By Diem Tran

SAN JOSE, CALIF.⸺ Silver Creek High School’s 2023 Senior Class President Hailey Ngo gives insight on how she’s been able to manage her personal and academic life while achieving countless goals just before her 18th birthday!

First and foremost, Hailey Ngo is a person of great diligence in and out of school, but there is much more to her than being her senior class’ president. A fact about her many people may not know is that her favorite color is yellow and she’s a huge Harry Potter fan! Her love for the series began during her Sophomore year, and she’s continued to love it all the more ever since. Something else she has continued to love is EDM (electronic dance music)! “The upbeat music adds more energy and fun to my day and is a great pick-me-up!” Ngo said in her interview. When she’s not indulging in EDM,  you’ll definitely catch her watching a T.V. show or movie in her favorite genres: teen films and rom-coms! She finds them to be very relatable to teenage lives and brings her a sense of comfort.

During Ngo’s free time, she enjoys going on walks with her family, baking desserts, and eating food with her friends. It’s important to always stay connected to her loved ones, no matter how packed her schedule is.

Though, it’s not always so easy to manage her to-do lists and personal life. Generally, Ngo prioritizes the things she needs to get done for school and takes advantage of the times of the year that she’s less busy to focus on both herself and relationships. In order to balance everything she needs to do, Ngo keeps a detailed note in her phone’s Notes app where she plans her days out hour by hour, that she constantly checks and updates throughout her days. Whether it’s an assignment, test, event, or anything she wants to do for herself, Ngo writes it down to assure that she won’t forget.  

With Ngo’s jam-packed schedules, it also becomes difficult to remember to think about herself and how she’s mentally doing. To keep her motivated, Ngo thinks back on her life motto; it’s one that she’s lived by for years by Anne Frank. The quote, “Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy”, reminds Ngo to be grateful for what she has and to not focus on what she doesn’t have. A great quote if I do say so myself!

Ngo has been her class president all four years of high school, and as for school clubs, she is currently a co-president for Interact Club and Acts of Random Kindness (ARK) Club, and the public relations officer for Vietnamese Student Association (VSA). Other clubs she’s been a part of in the past are Choreo Club, Key Club, Culinary Club, Polynesian Club, and UNICEF! Ngo’s also been part of the cheer team since her Sophomore year! 

It definitely hasn’t been easy. She’s grown accustomed to a busy day-to-day life and always being on the move, but there are times when her priorities may not always lie where they should be, such as focusing on a school event rather than academics. But overall, Ngo feels like she’s been able to balance everything well, forming many valuable friendships along the way, which have greatly improved her mental health. 

“The way she manages everything in her life and achieves so much makes me want to do the same. I aspire to be anything like her,” stated by a fellow Silver Creek student.

A piece of advice she’d give to another student considering class office is to, “JUST DO IT AND RUN!” as she affirmed. She believes it’s important to put your best efforts out there and it’ll pay off, but to know what you’re truly signing up for and the late nights and stress you will endure. Class office is much more than simply attending meetings and signing paperwork. She’s found herself painting props until midnight and having many sleepless nights. Class office is undoubtedly a load of work, but she believes it’s all worth it in the end because of the memories and friendships you make along the way. 

Currently, Ngo doesn’t exactly have a specific plan on what she wants to do, but there is something she wanted to share in case there are any other students reading who may feel the same way. She does know that she wants to be in some sort of public field that allows her to help and positively impact others. “The pressure is high, especially this time of year for seniors, to have your entire future mapped out, but I believe I am still in the process of figuring out what I want to dedicate the rest of my life to, and many other students may relate,” she explained. 

Ngo is immeasurably more than what may ever meet the eye, and her passion for what she puts herself into is nothing but admirable.