Brunelli house counselor, Susan Lessard said Tiffany Yu represents “the type of student who demonstrated consistent effort every day, and she’s done that since grade nine, not only academically, but also in the things she’s done for our school and community.”
Lessard speaks of Yu’s growth throughout high school, calling it “impressive”. Lessard also says Yu is “genuine, intelligent, and compassionate.”
Throughout high school Tiffany took four years of Spanish, making her skilled in a third language, as she is also fluent in Cantonese. She was also in Key Club, part of the tennis team, and won the coaches award for academic leadership. She also won the Northeast Conference all-star award and she was also tennis captain this year.
Yu dedicates a lot of time to her family by playing a big role in the caretaking of siblings. Lessard recognizes the effort she puts into her family, saying that “she has the heart and soul of a caregiver.”
Yu talks about how she is “honored to be chosen as a featured student.” She says that she was “surprised [to be chosen] due to the fact that [she feels she is] normally hidden in the shadows of [her] classmates but given this recognition shows [to her] that quiet people don’t go unrecognized.”
Yu has a very close relationship with her grandma, even saying that her grandma is “one of the most important people in [her] life.” When her grandma got sick as the college process began, it resulted in a very hard time for Yu. Not only did she have that to think about, but she also had the pressures of school and captain’s practice for tennis on her mind.
Instead of becoming overwhelmed with all that she had to do, Yu “created a planner that said where and when everything was going to happen.” She made both her school work and her grandma a priority, making sure that she “finish[ed] all [her] schoolwork in school and work[ed] with [her] teachers and counselors to make sure everything was done on time.” Whatever wasn’t done, she would be up doing it until it was finished. She would also “spend some time and take care of [her] grandma after school to make sure she was doing okay.”
Looking back now, Yu recognizes that “everything seem[ed] so hectic but in the end, everything worked out.” She sees her hard work as worth it now that she “got into college, [her] grandma got better, and tennis season is going great.”
Yu is already reminiscent of Malden High School. She is especially going to “miss the diversity, how welcomed [she has] felt with the students and teachers, and the amount of resources there were to help us succeed.” She adds that “teachers and counselors always helped guide [her] in the right direction towards [her] future.”
Yu says that “being chosen as a featured student and encountering difficulties helped shape [her] as a person through perseverance and dedication.” She mentions that even though “senior year was when [she] really hit rock bottom, thanks to [her] family, friends, teachers, and counselors”, she was able to push through it all.
Yu says even though it would have been easier to give up when faced with so much stress, “that’s when you’re suppose to work even harder for what you want.”
In the end, Yu is thankful for this experience because “this experience helped [her] realize how much [she] can handle and that at the end, everything is going to workout and if it doesn’t, it’s not the end yet.”
Tiffany Yu will be attending UMass Boston this fall to pursue a career in nursing.
