“I wasn’t a good student by any means,” ten years ago, Derick Vo wasn’t the definition of a model student. Now, he’s flying higher than he ever thought possible. Vo is Rangeview High School’s fortieth Valedictorian, a title he views as something to be humble about.
To Vo, being Valedictorian isn’t an excuse to act “like you’re above everyone else”, nor is it an excuse to be complacent in your studies. Rather, it’s an opportunity to help others, while continuing to succeed. He’s taken something Ivan Hernandez, ranked second, said to heart: “When you succeed, you have to keep succeeding.”
As a second generation immigrant, Vo’s greatest influences are his parents, who both arrived in the US in their early twenties, out of highschool and not knowing English. He credits their success stories as inspiration, and values the work ethic they’ve instilled in him.
He also thanks Mr. Fisher, his fourth grade teacher at Vassar Elementary, for seeing his potential. Vo explained that he was far from a model student, stating “I was constantly getting into fights and getting into trouble… I almost got suspended once or twice.”
He added that it was Mr. Fisher’s recommendation that he go to Aurora Quest for fifth grade which made him change his attitude. “It was really his recommendation… that changed my mindset and how I approach life and what I do,” he remarked.
Vo plans to go to University of Denver (DU), and hopes on being a commercial pilot while minoring in computer science. He’s always wanted to be a pilot, “but my dad also taught me a lot of computer science and programming ever since I was a kid,” Vo stated, adding it’s a good back up plan because aviation can be unstable.
Vo is already in training to become a pilot, and currently flies a plane once or twice a week if he’s lucky, less than he used to. Last May he took his first solo flight, “the biggest milestone of any pilot” according to him.
Vo has always been a curious person, stating that “anything that interests me, I just go watch something about it or learn about it.” Currently that extends to flying planes, and he spends a lot of his time learning how to be a safer pilot for the future.
