Dyker Height resident receives 10K scholarship to Boston University in Milken Scholars program

June 13, 2019 Jaime DeJesus

Photo courtesy of Milken Scholars

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A star is rising in Dyker Heights.

Student Andy Wang, who recently graduated from Staten Island Technical High School and is an I.S. 201 Dyker Heights Intermediate School alum, was recently named one of six New York members of the Milken Scholar Class of 2019.

The program will award Wang a $10,000 scholarship when he attends Boston University this fall.

The Dyker Heights resident, who has a passion for science, was nominated by his school, and learned in May he was chosen as a recipient. He was thrilled to receive the news.

“It was pretty surreal and a big shock,” said Wang.

Wang was a student researcher at New York University’s Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering program.

“Until then, I only had a vague idea of what researching in a legitimate university laboratory was like,” said Wang. “I’m grateful for professors that took their time to take in high school students.”

He also was a part of MIT’s Online Science Technology and Engineering Community, exploring scientific writing, science and engineering online. The program involved a lot of online coursework, but for one week in August, Wang and other students visited MIT’s campus.

“Going there and meeting high school students interested in the same field from all across the US was very inspiring,” said Wang.

Wang spent his childhood in a small town in Illinois where he spent much of his time outdoors. In high school, that interest in the natural world transformed into an interest in biology, which has only grown from there. When he attends Boston University, Wang plans to study environmental science.

At 12 Wang moved from Illinois to Brooklyn, where he began attending I.S. 201.

“All the students at the school were pretty academically ambitious. I think being in that type of environment inspired me to work a little harder and prepare for the test for SI Tech High School,” he said.

Wang’s parents grew up in China, and neither received even a high school education. They pushed their son to take advantage of the opportunities they didn’t have, and Wang learned from an early age to take academics seriously. Thanks to their support, Wang’s efforts seem to have paid off.

Phyllis and Sidney Bresler, who sponsor the New York City Milken Scholars along with the Robert I. Schattner Foundation, Inc., discussed the Milken Scholarship in a joint statement.

“Despite significant obstacles, these extraordinary students continue to not only persevere, but shine, and we look forward to seeing what their bright futures will hold.”