“Just do it.” Nike’s famous three-word slogan symbolizes strength, bravery, and excellence. And when one scans AHS’ horizon for these qualities, only one man stands above the rest: Vincent Leong. But Vincent doesn’t just do “it.” No, he does more. As a varsity member on the Arcadia Boys Tennis Team, ASB Class Secretary, and avid member of Science Olympiad, he himself emphasized that “what has made [his] senior year stand out the most by far is what [he’s] been involved in outside of class.”

Starting with tennis, Vincent first remarked how close he has gotten with his teammates. As this season would be his fourth and last, he mentioned, “I can safely call this group of 15 teammates my second family.” Looking back at his past competitions, he commented, “The journey has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs: the thrill of winning against tough competitors and dealing with the frustration of losing to lower tier teams.” But most importantly, Vincent’s fondest memories with his team was “when [they] bonded as more than just teammates.” He reminisced, “On bus rides, we played games like SpyFall or sang karaoke to both ease our nerves for the upcoming matches and celebrate victories. It was also eating dinner after matches that I felt comfortable being my idiotic self.”

Aside from tennis, Vincent has also found his second family in ASB. However, he believed that his role “within the student body is not as vital as what we represent as a group.” He admitted that, although they are responsible for any and all activity on campus, “the most important part of being in any position in ASB is to represent our school through the assortment of personalities and background.” Noting that he hasn’t been in ASB for too long, Vincent now realizes “what true school spirit really is.”

Finally, Vincent is also a proud member of Arcadia’s Science Olympiad team and relishes the times he’s spent with it, which consists of “15+ diverse nerds who adore cramming in the extremely difficult academic subjects. Evaluating his time as a member, he remarked that it “has only taught [him] to be self reliant in furthering [his] education and find a balance between working hard and playing hard.”

We wish you and your future endeavors the best of luck, Vincent!

Photo by SARAH WANG