Two years ago, Sophie Hong saw her brother solve a Rubix Cube on stage. He was delivering a speech as class president. His speech directly correlated with the different steps to solving a Rubix Cube, and as he progressed with his speech, he got closer to finishing the Rubix cube.
As Hong’s brother finished delivering his speech, he also simultaneously completed the Rubix Cube and the crowd cheered. Seeing her brother deliver this unique speech motivated her to do the same. Hong wants to present something that people would appreciate and that would leave a message that sticks, she said.
Hong was shocked to find out she was picked as the salutatorian for the class of 2025.
She and 49 other applicants had the opportunity to apply for the position. Students who were chosen as finalists had to go through a second round.
“They don’t just take into account grades, they factor in a student’s character, leadership, and extracurricular involvement,” Hong said.
On her application Hong was able to mention various extracurricular activities, including National Honor Society, Girls Flag Football, being president of Lane’s Crayons to Cradles club, tutoring for Chicago Teen Mentors and working as a hospice volunteer for VITAS Healthcare.
A majority of Hong’s extracurriculars are centered around volunteering and helping others. Hong thoroughly enjoys volunteering, and she likes to see the impact of what she’s done in her community, she said.
Doing all this can be difficult to balance, Hong said. Apart from her extracurricular activities, Hong makes it a point to go to the gym each day after school, while it’s not flag football season. She does this to balance her school and personal life and keep her from becoming overwhelmed. “It really helps me to establish a routine and take care of myself,” Hong said.
Something Hong does to help stay on top of her school work is to utilize each of the resources provided by teachers. In her experience, they prepare her well for tests. Hong also finds other study methods to be beneficial as well. “I do spaced repetition, meaning studying over many days, because it helps me retain the information better,” she said. “I have learned that cramming is not beneficial.”
After high school Hong, will be attending the Honors College at Michigan State University as a psychology major. There, she was offered a research position with the possibility to conduct research as a freshman and sophomore. “They were very generous with everything. I plan to take advantage of every opportunity that MSU has to offer,” Hong said.
Now, Hong thanks each person who has helped her on her journey — family, friends and teachers included. Her parents have supported her every step of the way, being a huge support pillar during high school.
And her teachers have played a crucial role as well. “I wish I could list all of them, but there are too many, a testament to the greatness of Lane, and I would be talking forever,” she said. “However, there are many teachers who have taught me valuable lessons, academically and personally, and I hope they know who they are.”
She has come a long way, and Hong would like to leave a message to the students here at Lane. For the upperclassmen, set a goal for yourself and stay determined, push through — you can do it. For the underclassmen, she urges them to find their community at Lane, no matter how niche their interests are. “You will find your people, just don’t give up on searching,” Hong said.
