Editor’s note: The Auburn Reporter salutes some of the best graduating seniors from each of the Auburn School District’s four high schools. The top graduates were selected by their respective schools.
Michelle Lee
Michelle Lee’s perfect 4.0 grade point average puts her at the top of her Auburn High School graduating class of 429 seniors.
After talking with her for a moment or two, it’s easy to see how she got there.
Known for her infectious smile and upbeat personality, Lee also is competitive and driven. Her academic schedule numbers 15 honors and Advanced Placement (AP) semester credits. In her final semester, she is taking zero period BC calculus, aerobics, chemistry, AP literature, AP government and AP Calculus.
“It’s not as bad as I thought,” Lee said of her class load.
Lee is also fully or partially fluent in Chinese, Japanese, Burmese and English.
A born multi-tasker, Lee has taken part in the AHS First Robotics Club and the National Honor Society Chapters, is Secretary of Troy Crew, a past member of Future Business Leaders of America and a summer volunteer at the Public Library. She has been on the Auburn Youth Council for three years, now serving as its vice president. She has played on the tennis team for four years and is co-founder of AHS’s new Philm-U video club. Among the honors she has earned in her high school years are the Masonic Ledge Academic Scholar and AAUW Math Scholar awards.
Next year Lee will attend the University of Washington. Though a bit fuzzy about what she wants to be, she knows it’s in the medical field.
“I want to help people, I want to travel the world, maybe with Doctors Without Borders, and help people who need it,” she said. “At one point I decided I wanted to go somewhere more math related, and I wanted to be a civil engineer, so I took drafting and classes like that here. Something just changed, so now I want to go into medicine again.”
Born in Burma (Myanmar) Lee moved to the United States just before the second grade with her parents and four older sisters Patricia, Wendy, Emily and Tammy.
“They just wanted us to get a good education,” Lee said of her parents. “They had five daughters. You can’t get a good job in Myanmar if you’re a female. It’s better here.”
In her spare time Lee likes to hang with her friends but “my parents are really strict, so usually I am home by myself, so I like to find things I can do. I have this weird hobby of trying to learn new languages. I spent the last two summers trying to learn Chinese, because I am Chinese but don’t speak it because I have lived all my life in Burma or here.”
Her perfect grades reflects a deal struck years ago with her mother.
“So far I have a 4.0. I kind of had a bet with my mom, and she told me I couldn’t go to my friend’s house for a sleepover unless I got a 4.0 throughout high school. I’m pretty sure I got the bad end of the deal,” Lee said.
Austen Stone
Auburn High School senior Austen Stone doesn’t do sitting still well, and it’s hard to escape the impression of a big engine idling just below the surface of his skin, ready to roar off with him.
He is articulate, uncommonly bright, confident, if not a bit cocky. With a cumulative GPA of 3.75, he ranks 32 in his graduating class of 429.
Confidence is a big thing with him.
“I like being confident, because if you don’t go into something confident, you’re not going come out with any good feeling,” said Stone.
Self assurance should serve Stone well as he begins the next phase of his life this fall at Central Washington University. An Auburn Rotary Club scholarship, a $2,000 merit scholarship and a $700 music scholarship will buoy his studies.
His work load includes jazz band, orchestra, AP literature and composition and Spanish 3 and 4.
Stone, who lives on Auburn-Black Diamond Road with his mother, Beth, attended Lakeview Elementary, Cascade Middle School and Auburn High School.
A bass player, he took third place in the recent State Solo Contest at CWU. He also plays with the Show Choir.
According to orchestra teacher Dale Johnson, Stone was president of the orchestra and has worked to bring to it unity and recognition. Tireless in outreach activities to the community with many performances of chamber music, he was selected to perform at the State Solo Contest by virtue of winning the Green River music region Solo and Ensemble Contest. Last year his string quintet won the local contest and gave an outstanding performance at the state contest.
“He has been an avid participant in ensemble opportunities and has held down the bass part in each of the past three year’s AHS musical productions including this year’s offering, ‘Grease’ ”, Johnson said.
Stones cites Johnson as one of his heroes.
His choice of a state college is pragmatic. He says CWU has the best music program in the state for strings and music communication, and is less pricey.
“I figured I always wanted to go to much higher levels of education than just a four-year college, so why go blow my money on some place expensive when I can save up at a state college that’s still got a great program?” said Stone.
In his spare time he likes to rebuild cars. But with him, music is the whole shebang.
“I really enjoy playing music, I love everything about music, and it’s my highest priority in life right now,” said Stone. “Two weeks ago I had five concerts in a row, last week had three and this week have four. Musicians don’t make a whole lot of money. I want to be able to support a good lifestyle. I know I’m good at things, I just have to find out what I am good at and can make a good living off of it.”
