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Anthony CherLan Kang is a "behind the
scenes" kind of guy. He prefers to use his many and
considerable talents to help others succeed rather than stand in
the spotlight himself.
Anthony CherLan Kang
A senior honors student and Miami Herald Silver Knight
nominee at Palmetto Senior High School, Kang holds a 5.26 grade point
average -- a report card with all A's earns a 4.0 GPA -- and ranks
18th in a class of 675. His high GPA reflects his excellent
performance in challenging and intensive honors classes.
Kang also scores high as a community service
volunteer. For the past two years, he earned the most service points
in his mathematics honor society which has more than 100 members
by participating in helpful activities throughout his school and his
community.
In fact, Kang has earned an outstanding reputation as
a tutor to his fellow classmates. As president of Mu Alpha Theta, the
math honor society, Kang oversees and tutors Palmetto's weekly Math
Tutoring Sessions. He rarely has missed a week since he joined the
club in the ninth grade. More than 50 of his fellow classmates attend
these sessions on a weekly basis.
Kang also tutors elementary school students at
Palmetto's after-school-care program, and has established a new
tutoring program at his school called "Adopt-A-Buddy," which
pairs students and tutors to provide more personalized instruction.
More than 250 students and volunteer tutors already have signed up for
the program.
"I get a lot of satisfaction out of helping
others and seeing them succeed," Kang said. "It's also a way
to make friends."
Born in Taiwan, Kang moved to Miami with his family
just four years ago.
"It was difficult at first," he remembered.
"I did not speak much English; my first language is Mandarin. So,
it took a couple of years to feel comfortable, but my cousins, Alex
and Abraham Young, who had come here a few years earlier, helped me a
lot."
To help combat his occasional homesickness, Anthony
became involved in the South Florida Taiwanese cultural organization,
helping out with several annual culture festivals.
"More than 200 families come together to
celebrate these festivals, which are showcases of Taiwanese and Asian
dance, art and music," he said. "I help out behind the
scenes with tickets and seating and things like that. I like meeting
people from my home country. It brings back memories and helps me keep
in touch with my cultural roots."
An exceptional pianist, having taken lessons since he
was in first grade, Kang could easily be one of the performers on the
festival stage. But, he prefers to stay in the background. He is the
official piano accompanist for Palmetto's chorus and band and is
accustomed to playing before very demanding audiences.
"I love playing the piano," he said. "I
admit that I first started playing as a young child because my parents
wanted me to. But, now I really enjoy it and I'll always be interested
in it, though I prefer to play for my family, my friends, and
myself."
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