Pichchansokhethida Pen (Academic Year 2024-2025) – chaotic, invaluable, unparalleled.
Favorite Quote: “Knowledge is a paradox…The more one knows, the more he realizes the vastness of his ignorance”
An interesting fact about Pichchansokhethida is that she is left-handed and has two dogs—a female Samoyed and a male Alaskan Malamute. She also really enjoys listening to rock music, and her favorite band is the Arctic Monkeys, a British rock band!
Her favorite subject is English because Mr. Jaumes introduced many interesting reads, and she also enjoyed AP Statistics because Mr. Nakul put in a lot of effort with hands-on learning to help everyone understand the concepts. The most challenging assignment for her was the first Research Capstone paper—mainly due to procrastination, as she underestimated how difficult it would be to find reliable, relevant sources that weren’t paywalled or off-topic. However, she gained incredibly valuable knowledge that will benefit her as she prepares for college, and in the end, she enjoyed the process despite its messy moments.
She believes AP Statistics has prepared her the most for life after high school because its concepts can be applied to real-life situations such as calculating probabilities, interpreting data, and conducting surveys.
During her time at AUPPHS-FA, Pichchansokhethida participated in various extracurricular activities, including playing guitar, biking/skating in her free time, and entering competitions—particularly in debating. She also enjoys building websites, making puzzles, and creating commissioned art. One of her favorite memories at AUPPHS-FA was organizing the Art Club’s Pchum Ben booth with her fellow club members. Although it was a last-minute and stressful project to put together, seeing people participate in the games and learning more about the holiday made all their efforts worthwhile. The stickers her members designed of their club mascot were also incredibly cute.
After graduation, she plans to attend university in Australia to pursue her bachelor’s degree. Before that, she hopes to travel and work on personal projects.
Her advice to juniors at AUPPHS-FA: “Communication is key. Communicate with your peers to find connections, communicate with friends to settle misunderstandings, and communicate with your teachers when you have questions even if it feels too late. Better late than never, making somewhat of an effort is better than doing absolutely nothing at all.”