Los Alamos High School Principal Renee Dunwoody presented junior John Kang with the 2025 Rensselaer Polytechnic Medal. Photo Courtesy LAPS
LAHS Calculus teacher Stephanie Abney, left, and LAHS Physics teacher Deborah Grothaus pose with the 2025 Rensselaer Medal recipient John Kang. Photo Courtesy LAPS
LAPS NEWS RELEASE
Los Alamos High School Junior John Kang has been selected to receive the Rensselaer Polytechnic Medal for 2025. He was nominated for this honor by the LAHS Mathematics and Science Departments. Principal Renee Dunwoody presented John with his award during a ceremony attended by his family and members of the science and math departments.
“Although there were several great candidates for this year’s Rensselaer Medal, John stood out among them all because of his academic success, the level of difficulty of the classes he’s taken, his involvement in extracurricular activities, his leadership roles and his community service, said LAHS Physics teacher Deborah Grothaus. “John is an outstanding student and an overall amazing human being. Whatever John chooses to do in life, he will be absolutely fantastic at it.”
For more than 100 years, Rensselaer, in conjunction with high schools around the world, has awarded the Rensselaer Medal to promising secondary school students who have distinguished themselves in mathematics and science.
The Medal was first presented in 1916 with two purposes:
- to recognize the superlative academic achievement of young men and women, and
- to motivate students toward careers in science, engineering, and technology
John is finishing up AP Calculus this spring, both AB and BC and has also taken AP Physics C as a junior. He is involved in the Project Y Robotics, and will be the project lead next year. He is also the vice president of the school’s Rotary Interact Club, publicist for Mu Alpha Theta, and an active member of the Key Club.
Each year, participating high schools nominate one outstanding math and science student in the junior class to be honored with the Rensselaer Medal Award. If the student applies to Rensselaer, is accepted, and enrolls, the official Rensselaer Medallion will be presented in the all of the first year at Rensselaer. The merit scholarship, with a value of $40,000 per year, is guaranteed for four years for each Medalist who is accepted and enrolls at Rensselaer.