As the 2024-25 school year reaches its conclusion, The Preuss Insider would like to highlight some remarkable Preuss seniors graduating this year. They have certainly accomplished many feats, facing much adversity and hardships, yet they persisted all the way to graduation. For this edition, I will be recognizing Emmy Nong.

How would you best describe yourself to someone new to you?

“To someone new, I would definitely describe myself as an outgoing person! I enjoy meeting new people so I have no problem with talking to someone new. I also enjoy exploring new things such as new food spots or places to see the view.”

What have you done for community service over the years?

“For community service, I’ve volunteered with the San Diego Vietnamese Tet Festival for the past three years as a team manager. Other than that, I co-found and run a crochet drive where we donate beanies and plushies to low-income families in the area. I’ve also volunteered at Preuss’s enrollment day as a campus tour guide, math tutoring, Preuss carnival running, and beach clean ups. I didn’t receive volunteer hours for this, but I interned at UCSD’s Cross Cultural Center as well. ”

What were some of your biggest accomplishments while attending Preuss? (Sports, clubs, scholarships, leadership roles etc.)

“One of my biggest accomplishments while attending Preuss would be how I became salutatorian this year. Other than that, I definitely take pride in being the former class president for two years.”

Out of the colleges you were accepted into or the ones you wanted to attend, which were your top three, and which college did you choose to commit to and why?

“I don’t have a top three for the colleges I was admitted into, but my top two were UCSD and UC Berkeley. I ended up committing to UC Berkeley as a Civil Engineering major. I just wanted a change of scenery and to go somewhere a bit further from home. I also value school spirit a lot, which I have heard is more prominent at UC Berkeley.”

What is the ideal major you want to study, and why does it intrigue you?

“As mentioned earlier, I will be enrolling as a Civil Engineering major. I originally planned to do architecture, but I realized I wanted to pursue something similar but involved more mathematics. Overall, I wished to pursue something involving city planning in order to make a physical imprint on my community.”

What is your best attribute that you feel colleges would love to see?

“For my best attribute, I’m not completely sure. If it’s for college, I would say my extraversion. I have no issue speaking to new people and often have no trouble taking lead in any group projects.”

If you had any challenges this year, how did you overcome them?

“One of the biggest challenges this year would probably be applying to colleges. I personally think that whoever said junior year is harder than senior year lied. Mostly just because you have to balance applying to college in addition to the rest of your courses. In the end, keeping up with every deadline and getting ahead on what I could helped me push through.”

What three actions helped make your senior year easier for you? (Ex: Lack of procrastination, preparation, consistency, determination, etc)

“The three actions that helped make senior year easier would most likely be preparation, forgetting nerves for public speaking, and determination. You definitely need a strong sense of determination to keep pushing forward in Senior year. I mentioned this earlier, but it would be best to have a head start on everything. Start your college application essay drafts early etc. Your future self would definitely thank you. As for public speaking, I used to be very nervous about presenting anything anywhere. However, you need to present in nearly all of your senior year classes, so going in strong without those nerves definitely helps.”

When stressed or overworked, how did you decompress?

“To decompress, I didn’t really have much of a method. I just tried to plan accordingly to lessen the strength. If anything, I tried to finish all the work and present as early as possible just so I wouldn’t have to stress the following days when everyone else presents, kind of like recovering time.”

What advice would you like to give to the incoming seniors?

“My advice for upcoming seniors: Try not to miss deadlines. Many teachers are lenient with late work policies this year, but once you fall behind in one class, it’s very difficult to catch back up when you also need to juggle the seven other classes.”

Emmy is an example of an amazing model Preuss student. Her attributes and consistent dedication and devotion to her education were crucial in her success. That mixed with her persistence to excel outside of school, given her community service, serve as a blueprint for other students who want to do great in high school and set themselves up for university. Congrats on completing high school here at Preuss, and we wish Emmy Nong the best of luck on her college journey at UC Berkeley!