The city of Sunnyvale recognized Michelle's achievements and presented her with its Outstanding High School Senior Award at the State of the City event on March 4. The Kiwanis Club of Silicon Valley in Sunnyvale, a community service club, nominated Michelle for the award for her outstanding work in the Kiwanis Club.

The club oversees youth organizations that are part of the Kiwanis family, such as the Builders Club, for middle school students, and the Key Club, for high-schoolers. Michelle was introduced to Kiwanis at the age of 12, when she joined the Builders Club. When she got to Fremont High School, she and three other students restarted the Key Club, which was inactive at the school at the time.

Michelle has just finished a year of serving as the secretary for the Key Club branch that serves California, Nevada and Hawaii. Michelle has also held other leadership positions in the Key Club over the past four years.

It's a huge responsibility, Michelle says, but she manages by keeping a schedule for herself. "My agenda is like my Bible, and it helps because I know things ahead of time."

Students feel pressure from different people, she says, and these days people demand a lot. "Within these activities, everybody expects you to have their work as your first priority. The trick is to try to manage all your responsibilities gracefully," Michelle says.

Managing priorities can be difficult when you're trying to save lives. That's what Michelle did after Sept. 11, 2001, when she coordinated two projects that raised over $7,000 for the Red Cross.

Even with her many responsibilities, Michelle's mother, Isabel, says her daughter has come through for her.

Isabel has a severe kidney problem and must receive daily dialysis treatments. But three months ago her problem grew so severe that she was in bed for two months. Michelle took over the household duties during that time.

"Already she helps me with preparing my dialysis solutions every night, but during those months she prepared the dialysis prior to going to school. She is a very strong person, but it still exhausted her," says Isabel.

Michelle says it was difficult to manage during that time, but family comes first for her.

"Michelle is always thinking of others," her mother says. And it seems she always has. Isabel recalls one time when her daughter was 3 years old. She asked Michelle to watch TV while she rested in the next room. A few minutes later, Michelle showed up with a glass of water that she had gotten by pushing a chair up to the sink.

"She said to me, 'I wish I could make you some hot tea that you love but I can't. I hope this makes you feel better,' " Isabel says. "I'm very lucky to be her mom."

Michelle says high school students have a tougher time making it to college these days. "There's more competition to get into college or excel in certain areas because there's so many more people to compete with. You have to work a lot harder, and students take on more to set themselves apart," Michelle says.

As for Michelle, she says being a part of Kiwanis has helped her personal growth more than it's helped her résumé.

"I know that I've grown a lot, and I see that it changes others a lot. It's rewarding for me to give back to the community," Michelle says.

She hopes to attend UCLA in the fall and study psychology and education.