More than 40 local students were honored for their academic achievements Wednesday at the Columbus-Lowndes Development Link”s Education Excellence Luncheon.
One Outstanding Senior was recognized from each Lowndes County school along with the students with the highest GPAs in each grade. Eight students were awarded corporate scholarships and five teachers were recognized as Teachers of the Year.
Marquita Gray, the Outstanding Senior and Highest GPA Senior from West Lowndes High School, said the banquet was vindication for 12 years of hard work.
“I really believe hard work does pay off. Today was just that,” she said. “I knew that, in the end, it would pay off. Therefore, I had to work hard and push myself regardless of the circumstances to accomplish all the goals I”ve set.”
Gray, the daughter of Will and Jacqueline Gray, served as Senior Beta Club president, an AP Ambassador and captain of West Lowndes” girls basketball, softball and volleyball teams during her senior year. She plans to attend the University of Alabama to major in biological science in hopes of moving on to medical school and later going into pediatrics.
Kenneth Fang, Outstanding Senior for the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, and Highest GPA Senior at MSMS, also took home a $1,000 scholarship for winning the LINK Overall Outstanding Senior award.
Fang holds the highest ACT score in Mississippi for 2010. He scored a perfect 36 on all four sections of the ACT to earn one of two composite 36 averages. He says a student from Jackson also scored a 36, but he took the title.
“It boils down to your GPA and extracurriculars and mine were a little higher,” he explained. “Everyone who is above a certain threshold can make a 36. It really depends on how you”re feeling that day. I attribute some of it to luck, definitely, on the day I took it. But that semester I did study pretty hard for it.”
The son of Dr. David and Bing Fang, Kenneth moved to America from China when he was 2 years old. He”s lived in Mississippi since he was 7. He credits his parents with jump-starting his academic success.
“My parents were big pushers. Ever since I was 5 years old my dad would make me write essays. My mom taught me multiplication tables when I was in kindergarten. I remember crying over that because I hated them so much,” Fang recalled. “They”re really proud of me after 12 years of pushing me. They gave me every academic opportunity.”
Despite his perfect ACT, Fang was rejected by four colleges. But don”t feel bad. He”ll be attending Yale next year double-majoring in chemistry and economics.
“I could be a doctor, a business man, international relations. I could be a chemistry teacher for all I know. I”m going to wait on what college has to offer me,” he said.
During his senior year at MSMS, Fang played alto saxophone in the band, played violin in the string quartet — which landed him a spot in the Starkville Symphony — in addition to serving as student body vice president. He was also a member of the Chinese Cultural Club, and the March of Dimes Club, which focused on educating people about infant mortality.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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