Coppell High School senior Dongkyu Lee is ranked No. 1 in the graduating class of 2021. Lee will be attending Rice University in the fall and is majoring in Computer Science.
Dongkyu Lee
What does it mean to you to be in the top 10?
I never saw myself actively going for the top 10 position. As a result of my academics and other people around me driving the competition, it’s more about the friend group I had since middle school and the people I met in high school that got me interested in academics. It was a way for me to enjoy my experience. It wasn’t very intentional.
What advice do you have for younger students?
I would first prioritize relationships and having a social life. To be a high ranking student, it would come down to taking the right classes that are for you and doing the right amount of work for each class.
I always tell people who come up to me [for advice] to do their homework. It’s one thing that a lot of people forget to do, but it’s also a major grade in many cases. Homework is a good way to pace yourself properly, study for a major assessment in the future and keep your grades in check. They’re the assignments you least expect to bring [grades] down, but they’re also the most significant in some ways.
What is something you wish you told your ninth grade self?
I would tell myself that it’s not the best idea to completely dedicate myself to academics, and it would be much better if I tried to balance my life a little bit more. There are a lot of sacrifices that come to mind because of what I was aiming for, and that mindset solidified the path I went on. Regardless of my personal thoughts, I never made an active decision to move away from academics. Keep a clear eye about what your true intentions are and that includes being socially healthy.
What is your most memorable part of high school?
The relationships and the experiences I’ve had with friends were the best parts of high school. From lunch, to the classes that we shared, to the new people I met, it’s really the people that you interact with that keep you motivated to do what you want. Without them, it’s purposeless.
Follow Avani (@AvaniKashyap03) and @CHSCampusNews on Twitter.