Livingston Students Earn National Awards

Livingston High School seniors Oriana Tang, Christina Qiu and Alexa Smith were honored by the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders on June 24.

Oriana Tang was named a “U. S. Presidential Scholar”, Alexa Smith received a “Certificate of Accomplishment in Race Relations” from Princeton University, and Christina Qiu was the recipient of both awards.

According to a release, 141 students nationwide were named U. S. Presidential Scholars in 2015. Only eight were from New Jersey, and two of them were from the same high school: Livingston High.

The Board’s commendations were co-sponsored and presented by Freeholder Patricia Sebold of Livingston and Freeholder Leonard Luciano of West Caldwell, a former Livingston resident and graduate of Livingston High School.

“This afternoon, Freeholder Luciano and I are delighted to acknowledge these young women because they are - simply put - exceptional,” said Sebold.

ORIANA TANG

According to a release:

Oriana Tang, a U. S. Presidential Scholar in writing, won numerous awards for her poetry, short stories and essays, and received national recognition from a host of programs and organizations. Her work has been published in numerous literary publications and anthologized in Scholastic’s “Best Teen Writing of 2014.”

At Livingston H.S., she is a Co-Editor-in-Chief of The Lance, co-founded the Science Days project through the Science National Honor Society, is a member of the Math, Science, French and National Honor Societies and was recently named a National Merit Scholarship winner.

She has also participated in the NJ Science League, Science Olympiad, Merck State Science Day and the USA Biology Olympiad. She’s also conducted research at the University of Massachusetts and at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She is the daughter of Tuo Pang and Baorong Tang, and will attend Yale in the fall where she plans to double-major in molecular biology and English with a concentration in creative writing.

ALEXA SMITH

According to a release:

Alexa Smith won a “Certificate of Accomplishment” in Race Relations for her fundraising efforts on behalf of immigrant Ethiopian children in Israel. Over a period of six years, she raised over $15,000 to send eleven underprivileged Ethiopian preschoolers to a private integrated nursery school to create an Outdoor Adventure mountain biking club for at-risk teens and a community art mural to promote the message of peace in three languages, Amharic, English and Hebrew. She also led a team of American, Israeli and Ethiopian teens in a project that promoted dialogue and understanding of different cultures and common goals for peace and tolerance; created inspiring art to decorate bomb shelters in Israel; and healing art kits for children in Israel and Gaza.

She was the winner of the Jewish Core Value Art Competition, and was one of only two high school participants to have seven pieces of her Hope Series of digital artwork displayed at the Social Justice Art Festival at the University of Michigan.

At Livingston H. S., she is a member of the National, Italian and Rho Kappa History honor societies, as well as the soccer and track teams.

She is the daughter of Michael and Sheri, and will attend the University of Michigan in the fall to become a graphic designer who pursues social justice through art.

CHRISTINA QIU

Christina Qiu received the “U. S. Presidential Scholar” and “Certificate of Accomplishment in Race Relations” awards. Her story, “Lucy At Home”, was nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and her stories have been published in literary magazines and anthologies.

She received her “Certificate of Accomplishment in Race Relations” for being a voice for Asian-Americans through her project, “Small Taints of Orange”, a collection of short stories revolving around Asian-American characters in significant historical contexts.

Qiu has been a member of Livingston High School’s Science Research class for the last three years. An article containing her research was published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, she was a presenter at the 2014 Association of American Geographers Conference; and she was a scholar at the NJ Governor’s School in the Sciences program. She is a piano student at the Manhattan School of Music, and a co-president and co-founder of Chamber for a Cause, a branch of the Livingston Arts Council. She is the daughter of Mei and Zeyuan, and will attend Harvard in the fall to major in Mathematics and Public Policy.

Photo courtesy of Glen Frieson

Pictured above: Front row center from left, Alexa Smith, Christina Qiu and Oriana Tang

Send Livingston news tips and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com