Quietly settled during class on Oct. 15, Senior Annie Lam gasps with surprise as tears fill her eyes while ASBL rushes towards her with a poster that announces her title as student of the month. All around her, classmates congratulate her and even the ASBL members feel tears welling in their eyes as they feel the sentimentality and excitement in the room.
Diagnosed at around three years old with autism, Lam experiences delayed speech reactions and weak comprehension. Autism is typically characterized by difficulties in social interaction and communication as well as repetitive behavior. The condition displays symptoms early in life, by the age of two or three, as exemplified by Lam. Although autism remains closely associated with intellectual disability, coordination difficulty and physical health issues, those who are diagnosed often excel in a specific area such as math or visual arts. In this case, Annie’s analytical nature causes her to excel in math.
“I really like math. I like to do algebra,” Lam said. “I want to study more because I like everything.”
Even with this obstacle, Lam maintains a positive attitude as well as a strong will to learn. Lam currently takes
Language Arts, Stand Domain (where Ms. Mary Jane Card teaches life skills), Creative Clothing, Algebra and Adaptive PE. Because of her love of learning, Lam eagerly took additional courses this year such as Creative Clothing in order to learn to sew. Along with that, Lam speaks three languages: Mandarin, English and a bit of Cantonese.
“Annie is the kindest student I’ve ever had,” Individualized Instructor Ms. Card said. “She will reach out to any student in the classroom.”
Lam enjoys socializing and will talk to anyone. She always greets people with a smile on her face.
“If you see beyond the obstacles in her life, you will see she’s a person who always wants to do what’s right,” Ms. Card said. “I’ve never heard of anyone who didn’t love her. She is a student who will leave having made a mark
on me and the other students with her joy of learning and personality.”
Along with being a great friend, Lam works diligently as a student. She greatly values punctuality and continually tries her best in all her schoolwork.
“Annie always values her work,” Ms. Card said. “She always asks me if I want her to do it over again whenever she makes a mistake.”
In her free time, Lam enjoys listening to music as well as hanging out and talking with her friends, particularly Senior Elmer Rivas, who has been her best friend since Oak Avenue Intermediate School. In the future, Lam will go on to a transition program and eventually live independently.
This year, the procedure for choosing student of the month has changed as well. Renaissance Commissioners Seniors Janelle Capwell and Austin Lam as well as Fundraising Commissioner Senior Staci Lu-Nguyen have taken the time to formulate a new plan for choosing the student of the month from English teacher
“I came up with this method because I felt the students in 308 were forgotten for the most part in campus events,” Lu-Nguyen said. “They deserve to be recognized since they’re the greatest people I know and I admire them tremendously.”nominations as well as one student from the visually impaired and specialized instruction students. This new method ensures that recognition is given to all students who deserve it.
