Ray Yang - Bronze Award

School: Westview High School
Category: Teens (11-15)
Hours: 57

Ray is a sophomore at Westview Highschool, and loves working with kids of all age groups. Throughout the summer, Ray became a teacher to kids who wanted to get a step ahead of their peers. He hosted online class sessions, where he taught Python. Every week, he would meet twice with the kids, where Ray had classwork planned, and guide them through it. He encouraged the students to ask questions, so they could grasp the concepts completely. After every class, Ray sent the parents a summary of everything they did and what was assigned as homework. He helped the students create goals that they would aim to accomplish every week. He also created tiny quizzes to check in on their progress. While the students learned how to program and write, he learned how to be a better teacher. Most recently though, he became an instructor for a non-profit organization called Tech 4 Girls, where the aim was to close the gender gap in STEM careers. He and his team provided a 5 week long course for middle school girls, where they taught the programming language, Python. Ray’s volunteering experience opened his eyes to the world around him, and he learned that everyone can make an impact on their community.

Oregon Chinese Coalition is proud to join the President of the United States in recognizing the volunteers who consistently take the time to make a difference in the lives of others. Therefore, it is a great honor to present the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) to Ray Yang.