His fingerprints can be found across the walls of West High — from the pavilion to the ASB Chambers. Tall and lean, his strides carve the pathways of future students at West. A familiar face and a famous name — Anthony Xian (12) takes on the ultimate challenge.

Xian currently presides over Key Club, ASB, and is a member of Torrance Youth Council. He is immersed in multiple APs and other club activities, and balancing his extracurricular activities and academics seems like a fragile house of cards. But Xian confides, “I really don’t [balance them]—I mean, I don’t think it really is possible. There is always more you could give to ASB, or Key Club, or your family, or your best friend you don’t see nearly enough.” He dedicates his time to make the most out of these organizations by riding out the ups and downs and keeping a positive attitude through rough patches.

Xian views college as more of another journey rather than a stressful destination, “As of now, I have no idea where I’m going for college, but I do know that I want to go to college for what it’s worth.” He believes that there must be more to life than setting college as the final objective, based on his favorite quote from John Lennon, “When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”

This shining leader and outstanding student looks back at his four years in high school and says, “There comes a day when you realize you’re not special and that plenty of other people are going through what you currently think is impossible. You might be unique, but you’re no better than everyone else. So, in other words, work hard, be kind, and be, you guessed it, yourself. I realize this answer applies to more than just high school students, but realize that ALL high school students are people.”

Xian has expressed the compassionate and amiable characteristics that prove to mold him into a strong leader, but also a wonderful person. For Xian, the near future appears to be quite promising.