Betty Reid
The Arizona Republic
May. 19, 2006
In 1989, Thay V. Lay's parents emigrated from Cambodia with less than $100 in their pockets. They later would buy a doughnut shop in west Phoenix.
As the tiny shop prospered, Lay observed the laborious hours his parents spent preparing dough for deep-frying, glazing and powdering and the cleanup that followed. That sense of dedication took hold of the Carl Hayden High School student, who applied the same work ethic toward his studies and athletics.
The hard work paid off in April when Lay was named Carl Hayden's valedictorian. Lay joins more than 3,400 seniors graduating next week from 13 Phoenix Union District schools.
Graduation ceremonies will be at various venues, including Glendale Arena and Arizona State University.
Lay, 18, who aspires to earn a computer engineering degree, credits his parents for keeping him focused during his hectic high school years.
"My parents' struggle to work hard - opening the store at 4 a.m. and closing at midnight - that showed me the value of hard work and how to complete projects," Lay said.
Hayden's coaches and teachers marveled over the student's ability to juggle school assignments, sports, volunteer work and extracurricular activities while putting in 20 hours a week at his parents' shop.
Lay sorted books at Burton Barr Central Library as a volunteer, ran cross country and track, participated in the Academic Decathlon and served as treasurer for the school's National Honor Society.
"Thay is a tremendously gifted student-athlete whose work ethic inside and outside the classroom is unparalleled in my 14 years of teaching experience," said Gary Anderson, the Falcons' cross-country and track coach. "In four years, he never missed a practice, even over the summer, unless I sent him home because of sickness. That kind of dedication is rare in this day and age."
Physics teacher Russ Shaffer helped to fuelLay's passion for math and science. The 21-year teaching veteran described Lay as a dedicated, gifted athlete who isn't cocky and is respected among his peers.
Goes 'extra mile'
"Thay is willing to go the extra mile to make sure he learns correctly," Shaffer said. "He doesn't ever want to get behind, which is inspiring."
Lay attended Isaac's Mitchell Elementary and Pueblo Middle School and then enrolled at Hayden instead of Brophy College Preparatory because of the public school's computer-science magnet program.
Strong friendships forged at Mitchell and Pueblo Middle schools also lured him to Hayden, where he easily fit in at the predominantly Hispanic student campus.
Students knew Lay was Asian, but when their curiosity cranked up a notch and they asked about his background, the overachiever would simply grin and reply, "It's a long story."
Humble beginnings
Lay's parents spoke little English when they came to America, briefly living in Burbank, Calif., before moving to Phoenix. Here they learned how to make doughnuts, a rare delicacy in Cambodia, in the 1980s.
Lay, who was born in Thailand while his parents were en route to the United States, grew up speaking English and a Cambodian dialect. He later picked up Spanish from friends, but he's not confident enough to rattle off full sentences in it, he said.
During middle school, he began helping his parents at the shop, which Lay asked not be identified in this story. Invariably, his friends knew to find him there.
He refuses to accept pay from his parents for working in the shop.
"I always feel bad for them because they work so hard," Lay said.
He believes his hard work at Carl Hayden will earn him scholarships to help finance his education at the University of Arizona. So far, he has received a $5,000 annual president's scholarship. He is continuing to search for others to cover room and board.
As the tiny shop prospered, Lay observed the laborious hours his parents spent preparing dough for deep-frying, glazing and powdering and the cleanup that followed. That sense of dedication took hold of the Carl Hayden High School student, who applied the same work ethic toward his studies and athletics.
The hard work paid off in April when Lay was named Carl Hayden's valedictorian. Lay joins more than 3,400 seniors graduating next week from 13 Phoenix Union District schools.
Graduation ceremonies will be at various venues, including Glendale Arena and Arizona State University.
Lay, 18, who aspires to earn a computer engineering degree, credits his parents for keeping him focused during his hectic high school years.
"My parents' struggle to work hard - opening the store at 4 a.m. and closing at midnight - that showed me the value of hard work and how to complete projects," Lay said.
Hayden's coaches and teachers marveled over the student's ability to juggle school assignments, sports, volunteer work and extracurricular activities while putting in 20 hours a week at his parents' shop.
Lay sorted books at Burton Barr Central Library as a volunteer, ran cross country and track, participated in the Academic Decathlon and served as treasurer for the school's National Honor Society.
"Thay is a tremendously gifted student-athlete whose work ethic inside and outside the classroom is unparalleled in my 14 years of teaching experience," said Gary Anderson, the Falcons' cross-country and track coach. "In four years, he never missed a practice, even over the summer, unless I sent him home because of sickness. That kind of dedication is rare in this day and age."
Physics teacher Russ Shaffer helped to fuelLay's passion for math and science. The 21-year teaching veteran described Lay as a dedicated, gifted athlete who isn't cocky and is respected among his peers.
Goes 'extra mile'
"Thay is willing to go the extra mile to make sure he learns correctly," Shaffer said. "He doesn't ever want to get behind, which is inspiring."
Lay attended Isaac's Mitchell Elementary and Pueblo Middle School and then enrolled at Hayden instead of Brophy College Preparatory because of the public school's computer-science magnet program.
Strong friendships forged at Mitchell and Pueblo Middle schools also lured him to Hayden, where he easily fit in at the predominantly Hispanic student campus.
Students knew Lay was Asian, but when their curiosity cranked up a notch and they asked about his background, the overachiever would simply grin and reply, "It's a long story."
Humble beginnings
Lay's parents spoke little English when they came to America, briefly living in Burbank, Calif., before moving to Phoenix. Here they learned how to make doughnuts, a rare delicacy in Cambodia, in the 1980s.
Lay, who was born in Thailand while his parents were en route to the United States, grew up speaking English and a Cambodian dialect. He later picked up Spanish from friends, but he's not confident enough to rattle off full sentences in it, he said.
During middle school, he began helping his parents at the shop, which Lay asked not be identified in this story. Invariably, his friends knew to find him there.
He refuses to accept pay from his parents for working in the shop.
"I always feel bad for them because they work so hard," Lay said.
He believes his hard work at Carl Hayden will earn him scholarships to help finance his education at the University of Arizona. So far, he has received a $5,000 annual president's scholarship. He is continuing to search for others to cover room and board.
3 comments:
Congrats to the young man Thay for pursuing higher education at the University of Arizona.
I didn't know that Cambodian language has different dialects. Hahahaha.
I just hope that he won't be surprised too much to find a fluent Khmer-speaking professor by the name of Dr. Wright. Hahhaha.
Let us keep on moving from here on out.
my parents and i have nothing when we reached the land of opportunity....eeyore!!
my parents and i have nothing when we stepped on the land of opportunity..eeyore!!
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