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Photograph by Zach Beecher

Saratoga High School senior Albert Chiang studies for his classes in his room.

Home Alone

High school senior finds himself on his own, and he gets along just fine

By Michele Leung

It would have been perfectly understandable if Albert Chiang protested. After all, he was asked to hold down the fort at his Saratoga home. But those who know him understand that grumbling and complaining is not how Albert operates.

For the past two years, the popular Saratoga High School senior has been on his own. His closest supporters have been a world away. Albert's father, Steve Chiang, was diagnosed with colon cancer, and his parents, along with his older brother and younger sister, traveled to Taiwan to seek treatment.

"My dad was the last person I expected to get sick," Albert said. "He is a health nut." But anyone can be stricken by cancer, and so the family went to Asia in hopes the elder Chiang's health would improve.

Which left Albert by himself in Saratoga.

Albert, a well-liked and well-known student leader on campus, said he never considered leaving Saratoga.

"I have a lot of interest in this community," he said. "I'm really rooted here. The nice thing about my parents is that when they made their decision, they expected me to stay here."

Albert has relatives in Saratoga, Cupertino and Los Altos Hills he can rely on, but for the most part he has been running his house by himself. He has a system that works. The telephone and PG&E bills are paid on an auto-payment basis. He takes care of meals either by going out to eat or cooking one of his mainstays: spaghetti, ravioli or ramen. He has a budget and a credit card his parents gave him. They will pay for essentials, such as food, but gadgets come from his pocket.

The transition from average teenager to a young adult with more responsibilities wasn't too difficult, Albert said. His days were crammed with so many activities already that he hadn't spent a lot of time at home.

"I'd be out the door by 6:30 or 7 a.m. and be back by 11 p.m. because of band, Boy Scouts or school," he said.

The key that makes this arrangement work is the faith his parents have in him. For starters, Albert said his mom doesn't have to check in on him every day.

"It's not a common parent-child relationship," he said. "I feel very lucky. Some kids typically will keep things from their parents. But I feel very comfortable in that if I make a mistake, I own up to it."

Even though his mother is time zones away, she still manages to get relatives to attend his concerts so there'll be people in the audience cheering him on.

"My parents have a keen eye in giving me their support," he said. "They're my backbone."

Albert said there have been some students who wanted to take advantage of the fact there are no parents at his house, a perfect environment for parties.

"I know when to draw the line, and I say 'no,' " he said. "The second you breach the trust, that's the second you lose it. People will be second-guessing you every single time."

However, the absence of a family does get to him on some days.

"When I get home and drive into the driveway, the curtains are drawn," he said. "It can be barren. It's lonely."

He said he has trouble studying at home and goes to nearby Tapioca Express for refuge, company and the right homework ambiance.

It's a good thing that Albert is a social creature who enjoys the company of others. If he doesn't go out with pals, he'll ask them to come over to his house for poker and other diversions.

"He likes having people over," said his friend Emily Chin, a senior at Saratoga. "He misses his sister a lot. Albert's always with his friends. He's always loud and has a lot to say. He's very outgoing."

Friends are what make high school more memorable, and for Albert, they have become a substitute family of sorts. Emily calls Albert one of her best friends, and the two have known each other since they first met as fifth-graders at Argonaut Elementary School.

"He has such a good heart," Emily said. "He's always someone you go to for help. He's the first one you call if you're in trouble."

While Albert has looked after many of his friends, they also return the favor. Often, they'll stock his refrigerator with food, and parents have been known to stop by with provisions as well, Emily said.

Albert is the go-to guy for ideas, direction and leadership, but there is nary a word from him about his living situation.

"Albert is not one to complain," Emily said. "He's really mature about everything. He figures out everything for himself."

Despite all the compliments, Albert is still an average teen. It's quite obvious the house is well lived in, Emily said.

"He is not a neat freak, not at all," she said.

The kitchen can offer prime evidence of his less-than-stellar housekeeping skills.

"You look at the dishes, and you think, 'Eww, this is so gross,' but the next day they'll be gone," Emily added.

Band is one of the activities Emily and Albert have in common. In fifth grade, Albert had his heart set on playing trumpet. But one day his gaze fell on a glittering alto saxophone; he promptly put aside all dreams of being a trumpet player and signed up for the sax. But Emily remembered their music lessons and how Albert was too enthusiastic.

"He was always playing too loud," Emily said. "The band director switched him to a baritone sax [a bigger instrument] because he had so much power. He was always so energetic."

The new saxophone was a better fit for his lungs, but not his height. He was smaller than his instrument.

