US Senator in Training Following in the footsteps of Harvard graduates Presidents John F. Kennedy and George W. Bush, Cort VanOstran will enter the halls of Harvard with political aspirations. In many ways, Cort is a typical 18-year-old. He enjoys playing golf, being in a book club with friends and singing in the choir. But, how many high school graduates do you know who are also U.S. Senate Youth Delegates?

Aside from winning the top Most Valuable Student scholarship, which Cort describes as, “the most prestigious award he’s received,” he’s proud to be named a U.S. Senate Youth Delegate. Cort was one of only two students in Missouri picked to participate in this program. He flew out to Washington, D.C., where he and the other 99 delegates enjoyed the sites, met with President Bush and Chief Justice John Roberts, and made lasting friendships that will continue at Harvard.

“Meeting and getting to know the other delegates was very exciting and motivating,” says Cort. “It prepared me for the caliber of students I can expect at Harvard.”

Along with participating in the US Senate program, Cort has made an effort to improve his own community. With a graduation rate of only 70 percent, Cort thought his school needed a program to encourage students to stay in school. He developed the Freshman Mentoring Program, which pairs freshmen with upper classmen to help them with schoolwork and give them someone to talk to about issues and problems at school. The mentoring program proved so successful that Joplin High School is integrating it into their school curriculum.

“Devoting my life to serving others gives my life a purpose,” believes Cort. “It allows me to leave a legacy bigger than myself.”

Onwards and Upwards Upon hearing he won the MVS scholarship, Cort breathed a sigh of relief knowing his dream of going to Harvard was now possible. He already committed to Harvard, but knew the expense would be a burden on his family. Cort holds the Elks in high esteem for their generosity.

“The MVS scholarship has relieved a lot of stress,” says Cort. “I plan on taking full advantage of this opportunity.”

Along with academic stimulation, Harvard offers a wealth of new experiences for Cort. Interested in government, Harvard has a wonderful integrated Social Studies program, which he plans to select as his major. He also plans on continuing his singing by joining Harvard’s renowned Glee Club. Another exciting draw for Cort is attending school in a big city. Having grown-up in a small town, Cort is excited to move to Boston. He welcomes the diversity, history and even the subway.

“When I visited Harvard, I rode the subway for the first time by myself,” says Cort. “The excitement was too great to make me scared.”

Cort plans on attending law school after graduating from Harvard, and returning to Missouri to pursue politics. His career goal is to become a US Senator. However, he is not too set in his plans and will see where the road takes him.

“I will just leave it up to God to lead me in the right direction,” says Cort.

Healing Around the World Top Most Valuable Student Award winner Alice Chuang has only two hesitations about attending college---the distance and the cold weather. The Southern California native will travel across the country this fall to start her freshman year at Brown University in Rhode Island. Alice plans to major in pre-med, which would be daunting for most 18-year-olds, but not this remarkable student. Alice was one of only 91 students nationwide to receive a perfect score on her ACT exam, she speaks four languages fluently and is a science Olympiad.

Despite her extraordinary accomplishments, Alice was genuinely surprised when she found out she won the top MVS Award.

“I didn’t even expect to make it to the state level and especially to never win the top award,” Alice says modestly. “I can’t express enough thanks to the Elks.”

Although medicine is Alice’s career goal, it is not her only interest. Alice loves music, traveling and politics. This summer, Alice will travel to Vienna, Budapest and Prague as a Global Young Leader. The two-week conference brings together young adults from around the world to develop leadership skills and learn from some of the world’s top business leaders, diplomats and journalists. She feels lucky to be part of this exciting opportunity. After her conference, in late July, she will visit her grandparents and relatives in Taiwan.

“I love visiting Taiwan because I get to visit with my family and experience the culture more in-depth than I would as an average tourist,” says Alice.

From Taiwan to Rhode Island After all of her traveling this summer, Alice will rush back to start her first semester at Brown. She’s eager to choose her own classes and study topics that are interesting to her. She also is looking forward to pursuing her love of music. Alice plans on joining the choir and maybe taking up the violin again. Although she plans to make time for other activities, science is what brings her to Brown.

Alice’s love of science is what drew her to medicine, but it’s her caring nature and down-to-earth attitude that ensures she will be a wonderful doctor. This year, she placed second in the health science portion of the California Science Olympiad, beating the reigning national champion. She also volunteered at a hospital in Taiwan working in the reception area, shadowing doctors and helping in the pharmacy. This gave Alice a well-rounded learning experience, and also helped her realize why she wants to practice medicine.

“I see being a doctor as a way to help people fulfill their goals and dreams,” says Alice.

While volunteering in Taiwan, Alice realized that quality of care is more important than quantity of patients helped. She saw that not only is medical attention important, but one-on-one time with patients also contributes to the healing process. Alice’s motivation for entering into the medical profession is not to reach a personal accomplishment, but rather to better the lives of others.

“Everyone deserves an equal shot,” believes Alice. “And medicine is the best way I can ensure that.”

Alice plans on making a career out of medicine, but does not want it to rule her life. After graduating from medical school and completing her residency, she plans to return to the warm weather of California and work in a hospital. She wants to make sure she has flexibility in her schedule and time for family and friends. With such a grounded outlook on life, there’s no doubt Alice will be a success.