Clairbourn Alumnus Richard Dong Presented with Highest Congressional Award

Young Clairbourn Alums Inspire Young People with their Service to the Community
Alumnus Richard Dong continues to accomplish so much at such a young age. He was recently awarded the prestigious Congressional Medal for the third time. There were only a total of four recipients to receive the award from Arcadia, Alhambra, Claremont and San Marino High Schools. Congresswoman Chu called it the “highest award for youth in our nation.” To receive the award, one must excel these four areas: voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness, and exploration/expedition.

Congresswoman Judy Chu (center) gave the Congressional Award Medal to four SGV students (left to right): Julieanne Guo, Richard Dong, Melanie Phan, and Cristie Huang. Courtesy photo (credit: Pasadena Independent article)

Arcadian Richard Dong, whom Congresswoman Chu introduced as someone she knows quite well because he was in intern in her office in 2015, is a junior at San Marino High School (SMHS) and received the bronze medal. For volunteer service he worked as a teacher’s aide for SMHS, volunteered and participated in the Los Angeles Taekwondo competition; for personal development he refined his piano skills to perform multiple hours per week at local schools, churches, and online; for physical fitness he focused at recovering from his 2015 medical treatment for gallstones by restoring his swimming capabilities and competitiveness. He swam for an hour and half everyday through the summers of 2016 and 2017 and is now totally recovered from it and rejoined his competitive swim team; for expedition/exploration he traveled to Taiwan to tour sites including Taiwan Science Museum, Liberty Square, and Taipei World Trade Center.

Watch the video below to see Congresswoman Chu attest to Richard’s outstanding qualities and his bright future. There was also an article written about the event here.

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