Coronado valedictorian juggles schoolwork, sports, extracurriculars with ease

The Varsity Quiz room is bustling as desks are arranged and timers are set for practice.

With spiked black hair and perceptive brown eyes, Wen Jay Tan seems to preside over the room. People constantly stop by to say "hello" as he sits down. The high school senior is preparing for quiz practice, one of his many extracurricular activities.

As Tan, the Coronado High School valedictorian begins to get comfortable, his adviser walks by and hands off a paper about the science bowl. This is an average day for Tan, who is also captain of the bowling team, president of Mu Alpha Theta, and a member of the National Honor Society, Teen Advisory Group and robotics club.

And academically, he's no slouch either.

Not only is Tan valedictorian, he's a National Advanced Placement Scholar and a National Merit Scholar semifinalist. Tan says prioritizing helps him keep his schedule together and helps him succeed.

But even with all of that success, bowling is his passion.

"Bowling is definitely my favorite," Tan says. "It is a team sport, but it is still individual. It involves a lot of practice, but it is really fun."

He says the sport's best part is its challenge.

"It's really fun, but it can be frustrating," he says. "It is difficult to replicate something 13 times."

Tan, though, also makes time for his family, aside from schoolwork and extracurriculars. For example, he and his father go to the shooting range or bird hunting when they can.

"Shooting and hunting is really a bonding thing with my dad," Tan says. "It is something that I only really do with him. We usually go once a year."

Tan's not the only one in his family to participate in Varsity Quiz; his older sister did, too.

Back in the practice room, Varsity Quiz coach Matthew Aberman had only praise for Tan.

"He is very competitive. He doesn't like to miss answers, but he doesn't get bent out of shape about it," Aberman says. "And he likes to make joke answers, just for a laugh."

While his adviser focused on Varsity Quiz, at least one of Tan's friends reflected on his humorous side, which many don't usually get to see.

"He is a pretty funny guy. He definitely has a unique sense of humor," says friend Delian Delev.

Tan is looking to the future. He says that after he graduates from Coronado, he wants to major in computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or the California Institute of Technology.