How far can a DAIS graduate go? Can a student do well in every class, pass all exams with perfect grades, and be an active member of the local community all at the same time? Jazper’s story proves that everything is possible.
PSAT 1500 (out of 1520), GPA 3.98 (out of 4), AP Scholar of Distinction and AP International Diploma, National Merit Scholarship and National Honor Society Scholarship, former student government vice president and NHS treasurer, accepted to 7 outstanding American universities – please meet Jazper Lu, DAIS’ class of 2021 brilliant graduate!
Jazper was born in the US and moved with his family to Dalian, China at the age of 6. Accepted to DAIS in January 2010, he studied at our school for more than 11 years.
Jazper’s father is originally from South China. He studied material science and engineering in China and the United States and now holds a leading position in Intel Corporation. His mother is a talented artist, who chooses to spend most of her time these days supporting her children. Jazper has two siblings. His older sister studies material science (just like her father) at Northwestern University in the US; while his younger brother is entering grade 11 this fall and has a passion for music.
The Lu family speaks both Chinese and English at home, and it has created an enriched environment in which have flourished. With such an amazing family background, it is little wonder that Jazper is off to a flying start.
Jazper has always been a strong student at DAIS. Doing especially well at math (and not that good at science, he admits), he still was getting perfect grades in all subjects, thanks to his natural talent, hard work and high level of English language skills. He was the recipient of many school awards over the years. For example, in Grade 12 he was nominated for excellence in Mathematics and outstanding performance in AP Macroeconomics.
In 2020, Jazper was named AP Scholar of Distinction (this award is granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken and scored a 3 or higher on five or more exams) and was also awarded the AP International Diploma. Only three other students in the school received the AP International Diploma this year. He has taken 9 AP courses throughout the high school career – much more than an average student – and got a PSAT score of 1500 in October 2019, answering only one question wrong in the entire exam.
In 2019, Jazper also became a member of the National Honor Society, and later was promoted to the position of treasurer.
In June 2021, Jazper graduated Valedictorian (he had the highest GPA in the class – 3.98!) and impressed us with a traditional speech addressing all his classmates with special words of praise.
Jazper has been accepted to some of the best universities in the United States – Georgetown, UCLA, Washington University in St. Louis, and Ohio State, to name a few. He chose to go to Duke, considered to in the top 1% of universities in the world, ranking 14th in the United States and 18th globally. He also won two scholarships – $2500 National Merit Scholarship and $3000 NHS Scholarship.
Jazper plans to study political science (or maybe even double major in politics and economics!) at Duke, and after that he’s thinking of attending law school.
Jazper’s learning achievements are not the only thing he should be proud of. Over the last few years, he has put a great deal of effort into community service. Working together with Mother English and Accenture Committee, he took part in our local computer distribution project. Our student and teacher volunteers delivered desktop computers to the homes of eager young language learners in Dalian.
Jazper also joined the DAIS Student Government last year. Elected as the Vice President, he organized many events for our student community. Being a very humble person, he doesn’t like to talk about his achievements too much, but we at DAIS really appreciate all the things that he did in this leadership role.
Jazper was a member of DAIS cross country team that won the ACAMIS Tournament in 2019 in Chengdu. He attended choir class and participated in Model United Nation events in Dalian, Shanghai and Seoul (and in 2021 spring session he was named outstanding delegate in the Security Council!). Jazper is an accomplished debater, and in November 2020 he took second place in the school speech tournament with his brilliant impromptu speech.
Another competition that Jazper joined several times was the Knowledge Bowl. He and his friends formed a strong team for this intellectual trivia and even placed second once.
Now this ambitious young man has moved to North Carolina to embark on a new stage of life at Duke. After finishing his studies Jazper would like to stay in the United States and work in government or as a public interest lawyer. And we are more than sure that a truly talented person like him will make a difference in the world.
Congratulations, Jazper, and best of luck with your future career! We’re so proud of you!
