Super Kid: Angie Tang
Published 12:01 am Monday, December 28, 2009
New home: At the start of her sophomore year in high school, Angie Tang left her childhood home in Jinan, China, to attend Solomon Christian School in Edmonds. She has remained, living in a dormitory on campus with about 25 other students.
She has an uncle in Redmond and a grandmother in Seattle. They picked the school and invited her to come. She sees them every weekend during services at Seattle Christian Assembly in Shoreline.
Dreamscape: Angie thought the United States would be a “dreamland,” like in the movies. “In my impression, it would be like everything in New York City — all tall buildings and traffic jams, but it’s not all like that.”
Keeping busy: Every afternoon, Angie attends club meetings on campus. She is the president of the student council and a member of the Key Club community service organization, the Girls Club and the Praise Club. There are 36 students attending Solomon, and Angie says they are a close-knit group.
Quiet nights: Angie spends most nights studying in the dorm. “We have study time and there’s a supervisor and she just walks around and checks me regularly.” Angie doesn’t have a TV in her dorm room but enjoys listening to music on her iPod. Angie says she likes all kinds of music, including pop stars Kelly Clarkson and Lily Allen.
Future design: When she graduates, Angie wants to study architecture at an American university. Angie was inspired to become an architect by her love of art, and her mother, an architect in Jinan. Angie’s dad is a university administrator. Angie, an only child, visits her parents each summer.
Comparing schools: To Angie, Chinese and American schools are different in countless aspects — the classes, the theories, the ways knowledge is passed down. She found school in China more difficult. “The way I’m taught here helps me to discover myself more. It helps me to get more creative because before I didn’t get a chance to practice my creativity. Now I think maybe I’m talented.” She is currently taking English, calculus, physics, journalism, current events and creative writing.
Craving spice: Besides her family and friends, the thing Angie misses most about China is the food. She craves hot pots filled with meat, vegetables, tofu and lots of spice.
Inspiring story: “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini is among her favorite books. Set in Afghanistan and the U.S., the novel tells a story of friendship in difficult times. “I think it’s kind of inspiring and it tells a lot about a human truth.”
— Kaitlin Manry, Herald writer
