Andrew Ho

Ho

“Looking up to the accomplishments of successful people before me, I find that one thing they have in common is the audacity to pursue their interests. Never has the phrase ‘love what you do and you'll never have to work a day in your life’ been more true.”

  • Program: 2011 College Scholarship Recipient
  • Resides: Weston, MA
  • Hometown: Weston
  • Age: 18

Biography

Highlights of Young Scholar Experience: Andrew Ho’s adviser at the Foundation helped him immensely as he progressed through his years as a Young Scholar.  “The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has helped me not only hone in on my strengths, but also my interests,” said Andrew as he headed down the homestretch of his high school career.  A top student at Weston High School, Andrew joined other Young Scholars at various summer programs, the most memorable being a summer concert tour of Costa Rica as a member of the New England Conservatory Youth Symphony. 

Profile: Andrew is a refreshingly honest young man with a passion for music and a strong interest in community service.  He loves to take on new projects and challenges and is not afraid of coming up short as long as he tries.  “What I have learned as a Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholar is that it is okay to fail. To take enough calculated risks so that there are some failures shows I am living life,” said Andrew, who is indeed living life to its fullest. The young New England native was active at Weston High School in various extracurricular activities, including the Ultimate Frisbee Team, Science Team and Mathematics Team . . . all in addition to his involvement with the school and community music programs.  On top of that Andrew spent hours tutoring fellow students and was a Special Olympics volunteer. 

Inspiration: Andrew’s physics teacher at Weston High, Dr. Boris Korsunsky, had a major influence on him. “Through humor Dr. Korsunsky always found a way to keep students interested. However, when he provided one-on-one help, the care he took in making sure there was conceptual understanding motivated me to take on a more wholesome approach to understanding material.” 

Aspiration: One would think that music would be in Andrew’s future, but his plan now is to have a career in health services. 

Making a Difference:  Andrew made a tremendous difference for fellow high school students through his dedicated tutoring.  But the young man is most proud of being able to sustain the ultimate frisbee team at his high school because it had been a challenge to recruit new players.” 

Accolades:  Andrew had numerous musical accomplishments including being selected for Senior District, All-State Orchestra, the National High School Honors Orchestra, and the Rivers Youth Symphony.  He was also a member of the National Honor Society and the Vice president of the Tri-M Music Honor Society. 

Interesting Fact: Andrew has a YouTube account that he set up when one of the colleges he applied to offered an optional video rather than writing the normal essay. If you were to search, ah726, you’ll find Andrew playing various “covers” of popular songs on guitar, mandolin, ukulele, and violin. 

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