Becton Regional High School’s March Student of the Month, Tenzin Kalsang, is currently ranked in the top ten percent of his class with a grade point average of 95. Tenzin was “shocked” when he was informed of this accomplishment and feels “highly honored” to have been awarded the title.

Aside from taking numerous advanced courses, the Student of the Month is a member of the PAW Club, Math League, and tennis team. “I am also a part of a non-profit Tibetan organization in East Rutherford [Seeds of Tibet] as an instrumentalist. Being in that environment, preserving Tibetan culture, and just working with children is really memorable,” he said.

Some of Tenzin’s favorite classes at Becton Regional High School are AP Government & Politics, Calculus Honors, and Anatomy & Physiology. “There’s just a lot of student-teacher interaction within these classes. There are always questions being asked, funny stories being told, and it is an all-around fun learning environment.”

What motivates Tenzin to do his best in school is the support from his family and friends. He mentioned that they all just work very hard and he feels like he owes them a lot. The March Student of the Month specifically named his brother as his role model. “My brother was a Becton graduate, and he was in the top of his class. Living up to the legacy was definitely on my to-do list,” said the Becton senior.

Colleges that the senior is interested in attending are TCNJ, Montclair State University, Ramapo College, and the University of Pittsburgh. After he has completed his studies, he is considering entering the nursing field. “I have a soft spot when it comes to anyone who needs help or care; it’s usually hard for me to say ‘no’. Overall, just researching the occupation sparked my interest.”

At the moment, the biggest academic challenge for Tenzin is the workload. “Some weeks the work will just pile up and overlap. Tests and projects for classes are sometimes due on the same days and balancing extracurriculars with work is difficult. It proves to be challenging, but I am able to work through it.”

Whenever there is a major assessment, Tenzin likes to look over his notes and study guides until he is absolutely sure that he remembers the material. “Only then is it easy to relax that day,” he said.

Valuable advice for his peers is to know your limits and put yourself first. He noted that if a student is comfortable with these two things, then he/she should not have a problem excelling in school.

“For me, I don’t really feel pressured. It’s more of my own self-image. I like doing well in school and being at the top of my class comes as a benefit,” he said.