Darren Chen (12-1)
Le-Qi Tang (12-4)
Why did you join Engineering Club and what’s your favorite part about Engineering Club?
I joined Engineering Club because my friends were in it and I thought engineering was really cool. My favorite part of Engineering Club is when we build projects, like we had the mousetrap car project when we built mousetrap cars to race against each other. I really liked seeing how people were interested and engaged in it.
What is your favorite part about basketball and why did you join?
My favorite part of basketball would be playing with different people. I’ve played basketball, like, everywhere. I’ve played basketball in China when I visited my family, with strangers at the park… Basketball is a great opportunity to connect with people from all kinds of different backgrounds and I just think that’s really cool. I’ve also played basketball against my pastor at my church which is really amazing.
Photo courtesy of Darren Chen (12-1)
Tell me about the volunteer work that you do at PCDC.
During quarantine, I started volunteering at the food distribution site at PCDC. I helped register people to get food and also helped hand out food to the low income community in Chinatown which is where I live. I thought it was really cool because my parents are also low income and it’s kind of like giving back to the community in a way. Just really proud of that, of what I was doing.
What motivates you?
Something that motivates me would be my parents. Being immigrants, I’ve seen how much they’ve sacrificed for me, especially since they don’t speak English and it’s really hard to live in a world where nobody really understands you. Another thing that motivates me would be the process of improving. I love doing something and learning from my mistakes. Always improving and bettering myself at what I do.
What are you most excited for in college? (Darren will be attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.)
I’m really excited to try new things, for sure. I feel like high school has been a great experience and I’ve learned a lot about myself. I want to continue learning about myself and the world around me in college.
What always cheers you up?
Playing basketball. Or lying down and taking a nap.
What is the most unexpected thing in your possession?
A rock that I found on the ground and never let go of because I thought it was a good luck charm. I found it at a track meet. I just never threw it away because I got so attached to it for some reason. I don’t know. It was a good looking rock. Actually I don’t even know if it’s a rock. It’s like, part of the turf.