April Newsletter 😬🏆🥱

Jun 02, 2025

Publishing the April Newsletter in June is wild, I know, but hey, at least I’m publishing it, right? 😅 I took six APs this year, and had just one month to prepare intensely. It was incredibly stressful, especially since three of them were self-studied.

My advice? Start studying early, and solve as many past questions and CollegeBoard practice tests as possible. Use an AP Score Calculator to estimate your performance, it helps you understand how much to aim for in both free response and multiple choice sections. That way, you can compensate in one area if you're weaker in the other. If you're aiming for a 5, this is super helpful. But if you're just aiming for credit, remember that some European universities accept a score of 3 as well.

Now, onto something fun: The Physics Olympics!
On the day of the event, we went to the host school and were split into 2 teams. We competed in challenges like:

Building electrical circuits
Solving circuit problems
Car and pasta bridge construction
Two Physics Bowls

Oh, and we had amazing pizza, seriously, it was so good. 🍕

My team won both Physics Bowls, which was a total surprise! We were over the moon, and my teammates were all so sweet and supportive, I’m genuinely so grateful to have been on that team.

Here’s a funny moment: during Physics Bowl 1, there was a question about a female scientist who won the Nobel Prize, maybe in the 1960s. None of us knew the answer... so we wrote my name 🤣🤣🤣. Let’s hope it manifests a future Nobel Prize for me! 👩‍💻👩‍🔬

Let me drop some photos below from the Physics Olympics Day:

I have great news: I was selected as an Instructor for Stanford’s Code In Place Program! 🎉 I had the amazing opportunity to teach Stanford’s CS106A class to my students, and it was so much fun.

At first, I was really stressed, wondering how I’d manage to teach for six weeks while also preparing for all my AP exams. But I pushed through, and I’m so glad I did. Now that I’m writing this in June (even though this update should’ve been posted in May, you don’t mind, right? 😅), I can proudly say I’ve completed all six weeks of instruction!

My students were so sweet and motivated, and the experience reminded me once again how much I love teaching. That’s such a comforting realization, especially since I dream of becoming a professor one day and hope to make a positive impact on the lives of many students.

I also got the chance to meet another wonderful group of learners when I substituted for another teacher's class, it was such a fulfilling experience. I really wish I could keep teaching even longer... maybe I’ll apply again next time. Who knows? 🥰🥰

Additionally, I got to learn more about the RISE Residential Summit, which will take place at Oxford University this year. I’m so excited to go there in August, meet other RISE Fellows, and have an amazing time. Plus, my friend will be there for summer school, and I can’t wait to see her either 🤩. So, stay tuned for my August newsletter 💗💗!

I’ve already filled out my event preferences, no spoilers, but I requested to give a Lightning Talk on AI x Healthcare, host a Brain Date on AI Ethics, and possibly perform, either by playing the piano, singing, or reciting a poem. Hopefully, I’ll get to do at least one of them!

I also have my UK VISA appointment coming up soon, so wish me luck! 🤞

Another fun event was the concert!
All the bands of our school performed, even the teachers, and we had such a great time listening to the music and dancing. 🎶💃

And of course, I can’t wrap this up without giving a huge shoutout to my friend’s incredible photography skills, seriously, she’s the best! 📸 I’d love to try modeling one day, it’s so fun to pose and capture all these amazing memories that I get to share with you all 💗💗😍