my senior season. My team huddled up and chanted, and the energy was just amazing. The hardwork and effort over 6 months finally coming to an end was a moment I’ll never forget.”

Q: What was your favorite class and why?
A: “Senior wheel. Internship and service learning were stress-free classes that helped me get involved with the community. I enjoyed working with the adults in the office and tutoring the Integrated Math II students.”

Q: Are you excited for college or wish you had more time in high-school?
A: “I’m excited for college. I’ve already spent 7 years at this school, so it only seems fair that I want to move onto the next chapter of my life.”

Q: Who was your favorite teacher and why?
A: “Dr. Weber was my favorite teacher. He was someone I could always look to for advice. He was scary at first, but he’s a funny guy. We had a lot of conversations that helped me get where I am today.”

Q: What advice would you give to other high-school students?
A: “When it’s time to look into colleges and apply, don’t compare yourself to other people. You’ll see videos online, or hear from people who had a great resume and still got rejected. Don’t believe those videos. Everybody has a different story, and everybody has a chance to get into the school of their dreams, even if somebody else didn’t.”