Kevin Li
From a very young age, senior Kevin Li has been interested in two subjects that aren’t often paired together: life sciences and history.
“I’ve always been interested in nature and the ocean, which people tend to avoid because it’s pretty mysterious, but I find it fascinating,” Li said.
In Li’s freshman year, he joined the science club and Lynbrook’s Ocean Science Bowl team, the latter of which competes at an annual ocean science competition in Monterey. Lynbrook’s OSB team has consistently placed in the top three of Northern California. Over the years, Li has risen through the ranks, initially being placed on the JV team in his freshman year, then on varsity for three consecutive years afterward, and ultimately becoming the team captain of OSB as a senior. During the summer of 2021, Li started a Discord server where OSB and non-OSB members could hang out and talk about ocean sciences, leading to an uptick in tryouts for the OSB team for the 2022-23 school year.
“As a captain, it’s really rewarding to see people who are participating for their first year and then becoming really interested in the subject,” Li said.
Introduced to history by his father through nonfiction stories, Li has always enjoyed learning about the past. In his freshman year, he took an online European history course and was perplexed as to why there was not a history club on campus. He took it upon himself and some friends to change that during his sophomore year, creating Lynbrook’s history club. Meetings consist of presentations on different historical events, battle tactics and important historical figures. In an academic environment dominated by STEM, the club has been able to foster a thriving community of fellow history enthusiasts.
In college, Li hopes to major in microbial biology, a decision he says was significantly influenced by his time on the OSB team.
“I really like the way that my friends and I have encouraged each other to explore our own passions at Lynbrook,” Li said. “Everything I’ve done at Lynbrook has been able to hopefully make a lasting impact and encourage others to explore their interests.”