Mind, Heart, and Leadership: A West High Senior’s Journey to MIT and Beyond

West High senior Luan Hoang is making headlines for his extraordinary academic achievements, groundbreaking research, and leadership both inside and outside the classroom.

During the summer before his senior year, Hoang attended the MITES (Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science) program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he conducted advanced research in machine learning for medical imaging. His project compared the performance of various artificial intelligence architectures, including CNNs and vision transformers, in detecting brain tumors from MRI scans. Hoang’s findings revealed that general-purpose AI models outperformed specialized ones, an unexpected result that impressed his mentors and peers alike.

Hoang’s participation earned him an invitation to present his research at an undergraduate research conference, where he was one of the few high school students in attendance.

Following his summer at MIT, Hong was one of only 50 students nationwide selected to attend the Columbia Engineering Preview Fly-In Program in New York City. “It was incredible,” Hoang said. “Being surrounded by so many bright minds was inspiring—and a little humbling. MIT and Columbia both showed me the kind of brilliance I want to be part of.”

Building on his achievements, Hoang was recently accepted into the prestigious QuestBridge National College Match Program, which connects high-achieving students with full-ride scholarships to top universities, valued at up to $400,000. He plans to apply to both MIT and Columbia for potential matches.

Back at Hazelwood West, Hoang continues to make an impact as the senior class president and co-founder of the school’s first American Mathematics Competitions team. Despite his busy schedule, Hoang remains grounded and motivated by his family. “My parents have given me so many opportunities,” he said. “I just don’t want to throw away my shot.”

“We are incredibly proud of Luan,” said Gifted Education Specialist Amanda Finn. “He represents the very best of our students—curious, driven, and compassionate. His future is as bright as his intellect.”

As Hoang awaits college decisions, his sights are firmly set on MIT, the school that first inspired his passion for innovation and research. “MIT has been my dream since I was a kid,” he said. “It’s the place where geniuses are made—and I want to be part of that.”

The Hazelwood School District proudly recognizes Luan Hoang for representing the spirit of innovation and leadership that defines our students. His story inspires a new generation of Wildcats and other students to reach higher and pursue their own paths to greatness.