Richmond Hill resident is valedictorian with 3.99 GPA

Philip Wong, a resident of Richmond Hill, maintained a 3.99 grade point average at the New York City College of Technology (City Tech), earning him the honor of being the 2007 valedictorian.
Throughout the course of his studies, Wong, who earned his bachelor of technology degree in January, has kept up with a busy schedule. This included working full-time at Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. as a senior executive support specialist.
“Getting my degree and graduating was the goal of this trek,” said Wong, who is also getting married this month. “Being valedictorian was the icing on the cake. But once you realize there’s more to it than this, you want to try for the next level.”
Wong was also the recipient of the Colgate-Palmolive Award for his internship project, which enables people to use a course catalogue search.
“You could go to the website and search the catalogue by professor, specific class time or other factors, and then ‘drill down’ to more specifics in each search,” Wong said. He continued, “It sounded like fun at the time. I thought it would be a small project, but it turned out to be bigger than my own expectations.”
Following the June 5 commencement ceremonies for City Tech, Wong will prepare to take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). His goal is to study in New York University’s MBA program and go on to eventually become a Chief Information Officer or Chief Operating Officer.
The philosophy that Wong follows is “Go for the top, and if you miss a little, you’re not that far off.”