February Seniors of the Month: Kristina Lamb and Waylon Chen

By Michelle Doan and Tera Kim, staff writers
Tuesday, February 26, 2008

February Seniors of the Month Kristina Lamb and Waylon Chen share their high school accomplishments, motivations, and aspirations.

Interview with Kristina Lamb

Baron Banner: How does it feel to be Senior of the Month?
Kristina Lamb: I was actually quite surprised getting it. When I turned in my application, I wasn't really expecting anything. I just turned it in and wasn't really looking for any recognition.

BB: Which extra-curricular activities are you involved in at FVHS?
KL: Well, I am in BBN and Baron Banner. I'm in Photo club and Film club. I don't have a ton of time for leisure, because I am also on varsity track and cross country.

BB: What kind of pictures do you take?
KL: I'm more like a freelance photographer, so I take lots of pictures on my own. I have been doing photo shoots for a couple models, which were published. My work has been published in a few nifty magazines. However, I only do it, because I have that passion and also have that drive. I don't really mind if it gets published or not. It's just fun for me, and you always get an experience from it.

BB: How far are you pursuing photography?
KL: I'm not sure as of now. I really do love film and every aspect of it. I love the fact how you can take whatever you have, such as your perspective of things and portray that on a spring; it's so much fun. The feeling of getting to that point across to an audience or a group of people is amazing.

BB: Who has been your role model to get you through high school?
KL: There wasn't one person that really helped. It was more or less a montage of different people who inspired me, drove me, and kind of pushed me to my limits. Some teachers definitely helped me with some areas, and coaches pushed to my limits than I ever thought I could to my ability. Even friends encouraged me along the way to help me creatively and inspired me. They were always there for me.

BB: What advice would you give your peers and younger students?
KL: Don't do things in your life just because. Have a purpose, a reason, and most of all a drive. If you have a passion for something, don't give up.

BB: What are your short-term and long-term goals?
KL: My short term goals would be to do well in the track season, go to CIF, go to Nationals with our team, do well on my AP tests, try to get scholarships, and try to get acceptance letters from San Francisco and Long Beach. Long-term goals would be to graduate from college and right from there, go to a good career where I can really work my way up to really shine and have fun with it.

BB: How do you balance your busy schedule?
JP: Balancing is all in time management. It really is mostly prioritizing. I used to be really bad at this, but I kind of forced myself into this environment, because it's just what I wanted to do. I wanted to run the BBN and help out, do photography and wanted to be in varsity track. I also wanted to have a job and do well in class. So, forcing myself into AP classes and into these kind of environments molded into what I needed to do.

BB: How is your academic schedule?
KL: Actually, this year has been my first year to be taking AP classes, because in all the other years, I was having trouble with my time management.

BB: Which AP classes are you taking?
KL: I'm in AP English, and it's so much fun and different from other classes. Being a very hands-on person, I love to be involved in that kind of aspect of work. I like to get people involved because it's not just rewarding, it's fun along the way. To me work doesn't always have to be strenuous. If you love something and are involved in something, then have passion about something, it's really not work; you're just doing what you're like to do.

BB: Thank you for your time.
KL: You're welcome..

Interview with Waylon Chen

Baron Banner: How does it feel to be Senior of the Month?
Waylon Chen: I felt really special and was quite surprised when I heard my name announced.

BB: Which clubs are you involved in at FVHS?
WC: I am the president of two academic-based clubs—Science Olympiad and Mu Alpha Theta, which stands for “math.” We're more like a team rather than a club, because we practice and prepare for upcoming tournaments and competitions. It's an opportunity for people to work together as a team to really see what the other schools do and who your peers are. It's basically a chance to get a bigger perspective of the world.

BB: What other activites do you enjoy doing in your free time?
WC: I have lots of hobbies, such as fishing, playing with my guitar, and playing with my Rubix cube. I've played golf for all four years of high school, and this year, I am on the varsity team. 

BB: What classes are you taking this year?
WC: I am taking AP Calculus, AP Government, AP English, AP Physics, and AP Spanish 4. Besides Spanish and English, I also speak Chinese, Mandarin, and a bit of Taiwanese.

BB: Have you always been living in the United States ?
WC: No, actually, I came to the states when I was 13 years old in 8th grade. It took me a while to get used to the new environment, but I managed within two years. I learned a little bit of English in Taiwan , but I don't speak half as well as I speak English now.

BB: Many who come here from foreign countries still struggle just to speak English, even if they have been here for a while. How did you manage to come so far?
WC: It was the motivation. I really wanted to be on top, because I was always on top back in Taiwan . I didn't take any tutors, but my mom speaks English very fluently. My dad lives back in Taiwan though, because it's hard to find a job for a man his age now.

BB: Which high school year is your favorite?
WC: I would say my senior year, because I feel like I'm getting into this world now and I'm getting used to the high school lifestyle. .

BB: Do you have any advice for your peers and younger students?
WC: Don't stress out trying to fit in to what other people think is cool. Just be yourself.

BB: Thank you for your time.
WC: No problem.