The Cupertino Courier

Cover Story

Photograph by Vicki Thompson

Yay: Melody Lin shouts with joy after receiving her diploma from Lynbrook High School.

Movin' On

Graduates begin journey to adulthood

By Erin Hussey

Ashley Orton was in the seventh grade when she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes, and spent three days in the hospital learning how to manage her disease.

That's the only time that Ashley, a 17-year-old athlete and theater performer who recently graduated from Cupertino High School, has ever slowed down.

"My brother knew of someone who used [diabetes] as an excuse to stop doing stuff, but I've never thought of it that way," says Ashley. "It didn't stop me from doing anything."

Ashley continued participating in basketball, soccer, volleyball and cross country, but when she entered Cupertino High School as a freshman in 2003 she realized something was missing from her already busy schedule: acting.

"I've always loved to perform," she says.

Ashley landed her first acting job as a toddler, modeling clothes at her parents' small children's clothing company in Cupertino. By age 5, she was performing at community theaters. But when Ashley entered middle school, she wanted to focus on sports and let acting fall to the wayside.

"When I got into high school I was on the varsity soccer team and I liked it, but I realized I missed that acting part of my life," she says. Ashley decided to enroll in a drama class.

"I had always thought of drama as an easy class. I learned quickly that it was a real class and the teacher had a lot of good things to teach me."

Ashley was cast in a variety of school shows, including musicals, and also started performing for the Sunnyvale Community Players company.

"I just loved it," says Ashley. "I couldn't get enough of it."

Ashley also joined the school's choir and comedy sports club.

Although she did have to make some concessions due to her diabetes, including fitting costumes to hide her insulin pump, Ashley never let the disease get the best of her.

"We knew she was struggling with it all the time, but we never saw her sweat about it," says Arcadia Conrad, drama teacher at Cupertino.

Despite her hard work and impressive acting resume, it wasn't until this year's spring musical that Ashley felt she was truly acting.

"Even though I've done theater my whole life, I feel like this year I started to really mature into it; that I finally got my chance to show what I could really do with a part," she says.

Ashley was cast as Miss Adelaide in the Cupertino High production of Guys and Dolls. She spent hours working on her accent, comedic timing and understanding the personality of the bubbly Miss Adelaide.

"There are so many times in your life where you feel like that was a great class, but I didn't work as hard as I wanted to, or that was such a great opportunity but I didn't really take advantage of it," says Ashley. "But I felt like with Adelaide I really did it."

Off-stage, Ashley helps educate younger children living with diabetes.

Ashley is set this fall to major in biology at Brigham Young University. But she admits that might change.

"Ever since I was diagnosed with diabetes, I've been really interested in life sciences, but doing Adelaide this year has made me really think, so I am going to audition for BYU's musical dance theater program."

The program is highly competitive.

"I'm going to give it my best shot--take dance classes and vocal coaching this summer and really give it my all," Ashley says.

Peter Lu honed leadership
skills on district board

By Cody Kraatz

Peter Lu walked into a firestorm he never saw coming.

The recently graduated Monta Vista High School senior had started as the student representative on the Fremont Union High School District Board of Trustees last summer when controversy erupted over the resignation of two popular Monta Vista teachers and the firing of the district superintendent, Stephen Rowley.

"It was difficult to say the least. I didn't know what to expect,'' said Lu. "Being thrown into the fire within the first couple meetings was pretty stressful. I had to grapple and come to terms with what my position was and what it should be."

At first struggling to remain an impartial bystander, Lu later recognized a responsibility to exert his influence, realizing impartiality would not best represent his fellow students.

"I guess I got my point across eventually," he said.

Sharon Prefontaine, the Monta Vista speech and debate coach, advised Lu as he prepared his statement.

"He was very concerned about what was going on there, as we all were," she said, recalling that in the end he came off very diplomatically. "He was trying to figure out a way to tell them his opinion and at the same time not be put off as some kid who is just being negative."

Lu explained that, from the students' standpoint, it didn't matter that the superintendent was fired. The biggest thing to them was that two popular teachers resigned.

"We still don't know what happened," said Lu, noting that the timeline the district released as part of its investigation had key elements blacked out because continuing litigation revolves on those points. Lu considers his experience on the board as one of the defining activities of his high school career.

"It was definitely a unique experience. I wouldn't say it was a great time, but I definitely learned a lot."

Lu had never been in leadership positions before he was picked for his post on the board. He had co-founded a fantasy sports club at Monta Vista High School and was helping teach science to about 20 students at neighboring Kennedy Middle School each week. These activities made up part of his qualifications for the board, as well as his excellence in speech and debate.

His well-rounded extracurricular high school life stood out to those who knew him, especially during his senior year.

"This kid is just unbelievable. Anything he's interested in he can do and he's interested in everything," said Cindy McArthur, a district spokeswoman.

But, Lu's ambitions to be out front and be heard were not always so developed. He credits much of those skills to speech and debate.

"Going into high school, I really wasn't that outgoing. I really just wanted an activity to develop my public speaking skills," said Lu, adding that the competitiveness and analytical skills required made it even more attractive.

"He was sort of the quiet kid who was hard-working and did all his class work. He was really very sweet," said Prefontaine, who was Lu's English teacher his sophomore year, before he started speech and debate.

Lu dramatically cranked up his quick-thinking ability and improvisational skills, finishing this season ranked fifth in the state in impromptu speaking.

