Kevin “K.Chow” Chow is currently a senior at Freedom High School. He was born in Auckland, New Zealand and his family relocated to Australia and Tampa. His parents are from China and he has an older sister who attends the University of Florida.
Because of his family’s relocations, Chow is engaged in an array of activities both inside and outside of school. Chow focuses on his main hobbies of tennis and Muay Thai, but has also participated in football, wrestling, and taekwondo. He also volunteers at USF health several days a week. Chow also plays the guitar and codes in his spare time. He is unsure of what major or career pathway he would like to pursue but is confident it is in the STEM field, perhaps computer science.
Outside of his hobbies, he also takes four advanced placement classes at school and three dual enrollment classes at HCC. He has taken ten advanced placement classes previously. His favorite classes are math and science and his strongest area is history. At school, he is also part of the National Honors Society, the Engineering Club, the Science National Honors Society, and the cupcakes for a cure club. He plays for the Freedom tennis team and his favorite players are Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori. He also plans to join several new clubs this year.
This past summer, Chow was able to visit China for the very first time and meet his extended family. Previously he had been in China before, but was too young to experience it. Chow met his grandparents for the first time, and visited many places in China like the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City.
“China was a great experience for me. I was able to get in touch with my roots and also the culture of my parents. I was very excited to have this opportunity and will remember it,” said Chow.
He was also able to participate in the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Rising Stars program, selected to represent Freedom. He also enjoyed the experience in understanding correctional facilities, the qualities of leadership, and especially the side of Hillsborough County police officers. He was able to listen to engaging motivational speakers, such as Superbowl Champion Derrick Brooks.
“I was very fortunate to have been able to go and be part of this program. I made bright friends from other schools and learnt more about Hillsborough County,” said Chow.
Chow is also a fan of TV shows and books. He watches shows such as Suits, Gang Related, and Person of Interest. His favorite show is Game of Thrones. He is an avid reader and writer; his favorite novel being A Song of Fire and Ice by George R.R. Martin. Chow believes in having a good balance in his life in work and enjoyment. He considers himself as ambitious, wanting to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a first choice, and the University of Florida as his second.
