Spartan Spotlight Spartan Alumni & Teachers Honored for Academic Excellence at Stanford Celebration

on how to make the most out of boarding school. There are so many great Upper School teachers [at St. Stephen’s] and Middle School teachers,” said Chung. “It’s a great testament to our school.”

Chung described Liu as a quiet student who never drew attention to herself and who had a true talent at an early age expressing herself and speaking up through her writing. He saw leadership potential, and he would find moments to encourage her to grow outside her comfort zone.

Mikan says he was not the least bit surprised when Murtuza-Lanier reached out to share the news about his incredible academic performance at Stanford and says he has always possessed “remarkable” qualities, including innate brilliance, an ability to produce excellent work and an exceptional attitude about learning. His probing questions in class went way beyond what Mikan expected.

“He wasn’t so interested in what would be on a test or even his grades,” said Mikan. “He was definitely deeply committed to finding out as much as he could on topics that piqued his interest,” said Mikan.

Stanford flew teachers from all over the United States and the world in for the luncheon, which took place the weekend before Easter.

Although Mikan was unable to attend the luncheon, he sent remarks about Murtuza-Lanier that were read by the college dean.

“It would be great if you choose a scientific one since we really need bright capable folks like you to figure out how this wonderful but mysterious universe works,” wrote Mikan. “Your future looks bright as a supernova and the world will be a better place because of you. I wish you the best in all of your future adventures.”

Liu says it would take all day to explain how Chung and many other St. Stephen’s teachers taught her to strive for excellence and develop a habit of really trying to understand the class materials. She and Murtuza-Lanier are both pursuing a coterminal master’s degree in computer science at Stanford, a program that enables undergraduates to take classes toward the higher degree.

“It’s rewarding to see both grow as thinkers and as leaders at our school,” said Chung. “Their lives are living examples of our school mission statement in action.”