See why the Gates Foundation is paying for this Southridge grad to go to college

Kenny Chen's mother sent him on a mission when he was in China visiting relatives last summer.

"She made us take this pilgrimage to one of my family's cemetery stones, to pray to our ancestors. I had to climb this huge mountain to pray to my ancestors to help me with college," he said.

They must have been listening.

Chen, 17, who graduates Saturday from Southridge High School in Kennewick, not only won a highly selective full scholarship for minority students with financial need, he also got into an impressive school.

The Gates Scholarship recipient will be studying at Amherst College in Massachusetts.

He's excited. His mom is, too.

"She talks about it all the time," he said, noting she even shares the news with customers at the family restaurant.

Chen's uncle owns Shang Hai Restaurant on Clearwater Avenue, and many family members work there, including Chen. That is when he's not studying, or leading the Southridge tennis team as captain, or fulfilling his duties as Key Club and National Honor Society president, and so on.

Southridge teacher Sondra Edwards said he is special.

"It is rare when passion and perseverance collide with immense intelligence. Add charisma and a heart to help others and you have had the pleasure of meeting Kenny Chen, world changer," she said.

Chen has a way of connecting with people that inspires them to be their best selves, she said.

"Kenny makes every minute in his day count. He is living life to the fullest, opening doors to the future, and enjoying the journey while working his butt off," Edwards said.

Among his many accomplishments, Chen is a Southridge valedictorian. That means he'll give a speech at graduation.

He's a little nervous, he said, but he knows what he wants to impart — that it's what you do with whatever you're given that matters.

"I think it applies to me because I wasn’t born with much, but I had to be determined and take all my advantages," he said.

Chen's parents are Howard and Sandy, and he has a 12-year-old brother, Edison.

He plans to double major in pre-law and environmental studies at Amherst, and is thinking of a career in environmental law.

His time at Southridge stoked those interests — debate team honing his research and argument skills, and an environmental science class inspiring him to think about how he could make a difference.

He had a lot of fun in high school, he said. It'll be bittersweet saying goodbye.

But he's looking forward to new challenges and adventures in college.

Before he moves across the country, he may take another big trip. His mom wants him to return to China, to pay his respects.

"She wants me to go back to climb that same huge mountain to say thank you to my ancestors," he said.

And considering all that happened for him senior year, he said with a smile, "I've got to."

This story was originally published June 7, 2018 at 6:09 PM with the headline "See why the Gates Foundation is paying for this Southridge grad to go to college."