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Central High graduate highly involved, resolved to help others

 
Jenny Ho will attend the University of Central Florida as a National Merit Scholar.
Jenny Ho will attend the University of Central Florida as a National Merit Scholar.
Published June 8, 2012


BROOKSVILLE — For the past four years, Jenny Ho was a constant presence around the Central High School campus.


Tonight, it all comes to an end as the highly involved 18-year-old senior graduates with the Class of 2012.


In the fall, Ho plans to attend the University of Central Florida on a $64,000 National Merit Scholar scholarship.


Honors and success are nothing new to Ho.


As a junior, she represented Hernando County as its Sunshine State scholar because of her heavy STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) course load.


She was president of the CHS Key Club this year. Last year, she was president of the school's Gay/Straight Alliance. She was a Junior ROTC cadet as a junior and senior and was a member of the rifle team. She has been in the National Honor Society, the Bears Environmental Club and SWAT (Students Working Against Tobacco), for which she served as vice president this year.


"I'm a real active person. I like getting involved," said Ho, the daughter of Huy Ho and Annie Trinh of Weeki Wachee. "I was voted Most Likely to Succeed by my senior peers."


At Central Florida, Ho plans to major in biology and later transfer to the University of Florida to study dentistry.


"I would love to be in the position to help people," she said.


The Key Club has kept her busy doing community projects.


"I love to serve the community," she said.


Money raised by the Key Club has benefited the Dawn Center, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Humane Society.


The club also assisted with the inaugural Florida Blueberry Festival this spring.


Ho also has tried her hand in politics.


"The summer before junior year, I volunteered in a political campaign," she said. "It was a local campaign. It's even more important to be involved with those. We really worked hard, and in the end I still feel like we accomplished something," though her candidate didn't win.


During her senior year, Ho was a full-time dual enrollment student, studying at Pasco-Hernando Community College.


"So I'm graduating with my associate's degree," she said.


She began taking courses at PHCC as a junior, attending at night.


Like most graduates heading off to college, Ho said she is "very excited." Some things will be missed, though.


"Key Club is my family," she said. "I'm definitely going to miss them and ROTC. They've definitely been my backbone throughout high school."