Meet Summit Student Ian Chong

Like any other 4th grade boy, Summit student Ian Chong has a boundless amount of energy and enthusiasm. However, this often made his focus and patience in the classroom a struggle, according to his Counselor Ryan. "Early in the summer, Ian would finish a worksheet early and disturb the class or squirm noisily in his chair when his fellow students took longer to read than him." Ian's teammates would quickly follow his lead.

Ryan noticed how the other students on his team looked up to Ian, so during their advising session, he told Ian something that Ryan hopes he never forgets: Ian is a natural-born leader. "Ian has a lot of charisma that naturally draws others to him, so I explained to him that he has a big responsibility to use his gift for good; that instead of putting others down for being less smart than him, it is an opportunity to help them and build them up."

Ian took his counselor's advice to heart, and is now working on harnessing his energy and improving his leadership skills. Ryan has noticed that "now Ian focuses his enthusiasm in productive ways to help the team. If there is someone struggling on a math problem or on the soccer field, Ian will always be there helping them improve as he betters himself."