TAMPA — Chan-hee Park balanced an arduous course load with the occasional pizza and garlic knots and weekend tennis. The formula was a winning one for the King High Class of 2025 IB valedictorian.
New Tampa Smarts
Park lives in New Tampa, which is no surprise considering the International Baccalaureate (IB) program valedictorian from King hails from the area seemingly every year. She attended Chiles Elementary, Liberty Middle School and then tackled the tough IB program at King with about 50-60 others in her class, finishing at the top of the 2025 class with a 7.52 GPA. (Shout out to class salutatorian David Makar and his 7.32 GPA).
As Advertised
The IB program lived up to its challenging reputation, Park said. The intensity escalated each year, culminating in a particularly grueling senior year.
“First semester is when all the papers are due, like the internal assessments. It's just really rigorous, and it takes up a lot of your time, especially exams.”
If Park had to pass on any wisdom to younger students, especially those with an eye on being a valedictorian, it would be to stay motivated. She said that was her toughest challenge during high school, especially when the academic workload ramped up.
Be ready to run through the finish line.
“If you want to be valedictorian in particular, that means a lot of rigorous courses,” she said. “So, if you have a certain goal, then I would suggest just making sure that you keep your motivation throughout the entire time, or else all the work you’re going to put into it isn't worth it.”
All in the Family
Despite its demands, the IB experience at King wasn’t just academic. Park said it came with a strong sense of camaraderie among students and staff.
“That’s what I liked it about it the most,” she said.
Park isn’t among those just happy to be done with it. She said it was a great experience.
“I loved it. I loved it,” she said. “I think definitely the people made the experience. It felt like a family. Everyone was really nice. I'm definitely going to miss the people there. But I'm super excited about starting college and preparing for that as well.”
The Cherry on Top
Valedictorian wasn’t a goal Park actively pursued. Even after learning she was ranked No. 1 as a junior, she didn’t alter her path or mindset.
“I just sort of kept going with how I wanted to with the same courses and everything,” she said. “And then it just happened, I became valedictorian, and that was really great.”
Perfection
This is probably no surprise, but Park has never received a B.
Like, ever.
She does confess to a few close calls, however, where she had a B at the quarter but pulled it up to an A before semester’s end.
She thinks it last happened last in middle school, probably in an English class.
But the point is, it didn’t happen!
Calculus…not that hard.
Most valedictorians point to calculus as the toughest class, but not Park.
For her, history and English were the tougher grinds.
In fact, she gave a shout out to her calculus teacher, Jason Consolo. “He puts a lot of emphasis on actually learning the topic,” she said, “So that really helped me.”
Consolo also helped make math Park’s favorite subject at King.
Next stop
Park will attend Rice University in Houston next fall, with plans to study business.
Out of the roughly 30,000 applicants, Park earned a spot among the 9% admitted to the prestigious school. She applied to 23 schools and decided Rice was the best fit.
“I actually visited the campus like a month or two ago, and it was really beautiful,” Park said. “And I like the location.”
School-life balance
Even with a demanding academic load, Park found time for other pursuits.
She was active in Relay for Life, which raises money for cancer research, served as co-president of Student Government and was also vice president for Future Business Leaders of America.
She also plays the piano and hits the tennis courts on weekends with her family.
“I think it's just making sure you're taking care of yourself,” she said. “Because for me, I love going out and spending time with my family and friends and everything. Obviously, I have to balance that with my time academically, but being able to find that balance has really been great.”
And on some weekends, she finds that balance enjoying some pizza and garlic knots at her favorite local restaurant, Noble Crust at the Shoppes at Wiregrass mall, with her friends.
Happy Parents, Happy Life
No one’s more thrilled by Park’s than her parents, Jung Chui Park (dad) and Ju Hyeon Park (mom).
Her father, a finance professor at USF, attended the banquet where Park received a Student Citizenship Award from the Temple Terrace Uptown Chamber of Commerce.
He trailed her proudly, snapping photos with his cell phone and smiling with every congratulation she received.
“They were just really happy, because valedictorian wasn’t anything I was working towards, so it was a surprise to all of us,” she said. “They have been really supportive, and it’s really nice to see their reactions to all of this.”
Her parents have had some practice with being proud. Older brother Chan is at Emory University in Atlanta, and younger brother Chan-Young is a top student in middle school.
Message to Class of 2025
Park delivers her valedictory speech May 25 at the Florida State Fairgrounds Expo Hall, where she will pass on pearls of wisdom and advice, but first and foremost: School is important, but so are other things.
So do stuff!
“Even though I do think that academics are a priority, and I will always hold that as a priority, I think there's a lot of lessons you can learn outside of that,” she said. “And just, you know, enjoy your life and not waste it.”
