Meang VongVadhanak (Academic Year 2025-2026) – Fun, crazy, and hard.
Favorite Quote: “We used to look up at the stars and wonder at our place in the universe. Now we just look down and worry about our place in the dirt.”
An interesting fact about VongVadhanak is that he loves photography—especially landscape and astrophotography. This passion often leads him to explore and travel to new places on his own. Beyond photography, he also enjoys playing badminton.
He enjoyed AP Calculus because he prefers subjects that involve problem-solving and calculations rather than memorization. He also likes AP Microeconomics because it strikes a perfect balance between mathematical analysis and conceptual understanding. The most challenging project for him was the AP Research Capstone, as it pushed his writing skills and required extensive preparation and presentations. Although demanding, he believes it will be highly beneficial for his future. The subjects that have prepared him most for life after high school are AP Microeconomics and AP Calculus, as he plans to pursue a career related to these fields.
Outside of school, VongVadhanak has run two half marathons, played on the school’s badminton team, and helped secure their first competition win. One of his proudest achievements was traveling solo in Japan, which helped him realize how capable he is on his own and encouraged him to embrace challenges and set bigger goals. His favorite memory at AUPPHS-FA was joining the school in Class 10C.
After graduating from AUPPHS-FA, he plans to continue his university studies in either Australia or the United States while continuing to pursue his passion for photography. His advice to juniors at AUPPHS-FA: “Past is a waste paper, present is a newspaper, future is a question paper, so read and write carefully, otherwise your life will be tissue paper.” — Dr. Muthukumaran