Pei Huang was born in Nanning, the capital of a southern Chinese province. He grew up as a quintessential Chinese citizen until he moved to the United States at age six. Soon after arriving in Massachusetts, Pei began first grade in the Quincy Public Schools. He continued living at Quincy until the end of the sixth grade, when he and his parents agreed that moving to Boston for Boston Latin School’s prestigious liberal arts education should be the next step.
In 1998, Pei began his career as a Boston Latin School student as a sixie (seventh grade student). From this year, he distinctly recalls his rigorous Earth Science class, where there was never a shortfall of mental challenge and homework. The demands of such a class required good work ethics. Slowly Pei adopted such an ethic, doing so for not only his Earth Science class, but all his classes soon afterwards. Pei feels that it is this work ethic, which has carried him from sixie year through his junior year, and hopefully will continue to serve him well through his final year at Boston Latin School, and the challenges of life.
Boston Latin School offered Pei many opportunities to expand his interests in many of his favorite hobbies. He became the President of the Web Design Club and Chinese Chess Club. He also served as a student representative for his peers at the Student Council. Currently, Pei is most proud of his position as Executive Producer of BLS TV, a program broadcast everyday throughout the school to keep students updated with events and to promote school spirit. Outside of the more mundane activities, he is also a former member of the football and boys’ volleyball teams. More recently, he and several friends participated in Latin’s prestigious Seevak Facing History & Ourselves website competition, in which his team spotlighted the achievements of deceased Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
As a de facto senior, Pei is interested in the US Air Force Academy, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Chicago. Pei strongly believes that becoming a Ward Fellow would introduce him to internship opportunities that he could receive as a college undergraduate.
Before becoming a Ward Fellow, Pei experienced the joys of public service as a summer intern at Harvard School of Public Health’s Biomechanics lab, where he assisted in research concerning the ergonomics and physical detriments of long-term computer use. Through that internship, Pei learned that a small individual contribution could go a long way in affecting the public. After that internship, Pei felt a strong affinity towards occupations that could potentially affect a large amount of people and he feels that the Ward Fellowship would provide him with the same opportunity to change lives in public service.
His sponsor is the Honorable Kevin Honan.