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Courtesy of Wang

Chung and Wang

Diamond Bar High School seniors Rachel Wang and Natalie Chung never imagined they would be riding vintage cars in a Los Angeles County Fair parade.

This became a reality this month when Wang, Chung and DBHS music director Steve Acciani were recognized as community heroes.

Along with  participating in the parade, the award recipients were given a plaque, ribbon and commendations from the Diamond Bar City Council and local legislative members.

Both Wang and Chung have served their community in numerous ways. According to Wang, she is in 14 clubs and has accumulated several hundred hours of community service since entering DBHS. The main clubs and outside organizations she contributes her time to are Leo Club, National Honor Society and Diamond Bar’s Volunteen program.

Chung said she had been involved in Leo Club since she was in middle school. She is currently the president of Leo District 4-L4, comprised of multiple Leo Clubs in the area, after being on the district board for four years.

Acciani, on the other hand, has nurtured DBHS musicians through his music program for over a decade. His service to his students has been acclaimed over the years,  which he credits to the unique relationship that he has with them.

“The award was given, I think, because we have committed so much to the students, but we only commit so much to the students because they’ve committed so much to doing something special here,” Acciani said.

While Acciani was with the DBHS marching band, Wang and Chung were being driven in the parade through the Fairplex main thoroughfare. Wang described a memorable moment during the experience.

“These people were strangers [to me]; didn’t know what I’ve done or who I am, but they all congratulated me and cheered for me. This makes me remember why I want to serve my community and spread goodness and love to people,” Wang said.

Both students plan to continue their community service after they graduate high school.

“When I’m older, I want to come back to Diamond Bar and work for the city council if possible, and see how it is,” Chung said.

Wang said she hopes to continue helping the community in the future.

“Once I become older and have more financial resources, hopefully I can start to do even more, on a larger scale,” Wang said.