Whether it’s doing her best in school, trying new things, or setting goals for herself, freshman Lucy Wu always has her parents by her side to support her. Since a young age, Lucy has looked to her parents as inspiration to complete any goal despite the difficulty level.

“My parents have always pushed me really hard,” Lucy said, “but I always keep in mind that they push me because they know I can do it. I can always talk to my parents about anything, and they have so much experience to help me through something if I get stuck.”

Lucy’s parents are her and her siblings’ biggest supporters, and they always want them to succeed. Lucy’s hard work and determination may be fueled by her parents, but she also gives them the credit for having these skills within her in the first place.

“My parents were immigrants from China,” Lucy said, “and they had to build their own life from scratch. They both worked the hardest that they could and sacrificed so much for me and my siblings. If they did all of this, their hard work must be in me too.”

Lucy is always trying something new and pushing herself to be the best that she can be. While starting fresh in activities like playing piano, it can be easy to give up in the first couple of months of starting, but Lucy perseveres through any hardship or roadblock.

Having pure determination can be tiring, and with her parents supporting her every step of the way, failure can be a huge obstacle that could strike fear in some people’s hearts; however, Lucy doesn’t let fear stop her. She has an amazing support system that encourages her every move, and this has made Lucy the best that she can be at anything she picks up. Along with looking to her parents for inspiration, she also looks to them for reassurance in her dreams and aspirations.

“My parents don’t sugar coat,” Lucy said. “If I have a dream, they’ll ask me if it’s possible, and if I say yes, they’ll step in and help me through all of it. My siblings and I all enjoy learning new skills that will help us all through life, and our parents have never been able to say no to that; they always find a way to make things work.”

Being family-oriented has been the best thing for Lucy in many different aspects of her life, especially in a school setting. Lucy’s family has taught her to keep moving forward when life gets rough, and that’s exactly what she does. 

“Even if you don’t understand something at first,” Lucy said, “you can always teach it to yourself; it feels so good knowing that you made it happen yourself. If you want to do something, no one can stop you.”

While she loves to learn new things, it’s not only the yearning for knowledge that sets Lucy apart from other kids her age but the bubbly feeling she gets when she accomplishes something. While most tasks don’t have to be impossible, Lucy finds joy in simple successes and still learns from the smallest failures. Keeping a smile on her face has been something that’s helped her through difficult situations like those failures.

“If I don’t do well on a test,” Lucy said, “I always think that there are so many more tests that I’m going to take; this isn’t the last one, and there are so many ways that you can redeem yourself. I’ve found that I don’t quit if anything gets hard, [and] I remember that it will get better, and I can get a handle on it.”

Lucy still works on picking herself up when the odds are against her, but with her positive mindset within her reach at all times, it becomes easier for Lucy to grab a hold of her smile. A lot of people, especially in high school, struggle with keeping a positive attitude through all of their hardships, but Lucy wants to be proof to them that you can achieve anything—it’s all in your head.

“I can always be better, so why wouldn’t I want to be?” Lucy said. “It doesn’t matter what I’m doing, I always try to make it my best effort. I try to smile as much as I can, and I try to pay attention to all of the privileges that I have; I hope I’ve been a positive influence.”

Everything that Lucy has learned comes right back to her parents. The support, determination, ways to find joy, and a positive attitude is something that she has learned from her family’s influence. While Lucy is still very independent, she can’t help but thank the people around her for assisting her every step of the way.

Lucy doesn’t just apply her love for knowledge in a school setting to get all A’s, she loves to pick up hints and tricks from those around her. While trying to be a positive influence for those around her, she wants to learn how to do this to the best of her ability.

Being a freshman, the multiple changes happening all at once is something we all have to go through, but this doesn’t invalidate the feelings of fear most people her age feel. Any outside source keeps Lucy up to her best potential, and this makes high school just a tad easier; she knows she has a great family who loves and supports her. Lucy wants to someday give back to the people that made her who she is today.

“I would tell my parents ‘thank you’ for all the sacrifices they’ve made,” Lucy said. “They’ve given me my life, and they always support me, my dreams, and my aspirations.”