Recipients

Huang Leadership Development Scholarship 2018 Recipients

Calista Chastain

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Major: Art in Biology
Career Goal: Pediatrics
Memberships: Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Tri-M Music Honors Society, Teachers of Tomorrow, Jr. Civitan, S.A.D.D., National Society of High School Scholars – 4 years

Calista is the daughter of Lamar Chastain, Director Client Services for Concentrix Insurance Solutions. She is from a small town in Western North Carolina, where she attended a high school with approximately four-hundred students.  Despite the limitations of a small-town high school compared to larger urban high schools, she found her stride in athletics, academics at both her high school and local community college, working a part-time job, volunteering and her faith.  She participated in Student Council as a Junior Class Representative, Student Body Vice President and President of both National Beta Club and National Honors Society.  Calista was also inducted into the Mu Alpha Theta Mathematics Honor Society and the Phi Theta Kappa at the college, where she was dual-enrolled she maintained an excellent G.P.A.  “A leader is someone who others can look to in any situation and observe a heart of integrity, passion, and purpose.  Athletics taught me to be a positive leader on the field and in school by showing good sportsmanship, honesty and commitment,” she explained.  As a Huang Leadership Scholarship recipient, “It will give me the opportunity to attend college without worrying so much about the costs and will allow me to better focus on my academics while at Chapel Hill.  Every stage in my life has prepared me to tackle the college realm and to persevere through any trials I face during college and my career,” said Calista.  Her long-term goal is to attend medical school in preparation for a career in pediatrics.

Erin Liao

University of California, Berkeley
Major: Mathematics
Career Goal: Doctorate
Memberships:  Math Club, Women in STEM, Foothill’s Pass The Torch

Erin is the daughter of Edward Liao, Senior Accountant at SYNNEX Corporate Headquarters in Fremont, CA and describes herself as having a growth mindset, noting “I never feel satisfied with what I currently know, so I am always striving to learn more and understand ideas that my head hasn’t even begun to conceive yet.”  For example, she started out majoring in history and switched after discovering her passion for math. She feels that math allows her to approach difficult problems as new opportunities for growth, rather than hindrances to help further her journey into higher education and eventually, a doctorate degree. Her experience as President of Foothill Circle K, a collegiate branch of a service organization, shaped her perception of what it is to be a “leader”.  Erin elaborated, “If you asked me a year ago to define a leader, I would have answered with “someone with authority who commands respect and leads vertically.” If you were to ask me now, I’d tell you that leadership is associated with mentorship and trust; that a leader is someone who can provide direction to a group of people.”  Erin is also involved in STEM courses, a service organization, teaching English overseas and math tutoring.  “I’ve surrounded myself with academics and peers who have allowed me to discover for myself that mathematics is the field I’m bound to pursue.” 

Trey Silva
Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Major: Chemical Engineering
Career Goal: Research in reusable energy/Graduate school
Memberships:  National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society

Trey is the son of Frank Silva, Security Specialist at SYNNEX Distribution Headquarters in Greenville, SC and loves to learn, “I have always valued education,” he said.  He received his IB Diploma and scored in the 99 percentile of ACT/SAT scores.  Throughout high school he received many honors, including Class of 2018 Salutatorian, AP Scholar with Distinction and awards in both IB Chemistry and Social Studies, as well as multiple athletic awards including the Woodmont Coaches Award and Diamond Prospects Academic Team award. Trey demonstrated his leadership skills through baseball where he would assist his teammates by providing tips or suggestions on ways they could improve their skills for drills to further clarify the coach’s instructions.  He also mentored kids ages five to thirteen during summer baseball camp, teaching groups the fundamentals and drills.  “I have also helped my fellow classmates in the classroom, I can understand and interpret the material by my teachers to assist my classmates,” says Trey.  During his Junior and Senior year, he participated in the rigorous IB program which pushed and challenged him, from writing research and math papers to composing music, something he had never done before.  “This program made me aware of the value of education and helped me visualize my goals,” Trey explained.  “My short-term goal is to graduate from Clemson University with a degree in Chemical Engineering.  From this I want to get a job researching and developing new methods for achieving reusable energy and hope to go on to graduate school,” he explained.

