Michelle Sun

Basics:)

Name: Michelle Sun
Age: 15
School(s): Dunlap High School ➡ Illinois Math and Science Academy
Class of: 2023
Hometown: Ontario, Canada
Current Residence: Illinois, United States
Languages: English, Mandarin (Chinese), French
Hobbies: Running, Coding, Reading, Music

Before discussing other logistics/academics, I wanted to talk about my personality and what I value (which is discussed next in "My Values")

Optimistic

Finding the silver lining in challenging situations is not always easy, but it's something I've picked up on over the past years. Whether it's for friends or family, I found myself striving to create a brighter atmosphere and lighten the mood in difficult times, and seeing those around me brighten up definately makes me feel better as well.

Loyal

If there's anything I've learned from being a part of cross country for five years, it's loyalty and the determination to stick together. Whether it's in a race or after-school trail run, I've learned to never not only stop believing in myself, but also in my team. In the end, it was our team's persistent loyalty that led us to so many successes, whether they included a trophy or not.

Passionate

I think this ties in with loyalty because in order to be loyal, you have to have passionate. An example for me would probably be my personal projects. The main emotion that drives me to tasks for my community, such as starting an organization for CS tutoring, is passion. I believe that maintaining this strong passion will allow myself to not only become a better creator or student, but also a better person.

Spontaneous

Apart from studying, I am actually a very unpredictable and energetic person! I would say that this is also tied to passion, as they are in a mutual relationship. It's hard to predict what I'll come up with next, but as long as I have fun and am learning new concepts, I know it'll be pretty awesome. :)

Creator's Note

Hi! Thanks for stopping by. As a quick intro, the languages I used for this were HTML, CSS, and a bit of JavaScript (for the background and other logistics), and I used Notepad++ as my text editor. (Design Credits to Tooplate.) I really enjoyed coding and personalizing this website because I believe that this is what truly represents me, including my interests and what I value. I hope you will have as good of a time reading it as I did writing it. Thank you so much, and see you later! :)

My Journey

I'm incredibly thankful that I was able to make so many happy memories in middle and high school so far, including cross country team dinners, summer hangouts, and family travels.

However, I'm also really excited to see what the rest of my journey will look like!

I wanted to spend a moment to share a bit about how my interest for Computer Science started, and why it still impacts me today.

How it began

My Computer Science journey started around 2 years ago: the summer before freshman year. My mom just signed me up for a few coding courses with others close to my age.

Looking back now, my relation with CS definately wouldn't be considered a love-at-first-sight situation! In fact, it took me a while to truly enjoy coding, and I think a big part of that was because of my mindset. I started out feeling rather embarrassed because a lot of the kids at my classes were really skilled and adept at coding. There were times when I was upset or lost my inspiration because I felt that I wasn't good enough.
However, one day in the summer leading to sophomore year, I sat down at my computer, plugged in some headphones, and simply started typing. I remember that there weren't any requirements or homework assignments; it was just me doing what I loved most: creating.
That was probably around the time I realized how impactful and fun computer science can be because I was just doing what I liked and had a good time.

If there's anything I learned, it's to never stop doing what you want to do, regardless of the circumstances, and no one should change your beliefs and values, as long as they're true to you.

How It's Going

As an avid programmer, I've started to initiate and lead activities and organizations to encourage more people to learn and appreciate the impacts and importance STEM/CS has.

Personally, I never thought I would have been able to come this far, especially considering most events were virtual in 2020. However, I found myself falling more and more in love with learning new things as I tutor younger children in areas I once felt unsure about. From writing simple webpages to coding interactive/publishable websites, I definately think I've accomplished many goals in the past year.

I don't know what the future looks like, but I'm sure that as long as I maintain a positive mindset and try my best, I'll be proud of it and have a good time in doing so. 😊

My Resume

Click the button below to see my resume, which is the place where I've summarized my activities, awards, interests (and more!) from the past years.

Click to View

My Projects

Listed below are some of my favorite projects--hope you'll like them as much as I did making them!

Equation Runner

My Uni The SUNN Times EcoSpark

To-Do List SignSparks Aerosol Bot

My Impact: WAC

After experiencing and learning Computer Science from others, I decided to use that knowledge and try to give back not only to my community but also to people internationally, which is why I founded We Are Creators in October, 2020. WAC is a youth organization dedicated to spread the joy and knowledge of CS to people all over the globe---using Instagram as our main operating platform.

My Statement

Hopefully, you now know more about me! I've been on such an incredible journey so far, and I'm so thankful for everyone who have stayed with and helped me. I can't wait to see what the future holds, but for now, I'll stay to be a spontaneous sushi-loving girl who's just doing what she loves: creating and impacting. ☆♪(^∇^*)☆

My Linktree

Here is my Linktree for more information!

Favorites♥

Here is a list of all my favorite items!

Color: Pastel Lavender (HEX: #DEBDFF)
Food: Sushi
Drink: Chocolate Milk
Movie: Any Kung Fu Panda Movie
Song: Feeling so Good by Ashley Tisdale
Coding Language: HTML/CSS
Sports Brand: Nike
Running Place: Around my neighborhood park!
Web Browser: Google
Platform for Code: Notepad++