A Scholar and a Gentleman : Laguna Hills High School’s Andrew S. Ting Receives Prestigious Academic Honor

LAGUNA HILLS —  Andrew S. Ting’s high school transcript boasts a dazzling list of accomplishments that goes way beyond what you might expect from a whiz kid.

The Laguna Hills High School senior earned a perfect score of 1600 on his Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT). He is ranked sixth in his class, with a grade-point average of 4.87. He placed second in the individual honors division of the statewide Academic Decathlon competition. And he is a standout cellist, who has been invited to perform in international festivals and is first cellist for the Saddleback Symphony Orchestra.

Now, the 17-year-old has added the nation’s most prestigious high school honor to his list of feats. On Tuesday, he was named one of 141 Presidential Scholars, a program honoring the country’s most distinguished graduating seniors.

Ting was the only student from Orange County, and one of only five from California, earning the distinction.

“I learned about it right after my [Advanced Placement] biology test, which was three hours long,” Ting said, minutes before taking another three-hour exam. “It still hasn’t completely sunk in. . . . But this is probably the most elite honor I’ve ever received.”

Next month, Ting and the other scholars will travel to Washington for a week of activities, including a ceremony in which each student will receive a Presidential Scholar medallion.

As part of the program, the scholars were asked to name a teacher who has had the greatest impact on their academic or artistic accomplishments. The teachers also are invited to Washington, where they will receive a certificate of excellence.

Ting’s choice, English teacher Dana K. Victorson, has known him since his freshman year. He was a student in her honors geography class and she has worked with him for four years in the school’s Model United Nations program, in which students discuss and research international issues.

“He’s spent many, many hours in my classroom after school sitting and talking,” Victorson said.

“We’ve talked about everything from music to politics to his separation anxiety over going away to college and the role of the Chinese in Malaysia. I would assume he picked me because of all those hours we’ve spent talking.”

Ting said he selected Victorson because she helped him academically and was always there to talk to him about any problem.

“She really cares about all her students,” he said.

After graduating from high school, Ting plans to study biology and possibly go to medical school. He already has been accepted at Stanford University and USC, and is on the waiting list for admission to Harvard University.

The fact that he has not yet been accepted to Harvard is unsettling to the school’s staff, who say there is no better candidate for admission.

“He deserves to be admitted anywhere he wants to go,” said Frances Griffith, the school’s college counselor. “He’s a wonderful kid. He’s very humble, down-to-earth and the nicest person.”

The scholars program was established in 1964 to honor the country’s top-achieving seniors, who have stellar academic records, leadership qualities and have made contributions to their school and community. In 1979, the program was expanded to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative and performing arts.

For the academic component, all high school seniors who are citizens of the United States are automatically considered for the program if they have scored exceptionally well on either the SAT or the American College Testing (ACT) exam.

For the arts component, selected students who participate in the Arts Recognition and Talent Search program are considered.

“We pay a great deal of attention to athletes and stars but rarely notice the personal victories in the classroom,” said Education Secretary Richard W. Riley. “Thirty-three years ago, President [Lyndon B.] Johnson, a former teacher, had the notion that at least once a year, the nation should acknowledge and honor good scholarship.”

This year’s other California winners include Lauren K. Williams of Palos Verdes Peninsula High in Rolling Hills Estates; Claire R. Chase of Idyllwild Arts Academy; James P. Simmons of Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose; and Vanessa A. Schlueter of Cupertino High.