Jonathan Tao
University of Texas, Austin
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Career Goal:  Aerospace or Automotive Industry
Memberships:  Eagle Scouts, Robotics Team

Jonathan is the son of Jessica Tao, Senior Accounts Payable Analyst at SYNNEX Corporate Headquarters in Fremont, CA and hopes to leverage his leadership skills as a former robotics team President to compete in similar team engineering competitions at college, such Formula SAE and Hyperloop Pod.   He also aspires to give back to his community locally and globally. “Being an avid volunteer, one of my biggest goals is to travel overseas to contribute to an international humanitarian effort like the Tzu Chi Foundation,” he explained.   “As an accomplished Eagle Scout, I led an instrument-shelving project for the high school music program that pushed the limits of my leadership," Jonathan says, “from leading my team of volunteers to ensuring the delivery was on schedule while calmly resolving unforeseen issues.”  Jonathan also held the role of Robotics Club President at a time when the club was experiencing dwindling participation.  He was able to lead the students towards a greater passion for engineering with words of encouragement and a new focus on fun – pulling them upward instead of pushing them forward.  “At college, my presence as a leader can guide those who feel pressured to succeed in life.  Rather than imposing stress on my teammates in a project, I can lead them in a group effort one step at a time,” he explained.

Michael Wang

University of California, Los Angeles
Major: Biochemistry
Career Goal: Owner of Clinic/Biochemistry Research
Memberships: Future Business Leaders of America, School Newspaper, Marching Band

Michael is the son of Claudia Peng, Senior Buyer at SYNNEX Corporation based in Carson, CAAfter transferring to a large public school from a small high school as a sophomore, he became actively involved in competing in leadership conferences at the State and national level in management-related topics.  This is where he found his passion for business.  It was through the school’s countless opportunities that he also discovered he had a niche of chemistry while studying for the Chemistry Olympiad, noting “I stumbled upon Organic Chemistry which I fell in love with immediately.” He also joined the school newspaper team, where he befriended the Editor-in-chief, who introduced him to journalism and mentored him as he became a Managing Editor. “I held on to not only what he taught me, but also what he showed me; paying attention to people, sharing knowledge and skills — that is mentoring — is the key to real success,” said Michael.  As a result, he showed his leadership skills by establishing the groundwork for “mentor groups,” a system in which an editor guides a small group of staff writers throughout the entire production cycle.  “My end goal is to intertwine my interests in Business and Biochemistry to open up my own clinic and conduct research to make strides toward finding cures for diseases caused by the malfunctioning of signal transduction pathways,” he shared.

Ravindra Tatineni

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Career Goal: Business, technological development
Memberships:  M-HEAL (Michigan Health Engineered for All Lives), Beta Mu Epsilon

Ravindra is the son of Sarada Tatineni, Senior Manager, Software Engineering for Concentrix in Farmington Hills, Michigan. He said, “The student organizations and research groups I joined allowed me to excel further as a student. I have been able to attain such honors as the Engineering Dean’s List, University Honors, and most recently, my designation as a James B. Angell Scholar.” He explained, “Although I was born and spent much of my childhood raised in India where the population far exceeded the resources available, I moved to America, “The Land of Opportunities.” Growing up in disparate environments has taught me to appreciate the value of a good education, affordable healthcare, and even such simple things as clean water and a 24-hour power supply.” Ravindra joined an organization focused on impoverished communities called M-HEAL as a Project Co-lead and worked with a newer group on the development of a Hybrid Infant Warmer to help decrease low birthweight infant mortality. This project included supervising 20 engineering and business students with 4 sub team leaders furthering his leadership skills towards his career aspirations.  Ravindra feels, “Going forward through my college education and future career, I will utilize and apply the values instilled in me to further not only my personal development but also my career aspirations towards biomedical engineering, business, and technological development.” Ravindra plans to pursue a career as an MD, PHD or Board-Certified Veterinarian with a goal to discover something new that would benefit society.

