Boundless curiosity. Scientific ambition. Light-hearted humor. The intersection of these spaces is where you’ll find Emily Liu (12). Whether she is working with X-rays for her biology research, asking insightful questions in the classroom or making funny puns, Emily satisfies her curiosity through science while having a positive, genuine influence on those around her.

As a middle schooler, Emily spent a significant amount of her free time reading science-related books, so she decided to attend Science Bowl tryouts. Her hard work and extensive knowledge earned her a spot on the team, and Emily has been participating in the Science Bowl ever since. Now, in addition to her position as captain on the high school team, Emily gives back, coaching the middle school Science Bowl team and working with younger students as she rekindles the same passion she felt at that age.

“Science Bowl is what first piqued my interest in science, and by science, I mean all fields of science. Specialization is great, but in order to excel in STEM, you need to know a little bit about everything and a lot about one thing,” Emily said. “Science Bowl is the best way to begin building that wide knowledge base in middle school, which is why I think volunteering for middle school Science Bowl is a worthwhile effort.”

Within science, Emily takes interest in various different branches. Currently, biology intrigues her the most. Aside from attending Science Bowl tournaments, Emily also participates in events including the Research Symposium and the annual USA Biology Olympiad. She participates in various events related to science, including Science Bowl tournament, Research Symposium and the annual USA Biology Olympiad.

“I would say that Emily personifies all of the characteristics of a successful scientist,” biology teacher Dr. Thomas Artiss said. “Emily loves to drill down and understand what science has to offer, and she does this with an almost childlike euphoria. She sees patterns or makes connections with enviable ease.” 

Further, Emily credits Science Bowl and science research for helping her develop a philosophy of viewing setbacks as reminders that she should reevaluate her tactics rather than treating them as failures. In both activities, she has encountered obstacles that tend to be discouraging; nevertheless, Emily is motivated to rethink her actions.

“In research, you start out with a plan, and most likely there is something you didn’t account for, so you have to spend time looking through that,” Emily said. “You don’t have to think about things in terms of setbacks. If you don’t accomplish what you set out to do, it’s not really a setback.”

Long-time friend and orchestra classmate Christine Tang (12) recalls that at first, Emily seemed like an overachiever who had a lot of work on her plate. Nevertheless, after getting to know Emily better through orchestra and other activities, Christine notes that “her presence is pretty calming.”

In addition to science, Emily spends much of her free time playing the flute. Emily chose the flute due to its versatility, as it is a relatively small and mobile instrument and works well both in the orchestra and as a solo piece.

Emily’s dedicated work ethic while doing activities she loves such as flute or science is a trait that Grace Huang (12) admires.

“One unique trait that sets Emily apart from a lot of people I know is her unrelenting pursuit of things that interest her. I admire her dedication to her passions and the work she puts into doing so much, from research to Science Bowl and more, amazes me,” Grace said.

Aside from her academic pursuits, Emily enjoys brightening other people’s days with her amusing puns and light-hearted sense of humor. 

“I enjoy making puns, but in order to justify that, I’d need to make one up right now which I can’t really do on the fly,” Emily said, a grin splitting her face.

Her love for puns and humor manifests itself in her day to day interactions with her peers.

“She can always come up with funny jokes or relatable memes from her phone to destress everyone,” Christine said. “I fondly remember her laughing, ‘You shouldn’t look in my Youtube history.’”

Dr. Artiss describes her holistically as someone who is an inquisitive and passionate learner.

“While I am explaining a concept in class, Emily is usually three steps ahead of me,” Dr. Artiss said. “She has usually already figured out what I am explaining and she is making some seemingly abstract connection to some other topic, or something she learned in another class, or even to pop culture or some pun she developed on the fly.”