Albert has since kept up his musicianship through high school, and for the past two years, he was chosen by his peers to be the drum major. He is the one responsible for giving 185 students musical direction during field performances.

"He is an intuitive musician; that's part of his intelligence," said Saratoga band director Mike Boitz. "He has a relationship with the composer that's inherent. Sometimes I feel I'm watching a veteran teacher."

From hooking up audio equipment or stringing up decorations for the jazz cabaret, Albert has been willing to lend a hand. His alacrity and ability to solve problems have been an asset to the music department, Boitz said.

"He loves a challenge and embraces the item that needs to be fixed," he said.

At the school's year-end concert, Albert was chosen to receive the band's highest honor, the John Philip Sousa Award, given to an outstanding band student and who is typically a senior, Boitz said. There is another award at Saratoga, called the outstanding senior award, which is generally given to another senior. But this year, Albert received both.

"It was not even a close contest," Boitz said. "He's outstanding musically, and he has the leadership. He has the total package."

Albert has been passionate about trying out as many musical opportunities as possible. In his freshman year in marching band, he was in the drum line, playing bass drum. The following year, he played the tuba in marching band. Outside of the marching season, he has played sax in the concert band and tuba in the symphony orchestra.

"I forget that he is 17, 18 years old," Boitz said.

Boitz recalled the first time he met Albert at Argonaut. Albert marched up to him, looked him in the eye, shook his hand and said, "Hi, I'm Albert," Boitz remembered with a laugh. Through the years, Boitz has seen Albert grow as a musician and a person, often thinking of him as a younger brother or even a son. Boitz's route to work takes him past Albert's house, and the music teacher has found himself looking to make sure that nothing is out of the ordinary and that Albert and the house are safe. Sometimes he'd stop and drop in; other times, he'll drive by, reassured that nothing is amiss.

"I know everyone loves him, but we forget that he is a kid," Boitz said. "While so many people rely on Albert, I hope he knows he can rely on other people, too."

Albert's activities don't end in the band room. He is also an accomplished tennis player and has been the student board representative to the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District for two years. Twice a month, he attends evening meetings with district administrators and the elected board of trustees to review board policies and discuss the direction the district should take.

"It gives you a broader picture of what school is," Albert said. "It's like the difference between going to a job day in, day out versus seeing what happens at the top."

Albert is not afraid to give his input. At a recent meeting, community members and faculty were discussing the process they should take in hiring a new superintendent to replace current administrator Cindy Ranii. Albert was one of those who said that using an advisory committee made up of community members would be beneficial to the district.

"His ability is not just to represent the students, but more importantly to understand the concepts," said assistant principal Karen Hyde. "He participates because he wants to know the policies at the board level. I'm truly impressed. That has not always happened.

"He has an innate sense of the big picture. He's an old soul," she added.

Albert's "grown-up" qualities have been evident since his elementary days, when he started investing in the stock market as a 10-year-old. He opened an account at TD Waterhouse with $3,000, saved up from birthday money and special occasions and matched by his parents. He'd wake up at 5 a.m., and all before school, he'd do research and watch as the early morning trading unfolded.

"My dad gave me books to read and taught me the basics," he said. "That's how I kept up my source of income."

Because of his penchant for expensive technological gadgets, he also started his own companies in high school, one in which he transferred home videos to DVDs. He said he broke even before his interest eventually petered out of his DVD business.

"We can always teach book-smart, but he has the life-smarts," Hyde said. "That's who he is."

Today, Albert's father is recovering from his cancer. Albert was looking forward to his graduation, which would have brought the family together again. In the fall, they will return to Asia, but his older brother, Michael, will remain in Saratoga and study at West Valley College. Albert has plans to study business economics at UCLA and hopes to play in a wind ensemble or with the marching band there. He said that he's looking forward to college because of the shared experiences he'll have with new peers. For one, all the students around him will be living on their own, something his friends will finally be able to relate to.

Albert, who once thought that sleep was overrated, has learned to slow down and take life in small bite-sized pieces.

"Inch by inch, life's a cinch. Yard by yard, life is hard," he is fond of saying.

Hyde and Boitz said next year they will desperately miss Albert, the teenager who seems wise beyond his years. His classmate Emily will be a cross-town rival at USC, but she said she is confident distance or time apart won't alter their friendship. Albert, who has embraced his high school community as a surrogate family, is looking to the future. His circle of supporters is sure he will not fail them while he is away at college, and he thinks he knows how to do that.

"Just don't sweat the small stuff," he said. "There's always going to be stress. Take things as they come. Focus on the present, and everything will fall into place."