Marianas High School Class of 2023 Valedictorian One An, second right, with his mother, Doyi Kim, right, his sister, Yul An, left, and brother Hui An, second left.
MARIANAS High School Class of 2023 Valedictorian One An is grateful to his family, peers and mentors.
During the graduation ceremony last week, the 17-year-old An, who is headed to the University of Pennsylvania, thanked his mother, Doyi Kim, and grandfather, Hong Kyun Kim, for being supportive “all the way.”
In an interview on Friday, An said the primary driving factor of his success in high school is the Aeronautics Club, which he joined as a 10th grader.
He noted that last year’s MHS salutatorian, and the valedictorian and salutatorian two years ago were also members of the club.
He said his peers in the club did not only motivate him, but also provided him with resources and guidance. Inspired, he took a number of AP classes simultaneously.
“I think having those peers around me had been really helpful. They also made me shift my goal,” he added.
He said he is thankful to them, especially “Larry for essentially teaching me everything I know; Vivien for helping me with my essays; Maya for giving me the motivation to go down the path of academia; Heisy for sticking with me when I was at my lowest; and Jaehoon for being the absolute best friend anyone can ask for.”
An said his peers molded him into the person he is now — someone who will pursue a doctorate.
“I never really considered that as a possibility…but they helped me realize that it’s actually something possible to achieve and that I might as well try,” he added.
An said he also looks up to three teachers: Manny Borja, Jeremiah Rother and Quintin Ramsey.
Manny Borja, who teaches high level math, inspired An to pursue higher education in math.
AP Literature teacher Jeremiah Rother is probably An’s biggest inspiration. It was Rother who sparked An’s interest in philosophy.
“I can talk to him about almost anything and he really knows a lot about everything, like math, philosophy, physics. Every time I talked to him I learned more. I would stay after class talking to him and he would give me specific advice,” An said.
As for MHS Aeronautics Club adviser and AP Biology teacher Quintin Ramsey, “he is a really funny and good teacher and has been very integral to my academic life,” An said.
An’s advice to his fellow students: “Follow your passions, not goals.”
“If I just wanted to be a valedictorian, I would have been pretty miserable. Instead, I tried my best to treat every day as part of my passion, making life more bearable. And eventually, what you wanted also follows,” An said.
