Darlington senior Ha Dang was named the Region 1 STAR Student at a special banquet at the Coosa Country Club on March 17.
STAR Region 1 encompasses most of northwest Georgia and is comprised of over 22 different school systems.
Following her selection as Darlington STAR Student, Dang went on to win the same award on the Rome City level. Now as region winner, Dang moves on to the state round of the competition next month.
"I was very surprised to receive the award," said Ha Dang. "It is a way to demonstrate my appreciation to everyone at Darlington, and hopefully my achievement is a way to show that their efforts have paid off over the last two years."
Julia Dodd, Darlington science teacher, was chosen by Dang as her STAR teacher, and will also move on to the state level with the student.
"Nominating Mrs. Dodd was an honor for me personally because I can honor my favorite Darlington teacher," said Dang.
Dodd has been at Darlington since August 1998, and teaches AP Chemistry and Introduction to Organic Chemistry. She also serves as the adviser to the Honor Council and Science Club. Dodd's commitment to teaching excellence has been recognized by the School with several awards, including the Carla and Leonard Wood Faculty Professional Development Endowment Award in 2011.
Dang will enter the Massachusetts Institute of Technology this fall and plans to major in either biomedical engineering, chemical engineering and/or material science and engineering. Her ultimate goal is to help provide prosthetic limbs for farmers in the Vietnamese countryside. As a native of southeast Asia, Dang and members of her family have come in contact with many field workers whose ability to perform their jobs is impaired by their disability. She hopes to be able to use her college education and training to serve those in Vietnam's rural workforce after graduation.
"Ha is the first one of our students in a number of years to make it to the STAR state level. It is a huge achievement for her especially having only been in this country for two years," said Sam Moss ('63), Darlington's dean of college guidance. "She is one of the most articulate international students that we have ever had."
The Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program is sponsored by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) Foundation, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Department of Education. The program recognizes Georgia seniors who have scored the highest on the SAT during a single-day attempt and are in the top 10 percent of their class based on grade point average.
Click here to read more about Ha Dang's accomplishments and School involvement.
Click here to see additional photographs of the presentation from the
Rome News-Tribune.