Tyler Catoe

Clemson University, Clemson SC
Major: Mathematical Sciences & Secondary Education
Career Goal: High School Math Teacher
Memberships: Eagle Sc outs, BETA Club, First Priority Leadership Team

Tyler is the son of Laura Catoe, Senior Manager, Facilities for Concentrix in Greenville, SC and said that after thirteen years of public education it became blatantly clear to him that he is gifted in mathematics. “Math has always been my favorite, easiest subject in school; the material seemed to come naturally to me.  In the sixth grade, I started to push myself by skipping a year of math and jumped to seventh grade math instead of sixth. But, this jump didn’t slow me down; after that year, I decided to take another leap in my math courses and skip Pre-Algebra (eighth grade math) and go straight into Honors Algebra 1,” he explained.  Tyler earned the 2017 AP Calculus AB award and through dedication and willingness to put forth the effort and is ranked 20 out of 342 students in his class.  Through his experiences as an Eagle Scout since 2016 he has developed leadership abilities and learned how to be a role model for others.  “Through this training, I have been able to serve as the BETA Club Class Representative, and I have also had the privilege to serve on the First Priority Leadership Team,” Tyler said.  Tyler has served — and continues to serve — in several leadership roles with the NYLT (National Youth Leadership Training) program. He will attend Clemson University with a double major in Mathematical Sciences and Secondary Education. He shared, “I’m overwhelmed at the opportunity to continue to study advanced mathematics and cannot wait to see what’s in store.”

Varun Kutirakulam

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Major: Computer Engineering – Minor in Business
Career Goal: Chief Technology Officer at a technology firm
Memberships:  FIRST Robotics Team, FIRST Lego League (FLL), Mu Alpha Theta, Tau Beta Pi

Varun is the son of Madhu Kuthirakulathu, Senior Manager, Consulting in Michigan for Concentrix and is currently a student at University of Michigan at the College of Engineering, majoring in Computer Engineering and minoring in Business.  He says he has been influenced by his parents, who are both engineers and was heavily involved in FIRST Robotics teams in high schools as a programmer, developing different robotic functions.  He said, “Leadership to me is influencing the young growing minds. When I was in middle school, my leadership experience started by volunteering at the local library and Kumon Math and reading center to help the little ones read. As I moved on to high school, I joined Big Brother Big Sister club to mentor the freshmen kids. With my experience as a FIRST Robotic Arm sub group leader, I took the opportunity to volunteer as a FLL (FIRST Lego League) coach for Oxbow Elementary school,” Tyler explained.  Last summer, he interned at Mercedes-Benz Financial Services as the development lead on POC of a Beacon application and taught his fellow interns the basics of UI design in Xcode to design an app that would work with beacons placed in cars to relay information to potential customers. “In the future, I would like to use my knowledge in engineering and business to manage technology at a firm as a CTO,” said Varun. 

William Dorst

Boston University
Major: Science
Career Goal: Physician

William is the son of Jim Dorst, Director, Corporate Development for Concentrix in Fremont, CA and states, “Steady, enthusiastic progress is what I aspire to, inside and outside of the classroom. Mathematics and sciences have always been my strong suits, something about their deterministic nature still gives me the satisfaction of synthesizing and puzzle-solving.”  This standard has made him the student he is; a National Merit Finalist, a National AP Scholar, an award-winning writer, and La Jolla High School’s 2018 Valedictorian.  William feels that leadership is the act of setting an example and offering guidance to those who wish to follow it.  “I hold myself to the standard that I do because I want my classmates to know that they can turn to me for help in anything at all,” he shared.  When friends came to him in need of help preparing for the ACT, he would sit down with them for an hour after school several days a week.  Before he knew it, he was providing a pay-what-you-can ACT and SAT tutoring service that he feels empowers students to take control of their education.  “I aim to keep my standards high as I prepare myself for medical school. Further down the road, I hope to become a heart surgeon so that I can defend the gift of life,” he explained.