Page 10 - The Edge: Issue 7

Story by Emma Roberts Photos by Jordyn Vu
Queen
Her acceptance to Cornell is partially owed to the exactly 247 quizlets she’s made throughout high school.
Judging from the “cover” of Jordyn Vu, most people only imagine her head in a book or studying for an exam. Valedictorian and National Merit Scholar Finalist are only two of her impressive academic accomplishments, but they do not define her whole personality.
“Most people think I just like reading but I enjoy writing and drawing in my spare time too,” Vu said. “I just do digital art, and although I’m terrible at it, it’s still fun. Recently, I’ve been channeling my inner Bob Ross with painting landscapes.” Besides art, Vu also expresses herself in other creative outlets. She keeps an ongoing dream journal that she started in 2017.
“I started a dream journal because I used to never remember my dreams, maybe five times a year I would remember them,” Vu said. “After starting one, I would remember around three or four out of the seven days in a week. I think it has helped with memory retention and overall is actually pretty interesting.”
Vu’s daily routine has her driving everywhere. It includes going to school, leaving at 12 p.m. since she dual enrolls, then heading to the gym around 2:20-3:40 p.m. After that, she goes to EFSC if it’s a Monday or Thursday, and finally sleeps around 11 p.m. Even when she has a lot of homework, Vu makes physical activity a priority in her schedule.
“I like to physically challenge myself through weight training and the occasional run,” Vu said. “Any physical exercise is important to my mental health. With school and the other pressures of being a high-schooler, I try to do anything I can to remain motivated.”
With the rigorous course load Vu takes, the studying app Quizlet has been her best friend. Her frequent use of the app all started in her tenth grade APUSH class when a fellow classmate suggested she make a quizlet for the vocabulary. “I soon realized that what I was creating was actually helping people on their tests, quizzes, etc,” Vu said. “Sometimes people just need to know where to begin studying. I definitely do use my own quizlets, I’d probably be lost without them.”
She has created so many study sets (247 of them), that Quizlet has even sent her a few shirts. Vu’s connection with
the app has been more than the studying sets, the people behind Quizlet love listening to users’ stories.
“The first time, I just sent them an email fangirling and they sent me a shirt,” Vu said. “The second time, I participated in a Beta Test they were running for a new feature, and the third time I DMed them on Instagram actually talking about how they helped me get into college.”
Other than exam season, Vu noted her hardest challenge in high school was the mandatory senior project. Vu presented a lesson on virtual reality to around 60 sixth grade students and provided a hands-on experience while walking them through how to use it.
“I went outside of my comfort zone this year, but I’m glad I chose the project I did,” Vu said. “I chose virtual reality because I found it interesting but I didn’t know a lot about it so I thought it would be a good challenge. From my perspective, the kids got pretty involved and excited which must have been a good sign.”
In a school full of the smart and talented, Vu came out on top of the senior class. What divides her from most students is her ability to exceed expectations. This drive did not come from pressure from others, but from within herself.
“I’m self-motivated, which I think is very important, especially for people our age,” Vu said. “I don’t do things because of any parent harping on me to get good grades or because of competition from other students. I’m motivated
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