A large contingent of those with close ties to San Marino’s school community gathered at The Athenaeum last Thursday afternoon for the presentation of the 3rd annual Yun-Chung W. Chang Memorial Scholarships, which are given in the memory of the mother of longtime San Marino School Board Member C. Joseph Chang.
The scholarships are presented to two graduating seniors at San Marino High School who have shown an interest in secondary study in the medical sciences, in honor of Mrs. Chang, who was a pharmacist and physician’s assistant in her native Taipei.
The recipients of the 2018 scholarships are Ariana Harvey and Vincent Li, who are among San Marino High School’s graduating class of 2018.
Ariana is an aspiring engineer, distinctive artist, a self-described ice cream fanatic and senior at San Marino High School. She strengthened her leadership skills by serving as President of Rotary Interact and of Let’s Hope International and as captain of the girls’ varsity tennis team. The Lady Titans won the Rio Hondo League championship in each of the four seasons Ariana was a member of the team. During her free time, she enjoys painting scenes involving historical landmarks, performing in regional piano competitions, and volunteering for the homeless at her local church. Ariana will be attending the University of Pennsylvania, she plans to major in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science with an ultimate goal of designing medical devices and software programs for the healthcare industry.
Vincent’s past four years at San Marino High School have been tremendously formative. He has been able to explore extracurricular activities like Key Club, Speech & Debate, Math Club and Math Team, and Science Club and Team. Key Club has opened his doors to volunteering and giving back to the community, which he does by working with Union Station and the Crowell Public Library. Math and Science Club and Team introduced him to responsibilities of a leader as the treasurer and captain and he especially enjoyed Science Team. Vincent won first place in the Los Angeles Regionals and placed 11th at California State Science Olympiad competitions. He intends to major in Biological Sciences at UCLA with the possibility of tagging on a minor. This plays into his decision to pursue a career in medicine, most likely in orthopedics or oncology.
The scholarships were presented by Christian Daly, representing Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. Daly also presented a proclamation to Joseph Chang and his wife, Shwu, for their support of young people.
The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Michael Harrington of the Huntington Medical Research Institutes, who discussed recent innovations in Alzheimer’s disease research at HMRI during his speech.
Harrington acknowledged Chang for creating the scholarship as a living memorial to his mother. He also encouraged Ariana and Vincent to “find a mentor, then become a mentor, too.” He also encouraged the scholarship awardees to “find their passion in life.”
