After taking AP US History with Christopher Parrett, valedictorian Chesley Chan found her intended major: Social Science. She plans on attending Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, to double major in music performance and social sciences.
“I simply cannot live without playing the clarinet and the social sciences have always intrigued me,” Chan said.
Throughout high school, Chan felt an internal motivation to succeed.
“I am my biggest motivator,” Chan said. “Because I know that my future is in my hands and that I can achieve anything as long as I set my mind to it.”
Chan said focusing on passing one of her hardest classes, AP Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics with William Daniel, helped her stay focused to achieve her goals.
“I tried really hard to consistently study and attend after school study sessions,” Chan said.
Chan’s activities included Spanish club, Spanish Honor Society; Math club, Math Honor Society, marching band, wind ensemble, Florida symphony and All-State band, music honor society and national honor society and Youth Orchestra.
“My fondest memory in high school was advancing into the finals with our marching band show, Box, my junior year at the Florida Marching Band coalition State Championship for the first time in eight years,” Chan said.
Balancing band, extracurriculars, school and time became one of her biggest struggles in high school.
“Balancing my time is one of my biggest struggles because I can easily spend hours in one subject or practicing clarinet,” Chan said.
In Chan’s spare time, she likes to watch movies and spend time with friends and family.
“City of Stars is one of my favorite movies because every single frame and number in the film is a work of art,” Chan said.
Chan said her least valedictorian-like quality is being a really slow worker and getting distracted early.
“I think a clear focus on your long term goals, lots of time commitment, genuine interest in what you’re learning and discipline is what it takes to be a valedictorian,” Chan said.
Getting accepted into three (Cornell University, Emory University and Princeton) of the nation’s top 20 colleges and universities, qualifies Chan as one of the school’s four OCPS’s Super Scholars.