(Beaver Dam) Wayland Academy’s valedictorian and salutatorian honors were recently awarded to seniors with high academic achievement. Jiaxing “Bill” Qin, from Beijing from China was named valedictorian while Vinh “Vincent” Le Thanh Nguyen, from Hanoi, Vietnam was salutatorian. Read the full press release:
Kurt Walters, faculty mentor, had this to say about the valedictorian, “Bill is a terrific young man, unfailingly polite and genuinely concerned about the well-being of others. He has an amazing breadth of intellectual curiosity and his work ethic is off the charts. Bill sets goals for himself and then works diligently to achieve them.” Bill has attended Wayland for four years. After graduation, he will attend Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, to study behavioral economics, with the goal of working in the field of consulting or policy-making after college. He expressed his thankfulness for his experience at Wayland, saying, “Being surrounded by kind, brilliant minds from around the world truly influenced me to strive for excellence. My teachers and mentors here taught me lessons beyond what’s taught in traditional classrooms, and I will forever be appreciative of the knowledge and their words of encouragement.”
Our salutatorian, Vincent, attended Wayland for three years and plans to study computer science and applied mathematics after graduation. He found his love for music at Wayland and plans to continue performing in college. Vincent is a leader of the bass section, a member of Unaccompanied Minors (our A Capella group), performed a solo in the musical Working, and played the guitar for Wayland’s virtual Coffee House. Carl Michaletz, Vincent’s faculty mentor, said, “Vincent embodies the school’s principles of “Knowledge and Character” and cares deeply about both his schoolwork and his classmates. He possesses a keen mind and a sharp, sarcastic sense of humor that endears him to both his teachers and his classmates. It has been a privilege to be Vincent’s mentor for three years, and his recognition as salutatorian is fully deserved.”
In addition, Wayland’s junior marshals are four students from the class of 2022 elected to lead the school’s faculty and seniors to commencement. They are selected using the same high standards used to evaluate the senior class. This year’s junior marshals are: Griffin Hughland of Columbus, WI; Hailey Kowing of Columbus, WI; Jay Clark of Sturgeon Bay, WI; and Molly Davis of Beaver Dam, WI.
The 2021 Commencement ceremony will be held on Sunday, May 23, 2021 at 11 a.m. For more details and up-to-date event information, please visit: wayland.org/commencement.
Pictured from left to right: Jiaxing “Bill” Qin and Vinh “Vincent” Le Thanh Nguyen
