Meet Wayland's Class of 2025 Valedictorian Jungwoo "Toby" Hong

Jungwoo ‘Toby’ Hong, Valedictorian

Toby is a two-year senior from Daejeon, South Korea, and is the son of Jiyeon Lee and Seokpyo Hong.

After graduation, Toby plans to study Chemical Engineering, or more specifically Material Science. “While learning chemistry I found that materials have a pivotal role in many if not most sciences and technology. I believe developing new and efficient materials help solve the problem of limited resources and drastically furthers technological development, and I can’t wait to learn more.”

What are your favorite classes at Wayland?
My favorite class is Chemistry. Throughout most of my education before my junior year, I had no passion for anything or a particular goal in life. Enrolling in chemistry exposed me to such a fascinating branch of science. Finding out its versatility and tight knit relation to the technology around us, I knew I wanted to pursue this for my career. There was also a sense of challenge in learning, and I still feel the same during my AP Chemistry course, motivating me to push myself further.

For band, I enrolled into the class because I needed an art credit. But because I didn’t want to miss out on an honors credit, I told my band teacher that I had played the saxophone in the past and just needed to reorient myself. Now I find myself invested in the instrument, listening to the band music frequently, and using my free time to practice. I greatly enjoy band and want to play music after high school.

Being mostly a science and math-oriented person, I’ve not always been fond of the humanities. But through thorough exploration of high-quality literature and discussion with peers, I’ve found the joy of learning about such literary pieces. It has changed the way I view the world, and I couldn’t recommend the class enough to new students.

My favorite sport is tennis. One thing I like most about this sport is that my skill was not limited by my stature, and repeated work consistently brought visible results. I’ve spent countless hours after sports trying to meet certain goals whether it be a more accurate serve, more control over the spin of the ball, or general accuracy. All my practice has been met with moderate success which is what I felt was the best part about tennis. I started playing last year and will participate again during the spring sports season, and I’m sure that I will continue playing after high school.

What have you learned from your experience as a student leader at Wayland?
As a Prefect at Wayland, I support the school’s staff and other prefects to promote positive behavior and ensure a respectful school environment.

I also started a club called the Penmanship and Correspondence Society, where students can take a break from the screens that we are constantly surrounded by and just appreciate pen and paper.

I am also an officer in the Robotics club. I’ve learned how to communicate effectively, bring suggestions to the table, and take initiative. I feel that through these experiences, I am more prepared for college and my future goals.

My favorite thing about Wayland is that the diverse community lets me experience the world on a smaller scale, as there are so many different types of people from across the globe at Wayland. Events such as Culture Convention also reinforce this special part of Wayland and enhance the experience of the school. The people I am surrounded by allow me to be the best version of myself.

One thing I’ve learned about myself while attending Wayland is that I enjoy collaborating with others. Through a recommendation, I started to tutor other students, and seeing how my work directly impacted others inspired me to continue further. While I started my junior year with a more individualistic mindset, I’ve grown to really enjoy working with others.

One goal I met during my time at Wayland was to continuate what I want to major in for college. I got to work in a chemistry lab for my Senior Capstone project, making Graphene Oxide. While the process was a bit messy, it gave me hands-on experience, and it furthered my goal of increasing my knowledge in chemistry.

I am “Wayland Made” because through pressure I’ve found the skillsets to prepare for the future. The unique environment and the education that Wayland offers is transformative, and it drives people to try their best. Trying to maintain a high GPA while being involved in other extracurricular activities was definitely a struggle, but through constant exposure to hardships I could find my limits and slowly expand them. I am sure that the Wayland way has contributed greatly to my potential as a student, and I’m looking forward to what’s ahead of me. 

My advice for future Wayland students is that there are so many opportunities at Wayland Academy if you go looking for them. The staff and the students are more than willing to help out and it is always rewarding if you are brave enough to step out of your comfort zone. I certainly have changed a lot during my experience, and I hope that others will figure out who they are too.