Torrance, CA (April 16, 2019): Congresswoman Maxine Waters visited Bishop Montgomery and presented senior Mingkai Thomas Li '19 with the Congressional Service Award. With his mother in the audience, along with faculty members, classmates, and government representatives from the city of Torrance, including Mayor Patrick Furey, Li was awarded the honor for his achievements in four areas: volunteer service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition. Waters, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, noted that Li was the first recipient of the award in the 43rd congressional district since 2013.
In his sophomore year, Li first learned of the Congressional Service Award and its requirements during a Google search. He says he was drawn to it because "it was a very diverse program that not only focused on academics, but also on service and developing personal skills." For Li, the award represented everything to him that a balanced life should have all under one umbrella, so he submitted his application, received his own Record Book in the mail, and began documenting his progress.
Continuing with a volunteer service project he had begun freshman year, Li worked at least 10 hours every week as a volunteer computer science teacher at Palos Verdes on the Net, a well-known education technology center in the South Bay. There, under the guidance of owner and mentor, Ted Vegvari, Li tutored students of all ages, from seven years old to adults, during drop-in sessions and scheduled classes.
While volunteering at pvnet after school and on the weekends, Li also continued playing the clarinet, which he started at age six. During his freshmen year, he joined Bishop's Thunder By Knight band where he quickly rose in popularity among his band mates, not only for his talent, but for his calm and kind demeanor. A natural leader, Li has been a key member of TBK and has not only seen his own skills grow, but through his leadership and guidance, the skills of his band mates as well. Li credits this creative outlet and his advisor Music Director Eric Hankey as an important part of his personal development over the last four years.
In addition to the exercise that comes with playing in a marching band, Thomas also maintains his fitness as a member of BMHS' swim team. Under the guidance of Coach Amy Traxler, Li has been a 4-year athlete in the pool with a focus on the 50m and 100m freestyle. A swimmer since middle school, Thomas enjoys swimming, not just for the physical fitness, but for the comradery and friendships that being a part of the team creates.
In the summer of 2018, Li set out to Yosemite with two of his pvnet friends to hike and work on the expedition component of his award. Over two days, the trio hiked 20 miles, including a trek to the top of Half Dome. Planning and documenting the trip was a required part of the expedition, as well as writing a reflection once it was complete. Li spent months preparing for the trip and filled many diary pages detailing every step and what he accomplished over those two days. Although the adventure was an exhilarating one, Li says he was grateful to get back home, sleep indoors and shower.
After completing the requirements of the four components, Li mailed his completed Record Book to the Congressional Award Office and waited for a reply. A few months later, Li’s grandmother intercepted a large packet that arrived in the mail from Washington D.C. Upon opening it, Li learned that he had, in fact, earned the Congressional Service Award’s silver medal. “I felt very excited and very honored,” says Li. “Hard work pays off.”
Not long after sending off his Record Book for the silver medal, Li began working towards the gold medal, the highest level of the Congressional Service Award. Soon, he will submit that Record Book in the hopes of meeting yet another personal goal and earning one of the nation’s most prestigious awards for young people. Li’s primary focus on his work for the gold medal has been in the volunteer service component and his work at pvnet. Along with his co-workers, Li has been researching potential contributions that machine learning can make to aid patients suffering from depression. With over 500 hours of research and the help of open source technology, Thomas is preparing for the publication of a research paper with his team’s findings.
Li hopes to learn of his gold award status in the next three or four months and, says if awarded, he will willingly come back to Bishop Montgomery after graduation to receive the medal, especially if Maxine Waters will be the presenting it. “It is a very big honor to have gotten this award,” he notes, “but, it is an even bigger honor to have Congresswoman Waters present it. I have always been a very big fan of hers.”