18 year old, Del Mar senior Hayden Tieu is preparing for the next big step in his life: college. After an active and outstanding high school experience, he will soon be moving to Seattle to attend the University of Washington.
Tieu has made the most of his time in high school by getting involved in different clubs and leadership roles.
“My freshman year, I joined ASB, and I was just like a normal kid. I was part of the leadership class, but I actually was an executive for APSU as the treasurer my freshman year, and then progressively, I joined more clubs, such as Sustainable Society. I became an executive for Meat Club and for ASB for my junior and senior year. I was elected as vice president for both years,” Tieu said.
When asked what he will always remember about high school, Tieu said, “All the friendships I’ve made here, and just kind of learning about… because I went to a smaller middle school and elementary school. Moving to a public school, I met a lot of new faces, a lot of new teachers. So definitely just putting myself out there and meeting new people,”.
Tieu’s next chapter in life will take him to Seattle. The “University of Washington is located in Seattle, and since I was a kid, I’ve always liked Seattle. I always wanted to go and visit it. When I grew up, I was a fan of the Seahawks, and I still am. Even last year, I was able to visit Seattle, and I think the city itself is amazing. The campus itself is amazing as well,” said Hayden.
He’s especially excited about the business opportunities in Seattle. “What really stood out to me was the city itself, because I’m majoring in business. Amazon, Starbucks, there’s been many entrepreneurships available there, and I think their Foster School of Business is very attractive.”
Although he was accepted to UC Davis and later got off the waitlist for UC San Diego and Washington, he did not get into USC. “Honestly I kind of regret not doing more, but I think I had around eight or so. But yeah, definitely, I would say a pretty low amount of applications that I did, and I wish I did more,” he said.
Tieu plans to major in finance. “I kind of want to learn more overall like marketing, finance, even accounting. My mom was an accountant, and just how businesses work, and eventually, maybe open up a business.” He adds, “Although I don’t really like math at times, I think I’m pretty good at it.”
Moving to Seattle won’t be easy though. “I’m definitely gonna miss sports,” he said, especially basketball and volleyball, which he played all four years at Del Mar. “You get to just like, get out there and just have fun, and without all the pressure of any high competition.”
He’s also going to miss his home. “I’m gonna miss, definitely, my parents and my dog, and especially, I would say, In-N-Out food.”
Tieu’s advice to younger students is, “Just put yourself out there… Especially if you’re coming to a new school, not only to meet new people, but also to learn things from other people.”
