The caps have been thrown, and the goodbyes have been said. All that awaits Concordia’s graduating class is a bright future ahead. This bittersweet moment at the end of a long journey is the culmination of the years of hard work, exploration, and guidance that students gained during their time at Concordia.
Meet the Graduates: Cayden and Angelin
Cayden Chng
Cayden Chng is off to Hamilton College, where he will pursue creative writing, a passion that was sparked in his creative writing class at Concordia.
Cayden started his time at Concordia way back in the first grade. “It’s so unique, just seeing how the school has evolved and changed over the years,” he said.
A close-knit community experience is a reason he chose to attend Hamilton College, a liberal arts college in New York. It is a continuation of the tight community he grew up in at Concordia.
But Cayden is ready to explore the wider world. He is kick-starting his summer with a trip to Japan with alumni of Concordia who now live all over the world, which speaks to the lasting and meaningful friendships that Concordia fosters.
His favorite memories of high school are the cherished times spent with friends, talking and connecting on a personal level away from phone screens. He remembers singing all together in choir and musicals, presenting an original poem at open mic night, and is going to miss the interconnectedness and close friendships made at Concordia, but looks forward to coming back to visit the rising seniors.
Looking back at his time at school, Cayden’s advice for incoming freshmen is, “Don’t be a grade zombie. There’s so much more to high school than just study, study, study.”
Fellow graduate Angelin Lou is off to Cornell in the fall to study hotel administration, but before that, she is spending her summer as an intern at a quantitative investment fund.
Angelin Lou
“By studying hotel administration, I hope to be able to foster the spirit of hospitality and service because I want to better serve those around me and beyond,” she said.
With an interest in business and finance, Angelin looks at her time at Concordia and identifies the AP Economics class with Mr. Erik Paulson and AL Business & Finance with Mr. Steven Sgourdos, as the most valuable classes she took, and which helped solidify her decision to go into business.
The TrIBES Trip, the annual trip Concordia students go on, is another highlight she won’t forget.
“I was shown so much support and love from everyone here, not just the students but also the staff and the faculty,” she said.
High School Applied Learning Courses
Concordia provides students the opportunity to discover and pursue their passion through applied learning courses.
According to Mr. Sgourdos, the applied learning courses create authentic experiential learning for students and are modeled after university courses. Some courses include Engineering, Social Entrepreneurship, and Business & Finance. These classes go beyond what AP or IB classes can offer so that students can expand their horizons.
In the Applied Learning Engineering course, students undertook a five-week assignment, formed teams, and devised and developed automated solutions for real-world problems. The students utilized their C++ programming skills and the engineering design process along with the 3-D printers and laser cutter tools in the newly revamped Maker Space to bring their design solutions to life.
“The joy and pride students showed while presenting their projects to teachers and peers was incredibly fulfilling to see. It was a clear sign of the impact of applied learning,” said Mr. Robert Knight, AL Engineering teacher.
University Guidance and Outcomes
Angelin and Cayden, along with the rest of the graduates, are off to new adventures in the fall with the help of four counselors who shepherded the class of 2024 through the college application process with great success.
This year the graduating seniors earned offers from US News Top 20 universities in the United States such as Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Rice, UC Berkeley, UCLA, U Chicago, and Notre Dame, along with top specialized schools and programs such as Babson College, Berklee College of Music, Maryland Institute College of Art, NYU Stern School of Business, Ringling College of Art and Design, and U Michigan Ross Business School.
In the United Kingdom, Concordia students received offers from Imperial College London, UCL, Cambridge, and BIMM Music Institute, as well as QS Top universities worldwide such as HKUST, KAIST, McGill, HKU, University of Edinburgh, University of Manchester, University of Melbourne, University of Toronto, and Waseda University.
The college counseling program at Concordia strives to prepare students to select and apply for their best-fit schools that resonate with their personal values and goals. It is this alignment that allows students to truly flourish at their top-choice schools.
