January 2021

12
Class of 2020 Profiles
maldenblueandgold.com
The Blue and Gold
January 2021
Liam O’Toole
Managing Editor of Photography
Wu Zheng was among the Top
10 students of the class of
2020 at Malden High School. When
Zheng was applying for colleges
through Naviance, the website told
him his rank, which was how he
learned that he was within the Top
10. He says that when he found his
rank, he did not know what it was.
Zheng “viewed it as [his] work being
valuable.” He remembered not
thinking about it too much, because
other people must have put in the
same work. He recalls how nice it
was “to see that the effort [he] put in
mattered and came back positively.”
So far, Zheng says that being
ranked within the Top 10 has
not affected much of his life after
high school. He understood his
own experiences and felt “like [he]
did deserve [his] place.” He recalls
needing lots of hard work, luck and
supportive people. A method of
relaxation is another key point, because
having a positive mindset will
always keep you on track.
One thing that helps him keep
a positive mindset is to realize
that grades are not everything. He
said, “there are other things that
require the same amount of attention.”
What Zheng meant is being
involved in extracurriculars and
things of that sort. He was a part of
multiple clubs including the Fine
Arts Club, Computer Club and as a
senior, the Math Club. Through the
Math Club he was even able to go to
competitions. Zheng was also in the
YMCA leaders and did volunteer
work. He enjoyed volunteering and
it provided him opportunities to
meet new people and “gave [him]
something to do.” A lot of his work
outside of school mattered and had
an effect towards his rank.
One thing that is affecting
Zheng based off of one of his interests
in high school was computers.
He took many computer science
classes in high school, along with
Number Five: Wu Zheng
the club, and is now taking more
computer science classes in college.
The classes he currently takes”are a
lot different and are more difficult
than [he] anticipated.” He said they
act as a measure to get into a major
which is the difference between his
current class and what he took in
highschool, along with the added
difficulty of it all.
Luckily for Zheng, his classes
through high school, and now in a
way, paired up pretty well with his
hobbies. During his free time, he
likes to draw, code, watch youtube
and play video games. Granted,
most of these hobbies paired up best
with his computer and art classes,
Zheng still found it rather favorable.
Even though in Zheng’s eyes,
grades are not everything, his
classes did weigh in heavily when it
came to his rank. He took “mostly
honors classes, with a few APs here
and there.” All his core classes were
honors along with the AP classes he
took throughout the years including
“AP computer science, AP calculus,
AP latin [and] AP physics.”
One thing to grasp from Wu
Zheng’s words is that a lot of the
time it is easy to get caught up in
the bigger picture when you would
rather be focusing on the smaller
moments.
Wu Zheng’s senior portrait. Photo
submitted by James Valente.
Number Six: Angelina Schorr
Sandra Rivadeneira
Print Editor-in-Chief
On top of her list of many
achievements, graduate Angelina
Schorr can add being ranked
number six in her class as one of
them.
During her time at Malden
High, Schorr was heavily involved
in various groups such as National
Honor Society, the Malden Against
Cancer club, the Maldonian Yearbook
staff, Captains’ Council and
Unified Basketball. On top of all
that, Schorr was also a three season
athlete, taking part on the soccer
team, indoor track team and the
outdoor track team.
During the 2019 Winter Season,
which would have been the last
athletic season that she participated
in, Schorr was a runner in the Girls
4x400 Relay which took a big part
in assisting the Girls Indoor Track
Team to finish the season undefeated.
That season the team was able to
reclaim the title of Greater Boston
League (GBL) Champions after their
return from the Eastern Conference.
Additionally, the 4x400 relay team
that Schorr was a part of were recognized
as GBL All-Star teams.
In hindsight, Schorr believes
that her “biggest achievement in
high school [was] managing [her]
time really well.” While being heavily
involved in all her extracurriculars,
Schorr balanced two part-time
jobs, one as a cashier in a grocery
store and another as a babysitter,
took various AP classes, yet still
found the time to volunteer in programs
outside of school.
However, having all these
things on her schedule was not an
easy task. Schorr considered “trying
to make time for it all” as one of the
hardest things about high school.
“There were feelings of being overwhelmed
and exhausted,” she described,
“and the self-doubt about
whether or not [she] could do it.”
Nevertheless, Schorr genuinely
enjoyed everything she did and sees
being heavily involved in a variety
of in-school plus out-of-school activities
as a factor in “[shaping] [her]
into the person [she] [is] today.”
When finding out that she
made top ten in her class, she felt
proud, expressing how it “felt really
good to be able to work hard and
climb up” and be rewarded for all
her sacrifices. Her parents shared
that feeling, especially since her father
was top ten in his high school
and was able to bond over that kind
of unique accomplishment with his
daughter.
Along with her parents, Schorr
credited English teacher as well as
track coach, David Londino, for
helping her in her success thus far.
Not only did he help her grow as
an athlete and a student, but as a
person. “Londino was the teacher
[she] would always go to,” Schorr
expressed, whether it be for help in
school, a good laugh on a bad day,
or advice about life in general, she
found comfort in talking to her former
mentor. Other previous teachers
that Schorr credited for helping
her grow during her years at Malden
High include Yahaira Márquez, Erin
O’Brien-Mazza, Shannon Votaw,
Brian Morrison, James Valente and
The Blue and Gold’s own advisor,
Ryan Gallagher.
Her senior year did not end in
its anticipated way, nevertheless,
Schorr sees herself “ready to move
on from high school and start [a]
new chapter in [her] life.” She advised
current Malden High students
to “take these years of [their] life to
work hard, figure out the kinds of
things [they] like, enjoy [themselves]
in and outside of school.”
Beginning in Spring of 2022,
Schorr will be attending Brown University
in Providence, Rhode Island.
Her current plan is to study biomedical
engineering which will lead
into working as a clinical researcher.
That will involve “trying to understand
how diseases affect the body
and how to cure and/or treat them,”
she explained.
Schorr remains optimistic
about her future, and is “excited for
everything [she] has yet to accomplish.”
As she begins to continue her
journey, she is also grateful for the
lessons Malden High has taught her.
Number Seven:
Gregory Chau
Gregory Chau’s senior portrait. Photo
submitted by James Valente.
Angelina Schorr’s senior portrait.
Photo submitted by James Valente.
Carlos Aragon Aldana
Managing Editor of Print and
Design
Chau graduates from Malden
High School as one of the top
students in his class, a remarkable
feat. When he found out, he was
quite happy, as he worked hard
throughout his entire high school
career to achieve this. When asked
what drove him, he stated that he
simply was always trying to find
where he stood. He was also motivated
by his parents and wanted to
make them proud. Currently, Chau
is attending Bentley University and
is studying accounting.