"He has changed radically and chosen a path for himself," said Prefontaine.

Lu will attend Yale University in the fall, choosing that school over Harvard University because he felt Yale students seemed happier. He has not decided on a major yet.

After a trip to China to visit family early this summer, he plans to play a lot of basketball and to golf.

Talented musician, dancer played all the right notes

By Erin Hussey

When Emileigh Norling walked across the stage and received her diploma on June 7, she concluded a 14-year family legacy at Homestead High School.

She was 5 when she first began going to Homestead High to watch her older brothers perform in the marching band. "Even though I don't really remember my oldest brother performing, both of them were inspiration for me," she says.

By elementary school, Norling too had found a love of music.

"I remember my mom saying 'Are you sure you want to play that? Why don't you play the flute,' " remembers Norling, who first picked up the clarinet in the fourth-grade.

"I guess the clarinet is a really obnoxious instrument when you first learn it, but I was like, 'No, I want to play the clarinet!' "

By sixth grade she was taking private lessons and when she entered Homestead High as a freshman, she immediately started making an impact.

"She's become more mature, a great leader and someone that the other kids can count on," says John Burn, Homestead music teacher. Burn also taught Norling's older brothers.

"But for all four years, she's been a great band student."

During her first year in high school, Norling was chosen as the first clarinet in school's concert band, a position based on performance level. The first chairs of each section are considered the leaders, helping set the tone and style as well as playing the solo parts.

That year Norling also decided to try out for the Santa Clara County Honor Band, a highly competitive band that draws some of the best band students from across the county.

"My mom suggested I try out for the experience," says Norling. "I thought it would be a good idea because I would have to do auditions later for college. Then I made it, surprisingly, and just kept doing it every year."

She was accepted into the band all four years of high school, an accomplishment she shared with only one other student this year.

As a sophomore, Norling added another form of artistic expression by joining the Equestriettes, Homestead's dance team.

"I've been dancing since I was really little--it's something that I really love to do," she says. "Dance, like music, is an outlet for me."

In order to participate in both of her passions, Norling had to do some juggling, which was sometimes challenging.

"During half-time at football games, the dance team dances and then the marching band performs," she explains. "I would dance first, then grab my clarinet and march around in my uniform."

It wasn't uncommon for Norling to jump from one practice to another practice, not getting home until the late evening.

"Things would get pretty stressful but somehow I was able to do it," she says.

As a junior Norling was accepted into the California All State Honor Band and this year she was named first clarinet for the Homestead wind ensemble, the school's top band.

"She leads by example," says Burn. "She's a kid who knows when to have fun and when to be serious. She organized parties for the 20 clarinet players as well a goodie bag exchange before competitions."

All of Norling's hard work paid off when she was accepted into Brigham Young University's School of Music. "They had 700 applicants and only took 150,'' she says.

As a music major, Norling will take courses on music history, music theory and music composition, among others. She says she'll probably go into music education, "but I also like sciences and kind of want to be an oral surgeon."

Whatever the future holds, Norling says she'll continue to play the clarinet.

In recognition of her dedication and musical talents, Norling was awarded the Homestead Music Boosters Scholarship and the Homestead Music Director's Award. She also received the Fremont Union High School District Service Medal and the Victor Navone Memorial Scholarship for her overall high school career and community service.

"Our church is very service-oriented," says Norling, who attends the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Los Altos.

"It's really great being able to see other people's reactions when you make a difference."

One of her recent endeavors, which also served as her Girl Scout Gold Project, was making learning pillows for children at rehabilitation centers for speech therapy.

Although appreciative of her awards and honors, Norling believes many of her peers at Homestead could have received them.

"There is a lot of talent at Homestead, not just in music, but in everything that goes on," she says.

The chemistry is right for King's Academy graduate

By Stephen Baxter

A King's Academy chemistry class stirred the interest of valedictorian Yew Jun Khor so much that he plans to study materials engineering this fall at UC-Berkeley.

Khor earned a 4.4 GPA in high school, but he still left time for a strong mix of interests--including tae kwon do and volunteer work with the American Red Cross.

Six years of martial arts training led Khor to a second-degree black belt.

"It was pretty challenging--I had to balance school and martial arts. Training every day is hard, but I got through it somehow," Khor said.

Khor was born in Malaysia and attended an international school in the Philippines until age 10. His father, who worked in the semiconductor industry, then moved his family to the South Bay.

Khor took more than 6 Advanced Placement classes, including Chemistry, English, Computer Science and some post-calculus math courses at Ohlone College. He also showed a creative side, designing brochures, logos and web pages for the Red Cross.

"He's always reliable. I e-mail him and five minutes later he's done," said Crystal Paul, director of youth services at the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross. "He definitely makes you laugh; he's definitely an easygoing, very polite kind of kid," she said.

Paul chose Khor from dozens of applicants to serve on the chapter's Youth Executive Board. He updated the chapter's web page, designed fliers, organized health and safety events, and taught CPR and first aid to kindergartners through second-graders.

Paul said, "He's always trying to improve what was done... I'm petrified that he's leaving!"

Khor said he plans to relax this summer and work on another hobby: Souping up his 2000 Honda Civic SI. He also will visit Malaysia in July before moving to Berkeley.

King's teacher Jason Rosé taught a chemistry course that made him want to continue engineering, he said.

"We did a lot of experiments, and he showed the real-life applications of chemistry. It really interested me," Khor said.