by: Kat Littfin
Editorial Editor
Go-getter, learner, and storyteller: senior Megan Lu is all of the above. Though only in high school, Lu has had many interesting experiences ranging from odd jobs to pageantry. In any interaction with Lu, her humorous spirit, intelligence, and narrative abilities shine through.
Whereas most students spend the majority of their summer break relaxing and recovering from the stress of the school year, Lu took the road less traveled. When a highly competitive summer program rejected Lu, she did not let setbacks stop her from having a productive summer break. Relocating to Southern California for the summer, Lu took four community college courses – the equivalent of a semester of university coursework – which filled her afternoons Monday through Thursday. Still motivated to do more, Lu spent her mornings volunteering at Newport Beach, where she planted over 200 pickle weeds. Lu enjoyed this activity as she has an emotional connection to the location. She described: “I love seeing the Newport coastline. It’s a very beautiful spot, and it has a lot of sentimental value to me because when my brother first got into UCLA, we went there and celebrated.”
Even on her off days, Lu worked at a ranch where she taught horse riding lessons. She also tutored a student who was taking the same course as she, Bio Lab, and worked several odd jobs on Fiverr. According to Lu, her most memorable job involved “a board game maker want[ing] an Excel sheet in the next 24 hours because he had a pitch to Hasbro.” Not daunted by the task, Lu told herself, “I got this,” and used Adobe and YouTube tutorials to create a final product that ultimately contributed to the success of the Hasbro pitch. Lu said her summer vacation was “the summer of hustling,” which aptly illustrates her jam-packed summer extravaganza.
After summer, Lu rolled into her senior year. Lu admits that this school year is “really hard,” but throughout her academic career, she has been inspired by her courses and teachers. Lu specifically highlights Kristen Austin because of her warmth and conversational abilities, Timothy Gaylord because of his “radiant positivity […] and intellect,” and Paris DeSoto because she is “a fabulous dancer.” While Megan takes AP Literature and AP French at LGHS, she can also speak Mandarin and some Russian thanks to the supplemental BYU online course she took over the summer. Notably, her favorite Russian words are Перестан (stop) and Кока-кола (Coca-Cola).
Lu also involves herself in a multitude of after-school activities. She volunteers as co-president of Adults Towards Independent Living, a club that helps adults living with spinal cord injuries. Additionally, she works at Oak Meadow Dental Center twice a week, doing administrative and chair-side care. To open up to new experiences and improve her public speaking, Lu started participating in pageants this year. According to Lu, her favorite part of the events is “that people aren’t afraid to be more girly.” She added: “At school […] if you wear a lot of makeup or dresses, people think ‘why are you trying so hard?’ But I feel like [at pageants] people can just be themselves.”
If you see Lu on campus, feel free to strike up a conversation, as you will likely hear a quick quip, a nice compliment, or an interesting story. With her plethora of interests and experiences, Lu is sure to engage you.