Ones to Watch: Kaiting Chen

In each issue of South Fayette & Neighbors, we will feature an outstanding student at South Fayette High School who has - through their actions, character and accomplishments - shown the true spirit of excellence at South Fayette. In their own way, these students personify the values of our District and are our finest examples of tradition, pride and excellence.

South Fayette senior Kaiting Chen is a self-described procrastinator and says that he’s not a hard worker. All the evidence, however, points to the contrary. Last month, Chen was named a National Merit Semi-finalist by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. He qualified for this honor through his performance on the 2005 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). The list of semi-finalists represents less than one percent of the top U.S. high school seniors. Of the more than 1.4 million students who took the test, only 16,000 semi-finalists are chosen.

Taking some time to talk in between the six advanced placement classes that comprise his schedule, Chen is also a member of the student government, and during his four years at South Fayette High School has been on the soccer team and was a member of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). As a sophomore, he was also a state officer in the FBLA, an honor he earned among 12,000 members state-wide after giving a speech in front of 2,500 of his peers.

While he claims to be no virtuoso, Chen plays the piano and is taking guitar lessons in his spare time. Academically, he also boasts the rank of 9th out of 161 students in his class – the first guy on the list behind eight talented girls.

“It’s not hard work for me,” says Chen. “I like to learn, and that has a lot to do with it.”

He also credits his success to the high expectations of the teachers and staff at South Fayette, and knows that will serve him well as he hopes to get in early admission to Princeton University to continue his education.

When asked what the future might hold, Chen thinks that he may major in engineering at college, and he would like to pursue a law degree down the road.

Whatever path he takes, we’re sure Kaiting Chen will stand out among the crowd.