KAI

KAI will be attending The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) in the fall. She has also gained acceptances to the following fifteen other institutions: Columbia University, Cornell University, Emory University, Johns Hopkins University, Rice University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI), Case Western Reserve University, Drexel University, Howard University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Stony Brook University, Mount Holyoke College, Oxford College at Emory University, Brynn Mawr College, and Southern Methodist University. Kai is currently a senior at The Dwight School, a small Manhattan private school that prides itself on its rigorous International Baccalaureate (IB) Program. During her senior year, Kai is on an academic scholarship at Dwight. Kai’s coursework included: Biology (HL), Chemistry (HL), English (HL), History (HL), Math (SL), and Mandarin (SL). At UPenn, she plans to double major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology on the Pre-Med Track. Throughout high school, Kai received several notable awards, including Outstanding Achievement on the Latin National Exam, and served as a two-time Semi-Finalist recognition on the National Shakespeare Contest at her school. Last Spring, she won the first-ever NYC High School Student Chinese Speech Contest, sponsored by the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University and the Hunter College Chinese Flagship Center. From a young age, Kai has been pursuing and cultivating her interest in Biology. She has taken classes in Chinese since the fifth grade at the Dwight School and in China Town. During middle school, She was an active Member of Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth Program. In the summer before tenth grade, she attended a Physiology and Disease course through Johns Hopkins Discover Hopkins Program, where she was the only freshmen among a cohort of seniors. Last summer, she attended Columbia University’s Explorations in Genetics and Molecular Biology Program. Academics aside, Kai is a classically trained singer who has been a member of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City for six years. She has had the opportunity to perform at venues in Japan, Israel, and New York’s own Carnegie Hall. Kai is honored to share her journey, sacrifices, and hardships en route to her top college acceptances. Kai was a student at Kweller Prep throughout 11th grade, with much guidance from tutors and director Frances Kweller. She took in-person SAT ad ACT classes at Kweller Queens, Kweller Manhattan, and ultimately continued private ACT sessions online with one of her favorite Kweller Prep tutors, Zaid. Kai made many sacrifices to achieve her goal score of a 34/36 on the ACT, re-prioritizing her time to study for the ACT and maintain her high school GPA of 3.8/4.0 unweighted. Kai is the first/elder daughter in her family and has one younger sister. She is the first person in her immediate family to attend an ivy league. Her younger sister hopes to follow in her footsteps and will join Kweller’s SAT Classes as well. Involved in many activities, Kai’s journey was not an easy one. Kai is the proud daughter of Caribbean parents. She often visits her paternal grandparents, uncles, and aunts in Anguilla. Kai aspires to become a physician and change-maker within the healthcare field.