A Student Publication of the University of Hawai`i • Honolulu Community College • January 2016
Moving on up -- and he's still just 16 years old engineering, but hopes to transfer to West Point. With an interest in military Andre Wang looks like a typical activities, Wang is enrolled in the Honolulu Community College Junior Reserve Officer Training student. If you see him walking Corps (JROTC), a high school down the halls or along the camprogram sponsored by the U.S. pus mall, you wouldn’t think twice Armed Forces, that allows stuabout him. dents to learn the values of citizenBut there’s one thing that makes ship, service to the country, perWang stand out: He’s 16 years sonal responsibility and a sense of old and just accomplishment. graduated from Wang has earned Wang's advice to the JROTC “The HonCC with AAS degree. Hunother students at President's This semester he dred” for rifle plans to attend shooting. HonCC: UH-Manoa to Wang said he study engineer“Never give up.” would like to work ing, then move someday in the on to the U.S. field of weapon enMilitary Acadgineering, designemy. ing weapons that will be make the Even seven semesters ago in world a safer place. 2012, when he started college Despite his obvious ability, at 13, nobody noticed anything Wang said his time at HonCC unusual about Wang, unless the wasn’t always easy academically, professors pointed it out in class like when he encountered chalLast month, Wang sat down to lenges in his math class. talk about his stay at HonCC and “I hit a wall,” he said. But, Wang his plans for the future, said, he told himself to persevere, Wang’s parents noticed early on remembering his favorite quote by his ability to learn fast and decided John Paul Jones: “Don’t give up the to jumped right into kindergarten ship”. at age 4. After he reached second “I don’t see myself as extremely grade, his parents decided to take special. I know I’m not perfect. I’m a different approach and homenot the greatest 16 year old that school him for the rest of his early ever lived," he said. education. His mother was his Wang’s tries keep a right balance main teacher throughout the first in life: He takes care of his school few years until Wang was able to work first and only then tries to teach himself. relax and have fun. He spends By the time he was 11, Wang some of his free time doing war decided to follow in the steps of his re-enactments, like this past Dec. 6 sister, Kaila, who started college at when he and his father portrayed the age of 15 and is now attending military soldiers from WWII era in the U.S Naval Academy. memory of those fallen in the Pearl Andre plans on following his Harbor attack. sister’s footsteps, and he is curWang has become our latest rently accepted to UH for precampus pride, graduating this By Vania Graves
Ka L� staff writer
Ka LĀ photo by Kiki Williams
Andre Wang started college at age 13 and graduated last semester. semester with his AAS before most others his age have finished high school. He is now an inspiration to all student here at HonCC and shows that nothing is impossible.
"Don’t be afraid to push yourself and don’t be afraid to take risks… but don’t take risks all the time because that’s when one becomes careless,” he said.