06-05-2025
Antelope High senior earns admission to prestigious MIT for fall semester
( ANTELOPE, Calif. – It's an exciting time of year for thousands of high school seniors across our area. High school graduation is just around the corner, and the start of college is only a few months away. During this college acceptance cycle, one Antelope High School senior has a lot to celebrate, including her acceptance to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
MIT's acceptance rate is around 4.5 percent, meaning for every one hundred applicants, just four will be accepted. Senior Anh Tam Truong's hard work paid off, securing her a spot at the university for the Class of 2029.
Now, the next four years will take her about 3,000 miles across the country to MIT.
'When I was scrolling through my email and I saw that email from MIT, and then I saw the congratulations, I was really shocked and really surprised,' she said.
Anh was so surprised that she checked her email and portal multiple times just to be sure. While Anh is smart, her admission to MIT represents much more than that including grit and leadership.
'I'm in Key Club, I'm in Math Club, I'm in UNICEF, I'm in the National Honor Society, Link Crew. I have more, I kind of just forgot it,' she said.
Extra-curricular activities quickly became part of Anh's routine and helped her break out of her shell throughout high school.
'It helped me grow as a person because I really got to connect with many people from different cultures and personalities,' Tam Truong said.
Anh is the youngest of three and moved to the United States from Vietnam when she was just 5 years old. Adjusting to a new environment, culture and language was far from easy.
'For me, I remembered it feeling like I was isolated,' she said. 'I didn't understand Vietnamese. I mean, I did kind of understand it, but I couldn't communicate with Vietnamese properly and I also had trouble with English.'
Over the years, though, Anh found her groove by working hard in school and learning to lean on those around her, especially her family. Anh and her older sisters are the first in their family to attend university in the U.S. Her sisters are eight and 10 years older than her and are not only UC graduates but mentors to Anh.
'They mostly had to experience the most hurdles,' Tam Truong said.
Hurdles like translating for her parents and integrating into American culture and schools as teens.
'From their experience, they actually pushed me based on the shortcomings that they overcame. That's why I was involved in a lot of extracurriculars,' she said.
For those who know her well, like guidance counselor Brian Hewitt, Anh's story is one of persistence and one that rightfully earned her a spot at MIT.
'At the same time, with all the stress that's involved in being a high-functioning, high-end student getting into a school like MIT, she's found the work-life balance. 'She works really hard at her mental health, she works really hard to take care of herself,' Hewitt said.
Several teachers and programs at Antelope High School were also instrumental on the road to college admissions. Anh is a QuestBridge Scholar, which is a program geared toward high-achieving high school students from low-income backgrounds. It's a unique program that her guidance counselor got to see her thrive in.
'I feel very lucky. Over the years, here at Antelope, we've had a number of students. I like to call them old souls, and she's certainly at the top of that list. Yeah, she's just kind of got it,' Hewitt said.
As the final days of high school begin to tick by, Anh is trying to take it all in.
'I want to appreciate everything because there were a lot of factors that pushed me to where I am today,' she said.
While Anh said there's more to learn and experience in the years ahead, she'll keep looking at the bigger picture.
'I just focused on moving forward and looking to the future and at the same time focusing on the present and just becoming the best version of myself,' she said.
Graduation day is just around the corner at Antelope High School, and it will be a big day for Anh, who is also co-salutatorian in her senior class and will be speaking at the graduation ceremony.
As for what's next, Anh plans to live on campus at MIT, preferably a dorm with a kitchen, because she loves cooking. She will be studying chemical engineering.
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