Junior Leland Wong excels at balancing a rigorous school life and extracurricular activities, as he looks forward to much more in his future. Leland has maintained an impressive 3.95 GPA, while managing five advanced classes: Honors Chemistry, Honors Spanish 3, AP U.S. History, AP Calculus AB, and AP English III. He is on both the varsity tennis team and varsity football team, yet he still finds time for activities outside of school.

Leland’s favorite class is AP Calculus AB because “it’s applicable to so many sciences, which is the field I’m interested in.” Although it is a challenge, Leland says that putting in work and seeing the results drives him to work hard.

Mr. Swanson, Leland’s AP Calculus AB teacher, says, “He is relentless in his pursuit of understanding, yet he’s really nice at the same time.”

In sports, Leland is a singles player for tennis and a running back for football. Last fall, he dislocated his right shoulder and this past fall, he dislocated the other, his left. Having his football seasons cut short and currently being on the road to recovery leaves Leland anxious to get back on the field for his senior season next year.

Outside of school, Leland is a level eight pianist who has been playing for over ten years. Piano “has taught me to find something I enjoy and stick to it.” In addition, Leland is also a council member of the Happy Valley Student Council.

In his free time, Leland enjoys working out and spending time with his family and friends.

An academic goal Leland has for this year is to thrive in all of his challenging classes and do well on his AP exams, as well as the SATs. For those wanting to succeed in advanced classes, Leland says to “study correctly, study efficiently, and ask a lot of questions.”

After graduating from La Salle, Leland hopes to attend college somewhere in Southern California, ideally the University of California, San Diego. He plans to study biochemistry and eventually enter a profession in the medical field.