Welcoming Brahmas with open arms

Ryan Kung, Staff Writer|March 16, 2023

Diamond Bar High School seniors have been nearing the submission of college applications. With the anticipation of acceptance or rejection reaching a climax in most Brahmas, a select few are fortunate enough to be the exception.

Five seniors have already been given the celebratory “yes” to attend their colleges. Marcus Hsieh, Noah Jung, Jeffrey Wang, William Xia and Max Zhu applied for early decision to prestigious universities, including Stanford, Emory, etc., receiving good news.

The early decision programs are binding, meaning one must attend if accepted. A significant number of other students in the class of 2023 have applied for an alternative, ‘Early Action,’ which is a non-binding early admission. Schools like USC and Pepperdine have also given good news to multiple Brahmas.

Applying as a double major to one of the most competitive schools in the East, William Xia seeks to expand his music career along with his interest in biology at Northeastern University. 

“I believe that having a live audition with the saxophone professor at NU gave me a huge advantage,” Xia said. “I was able to interact on a personal level with one of the people who would decide my admission.” 

Xia looks forward to settling into a new environment and surrounding himself with new peers. He encourages future applicants to find something that intrigues them and strive to be great at it.

Boston University has also given students Jeffery Wang and Ryan Shin early admission, with Wang studying mechanical engineering and Shin studying economics.

“At first, I wasn’t interested in going to Boston University, but after visiting, it became someplace I saw myself attending,” Wang said.

On top of the admission to a top college, Shin will virtually attend his first year at BU for free, being given a scholarship of seventy-thousand dollars.

“It feels surreal to be able to loosen the economic troubles for my family going to college for such a low price,” Shin said. “I hope I can get this scholarship for the following years.”

As an extension of his interest in the medical field, Noah Jung was accepted to Emory University, one of the more prestigious medical schools in Georgia. He credits his volunteer work for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and extracurriculars for helping him get in.

“I feel relieved to be able to get into a great school, ” Jung said. “I worked hard for this, and it is great to be able to finally jumpstart my career.”