Anyone who knows senior Sang Son — Homecoming King, co-founder of Asian Student Union, major contributor in robotics club, NHS and Math NHS member, cross country runner and tennis player — would never suspect he was a troubled kid during his early elementary school years. 

In fact, he had to transfer preschools due to his unruly behavior. 

“I scratched a kid’s face,” he said. “I was not the brightest kid.” 

For Son, the switch from troubled child to Purdue University ridden, academic weapon and friend of many came in second grade. “I started getting a hold of myself and actually started to make friends.” He says. “I was a quiet kid. I kind of blended in with everyone else. I want to trade that, to stand out from others”. 

He began taking academics seriously and even studied for the dreaded yearly map test. “I really wanted to get one of the highest in the class,” he says, “I know I did get clowned for it, like people saying, ‘Why did you study for the MAP test?’” 

But those same scores he was teased for caring about helped him qualify for the gifted program and introduced him to his best friend of 10 years, Charles Lin, and his future career. Aerospace engineering. “I said the term for the first time during the interview for the gifted program,” Son says 

The teacher conducting the interview asked him what he would invent to make stairs no longer necessary? Sons answer, “a teleportation device.” 

She asked him what career would help him with his invention, and Son thought back to a few weeks prior when he did a career assessment in class. “I saw this word. Aerospace engineer. I thought that’s a really big word. So that was my answer, an aerospace engineer helps with teleportation.”

Now that Son’s grown up, he knows aerospace engineers do, in fact, not build teleportation devices, but that has not swayed his decision to make it his occupation. He’s always loved designing things and even deeply considered becoming a LEGO designer. 

During COVID, his passion for aerospace grew tremendously. Son says, “They launched the SpaceX rocket, and I just remember sitting on the floor watching the TV, seeing that launch and seeing that rocket land. That’s when I realized, I want to do that as my career.”

He’s since been accepted to Purdue University to study aerospace engineering with a focus on propulsion. “In terms of my interests and goals, I think Purdue is a really good fit for me,” Son says.

As Son is all lined up for college and has nailed down his future, he has begun to reflect on his time here at NW. Son remembers former athletic director Anthony Giacalone’s speech from the 2022 freshman assembly, “When our class walked into NW for the first time, on the first day of school, he asked what do you want to leave at NW.” 

Son has thought about the answer to this question during all that he does. Whether he’s building a robot, being crowned homecoming king, organizing an ASU event or mentoring the freshman and sophomore cross country runners, Son says, “hopefully I’ve left my mark.”

From troubled kid to a friendly, driven teen, he may not be helping invent teleportation devices with his aerospace engineering degree, but he sure has left his fair share of marks at Northwest.