Michelle Lau Named 2024 Boettcher Scholar!

About Michelle Lau

Talk to Michelle Lau, and you’ll quickly realize that you are in the company of a talented and humble, multi-faceted leader. Michelle is a classically trained pianist who enjoys the outdoors and problem-solving; who sees the connection between the gas laws she learned about in chemistry class and one of her hobbies: baking; who is no stranger to an epic Spotify playlist or a good book; and who values family.

Student Leadership

While at Pine Creek Michelle has been involved in numerous ways, one of which is Student Council (StuCo). Pine Creek’s Student Council plans and runs 50-60 events of varying sizes per year, all of which revolve around four pillars: community, connection, morale, and recognition. Michelle indicated she has enjoyed the creative freedom students in StuCo have been afforded as well as the variety of opportunities for collaboration. “Nothing (in StuCo) happens without at least six people working on it, evaluating ideas for strengths and weaknesses,” Michelle said. “Collaboration is really everything!

Through consistent collaboration students grow as connected leaders who know how to shape events around a variety of ideas and input, manage conflict, and build community. Activities coordinated by Pine Creek Student Council include, but are not limited to, Trunk-or-Treat, visits to elementary and middle schools whose students feed into Pine Creek (“feeder schools”), Acoustic Cafe, Karaoke Night, Harvest of Love to support Care and Share Foodbank, Spikeball tournaments, Peach Fuzz Volleyball games, and dances (Homecoming, Spring Fling, and Prom!).

“Michelle has been amazing!” exclaimed Pine Creek StuCo Advisor, Dan Jeppson. “She’s really supportive, positive, hardworking, insightful, and the list goes on!”

Personal Growth Through Speech and Debate

Another activity Michelle has been involved in is Speech & Debate. Sometimes students join an extracurricular group because they already enjoy the activities associated with it. Other times they join seeking to improve their knowledge and/or skills in a given area. When Michelle realized that speaking in front of large groups at events such as assemblies didn’t leave her feeling great afterward, she decided to take action. “I just thought, ‘I have to fix this,’” Michelle said.

Through Speech and Debate Michelle found she was encouraged to step out of her comfort zone more frequently, competing in the category of original oratory in which competitors write a 10-minute speech on a topic of their choosing, deliver it during competition, and receive feedback. “The captains and coaches really push you!” Michelle said of being on the team. “It's been a fun journey, realizing I have strengths in public speaking and being able to be creative with it.”

Pine Creek’s Speech and Debate team is not only composed of goal-driven individuals, but as a team always strives to provide opportunities to participate in the highest levels of competition. One such event was participating in the Yale Invitational this past fall.

“That was really cool!” Michelle said. “There were National Champions there!” Michelle indicated she appreciated getting to watch student speakers who had won national championships command the room with their presentations. The approachability of her peers also served as a reminder that at the end of the day, what is a National Champion? A person seeking connection and community just like everyone else.

Academic Life

AP Euro and Work Ethic

If you ask Michelle what her favorite classes were while at Pine Creek, she’ll tell you AP European History and AP Chemistry. “That AP class changed my work ethic!” Michelle said of AP European History with Mr. Davie. Michelle was interested in the topic and motivated to do the coursework, yet she recalls Mr. Davie’s periodic class pep talks as being essential encouragement along the way.

“He (Mr. Davie) would always say, ‘Set the bar high so you strive to meet it, but don’t set it low so that you trip and fall on your face.’” Although she took AP Euro her sophomore year, Michelle still carries these words with her. “I’ll sometimes repeat this to myself when I’m in need of a little motivation,” she said. This serves as a reminder that knowing where to find the encouragement to try amidst a challenge can never be underestimated.

“Michelle inspires others to move towards excellence with her,” Russ Davie remarked when reflecting on having Michelle as a student in class. “She is a leader by nature and a great representation of Pine Creek!”

AP Chem and Career Choices

Michelle credits Mr. Castle's AP Chemistry class with setting her on a career path, not only by showing her that she was interested in chemistry, but also by providing her with content and skills through which she could make connections between what she was learning in the classroom and life outside the classroom. Michelle found her broader interest in chemistry was narrowed to a focus on pursuing a career as a chemical engineer after she took Honors Econ where she was required to interview someone in her career track as part of an assignment. Potential areas of focus within the field of chemical engineering for Michelle include research and development specific to the evolving use of oil and plastics.

"Michelle is a diligent worker with good problem solving and analytical thinking skills," Mr. Castle indicated. "However, it is her ability to work and lead others in a group setting and help her classmates when they are struggling to solve problems that distinguishes from her peers."

"Not to Miss" Events at Pine Creek

When not engaging in leadership activities or studying for class, you might find Michelle attending one of Pine Creek’s Jazz Band or Choir Concerts. “Sometimes I didn’t know people (classmates) were in choir until I went to the concert! It’s just neat to see someone in a different context.” Also top on Michelle’s list of Pine Creek activities not to miss is the International Potluck that typically takes place during World Languages Week every March. “It’s great to see how many cool cultures there are at Pine Creek! Everyone brings a taste of their home and it’s fun to see how you can connect with that.”

Family and Cooking

Outside of school Michelle enjoys taking time to catch up with family on a slow Sunday afternoon. She also enjoys engaging in a hobby she discovered during the Pandemic: baking muffins! In particular, banana muffins. “There's a satisfaction in cooking and making something with your own hands,” Michelle commented. “Even if it's terrible- I made it, so I can improve it.” Post-Pandemic Michelle has found that the presence of muffins often helped morale at early-morning Prom Committee meetings her Junior Year.

Advice for Underclassmen

As Michelle prepares to leave the Pine Creek nest, she had the following reminders for underclassmen:

"Go outside, touch some grass, make something with your own hands, and talk with friends.” When we asked if she had any recommendations around the use of technology, Michelle remarked that her Class had been born before the iPad was invented and added, ”Use technology as a leg up instead of it being the only way to do something.”