The top students at Lakota West for the Class of 2012 are valedictorian Amanda Lin and Salutatorian Johanna Blake. Lakota East Valedictorian is Shachi Shah, and Dwight Hu and Ian West have both been named co-salutatorians for the Class of 2012.
Senior Amanda Lin says she has enjoyed being a part of the family atmosphere at Lakota West High School, where she has been named valedictorian of her 2012 graduating class.
The 17-year-old senior — who has a 4.8 GPA — plans to attend Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., this fall. Lin said she is currently undecided on her major, even though she is leaning toward pre-med.
“I’m keeping my options open, but the science courses that I’ve taken at West have gotten me interested in the sciences and most of my electives have been science courses,” she said.
Richard Hamilton, the principal at Lakota West, said Lin is a well-rounded student.
“Amanda is an outstanding young lady academically and athletically, too. She’s an outstanding tennis player. She’s just a very strong kid all the way around,” he said.
Lin, who played tennis as a freshman at Lakota West and participated in junior tournaments for the United States Tennis Association her sophomore year, said she also plans to play tennis at Harvard.
She also plans to teach tennis to children at the Riverside Athletic Club in Hamilton this summer. She is the daughter of Rongjau and Chin of West Chester Twp.
Johanna Blake, 18, who has been named the Firebird’s salutatorian has a 4.49 GPA and plans to attend the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Blake said she, too, is undecided on her major but is leaning toward engineering.
Blake said the biggest influence in her life has been her parents, Ed and Pam Blake, of West Chester Twp.
“They’ve taught me how to have a great work ethic as well as good character in general. I couldn’t have been ranked second without their support,” she said.
One of her passions at school has been the visual arts, where she has taken advanced placement drawing and painting. Blake learned Tuesday that she has been hired this summer by ArtWorks to paint a mural in Evendale with a group of students. They will be led by a professional artist during the process, she said.
Hamilton said Blake also is an outstanding student.
“Johanna academically is very strong, very into the arts and a well rounded young lady,” he said.
Over in Thunderhawk country, senior Shachi Shah has been named Lakota East’s valedictorian from the 625 students who make up the Class of 2012.
Shah, 17, said she is planning to major in integrated life science at Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown with a goal of becoming a doctor.
She said the most influential person in her life has been her mom, Parul.
“She’s always been there to guide me and to help me whenever I need it. She’s always there to support me in all my decisions,” she said.
Some of her extracurricular activities include serving as president of Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society, vice president of student government or SACA, and she is a member of National Honor Society.
Hu, who will turn 18 on June 4, said he plans to major in chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University at California in Berkeley. He said he is looking forward to attending college this fall.
“It’s kind of bittersweet because it’s like a new, exciting beginning to the rest of my life, but at the same time it’s kind of an abrupt end to my life here,” said Hu on his official last day of school.
He said his extra curricular activities have included being a member of the varsity chess and academic quiz teams and the science olympiad.
He also was a member of the Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society his junior year.
West, 17, plans to attend Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa., where he will major in electrical and computer engineering. He said he plans to pursue a career in consulting or computer hardware.
West said he is a member of the National Honor Society, the Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society and earlier this year he swam freestyle on the school’s swim team.
He also played clarinet in the concert band and saxophone in jazz band.
Keith Kline, principal of Lakota East, said all three students represent “East’s academic cream of the crop.”
Contact this reporter at dewilson@coxohio.com.
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