No one can deny the satisfaction of being accepted into a team, class, or school. Now imagine being accepted into one of the most competitive colleges, where the acceptance rate is only 5%. Andrew Song (12), better known as AJ Song, gets the extraordinary opportunity to boast about his incredible achievement of being the only student in the Yorba Linda High School senior class of 2019 to consider the choice of attending Stanford.

Being able to attend an Ivy League college requires a transcript as impressive as Song’s. In a regular school day, he attends eight classes, including his zero and after school periods consisting of the extracurricular activities orchestra and Academic Decathlon. During the day, he tackles five AP classes and maintains strong grades of A’s in all of them. After school, he plays varsity tennis, a sport he has played for four consecutive years. Aside from the conventional curriculums and sports team, Song is also involved in many active clubs established on campus; he is is the president of Acing Autism as well as the president of National Honor Society and Spanish Club. He also participated in the speech and debate program during his sophomore and junior year.

At Stanford, AJ wishes to major in biology/biomedical engineering. With a promising future, he aspires to be a doctor.

When asked about how he upholds such high academic standards, he admits that he can “get mentally tired having to balance his packed schedule.” Nevertheless, he enjoys “capitalizing on the opportunities in life,” and mentions how he can only experience high school “once in [his] lifetime.”  

Not only is Song immensely academically gifted, he is also well-loved by his peers and teachers. Shiven Rawal (12) rejoiced when he learned about the news of Song’s admission into Stanford, stating that “[Song] truly deserved every great opportunity presented to him.” Mrs. St. Amant (Staff) thanks Song for “fulfilling [her] dream” of having “one student being accepted into Stanford.” With being in her class for only four months, she expresses how Song is a “real stand up guy with integrity” that manages a “great work ethic.” Despite the class’s difficulty, AJ Song always enters the room with a “big smile” that “makes the day more entertaining.”

At YLHS, everyone is proud of another admission into such as prestigious university. As his high school career concludes, Andrew Song faces a bright future at Stanford University.