MIDWEST TALENT ACADEMIC SEARCH

Another Fil-Am Daughter Shines In US

When it comes to music and academic talent, the sons and daughters of Filipino-American couple now living in the United States are always in the driver seat.
This was proven once again when an 11-year-old daughter of an Ilonggo couple from North Aurora Hills, Illinois, was recently admitted to the Midwest Academic Talent Search (MATS), a program at Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development based in Chicago, Illinois.
Francheska “Cheska” May Quinon-Viejon, a straight A 5th grade at Schnieder Elementary School in a Chicago western suburb, will now have a good chance of getting into Ivy League schools following her admission to the MATS.
Francheska, joining Herget Middle School in fall of 2008, also in advance math classes in the last three years and excels in arts and music.
The MATS invites gifted children in math, science and reading from Kindergarten up to 8th grade to participate in a variety of enrichment programs such as advance classes, seminars, field trips, battery of assessment tests and community development work in preparation for college.
Cheska was also invited in many advance classes for gifted children in Aurora University, Aurora, Illinois. Her parents, Enrique “Rex” Viejon, an employee of United Airlines, and Ailene Quinon-Viejon, a registered nurse, both graduated from Saint Paul University in Iloilo City and are now residents of North Aurora, Illinois.
In 2007, Cheska topped her school’s Math Bowl competition and notched 3rd place in the school’s division level besting over 80 math aspirants. She was recognized by the School District Board for her performance in this yearly tilt.
Aside from regular school, Cheska is a math and reading student at Kumon where she is a consistent North American honor roll in both subject areas. Kumon offers repetitive problems in basic calculation up to difficult algebra and fraction problems. She is poised to be one of the youngest students to finish the program.
Her other interests are reading novels, writing short stories, singing and some computer games. /MP