Liya Zhu was constantly walking around with a smile on her face everywhere she went for as long as I could remember. I met her about nine years ago in the fourth grade. My first impression of her was quite interesting actually.
It was the first day of the school, and our teacher at the time, had told the class that we were going to have a pop quiz that same day. I groaned in frustration and so did everyone around me, however, when I scanned the room, I came across one person who not only smiled about the situation, but also laughed while everyone was in such misery. In my head, the only words I could literally think of was “who is this girl?!” We awkwardly made eye contact and she smiled at me, and it was brightest yet most genuine smile I …show more content…
One club that she really dedicated herself to was peer counseling. The program, however, only allowed eight of the sixty students who took the course to be able to qualify and actually become a peer assistant to council students. They would talk to students recommended by their peers or teachers with full confidentiality, being able to open up to, rant, or receive advice from. Determined with this goal in mind, Liya worked hard for two years and passed her assistant’s exam and interview with flying colors, and even became president for the peer counseling program. With this program, Liya dedicated the majority of her time helping students during her free period before school, during school, and after school. She would reach out to students whom she heard or felt that they had something to talk to. Liya was known for giving very good advice and being a very good listener. Everyday, she would have a full schedule of students who request to see her; you couldn’t get an appointment with Liya unless you signed up at least two weeks in advance. With that, she even encouraged even more students to become involved in the peer counseling program and nearly doubled the amount of students who wanted to participate the following year.
It was the first day of the school, and our teacher at the time, had told the class that we were going to have a pop quiz that same day. I groaned in frustration and so did everyone around me, however, when I scanned the room, I came across one person who not only smiled about the situation, but also laughed while everyone was in such misery. In my head, the only words I could literally think of was “who is this girl?!” We awkwardly made eye contact and she smiled at me, and it was brightest yet most genuine smile I …show more content…
One club that she really dedicated herself to was peer counseling. The program, however, only allowed eight of the sixty students who took the course to be able to qualify and actually become a peer assistant to council students. They would talk to students recommended by their peers or teachers with full confidentiality, being able to open up to, rant, or receive advice from. Determined with this goal in mind, Liya worked hard for two years and passed her assistant’s exam and interview with flying colors, and even became president for the peer counseling program. With this program, Liya dedicated the majority of her time helping students during her free period before school, during school, and after school. She would reach out to students whom she heard or felt that they had something to talk to. Liya was known for giving very good advice and being a very good listener. Everyday, she would have a full schedule of students who request to see her; you couldn’t get an appointment with Liya unless you signed up at least two weeks in advance. With that, she even encouraged even more students to become involved in the peer counseling program and nearly doubled the amount of students who wanted to participate the following year.