Chris Zhou of McDowell High School is 1 of 306 students worldwide to receive a perfect score in the AP Capstone program.

AP courses provide students with college level courses at the high school level, which allows for higher learning in a supportive environment.

According to the college board, the AP capstone is a program that equips students with the independent research, collaborative teamwork, and communication skills that are valued by colleges. 

McDowell's research teacher Rob Hodgson say that the class is unique because the students get an opportunity to choose a topic and present research, unlike the typical lecture and test format. 

"I think that they're taking away a lot of skills that are applicable to them no matter what they go into," said Hodgson. "They're learning how to read peer reviewed research, they're learning how to write research paper, they're learning how to give presentations, analyze data, they're learning how to communicate. All of those skills are vital skills no matter what field you end up going into."

High school Senior Chris Zhou earned a perfect score on his research project, CFD Analysis on the Carotid Artery Bifurcation.

Only 1% of students internationally earn this academic accomplishment.

According to Chris, this class interested him because he felt in charge of his own learning, and he encourages other students to consider the course as well.

 "Even once I'm in college, if I ever want to go into this area, I can talk about the research that I've done, as well as build off of it later on," said Chris Zhou. "I think that this class helped me tremendously."

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