Every morning, they brace themselves for the sound of the school bell.

The moment it rings, an overwhelming silence falls. In the midst of the breeze slipping through an open window, an unmistakable voice pierces the air.

“Stand up!”

As if the two words have been hammered deep into their minds, they instantly obey the class leader’s command and motion to salute as a sign of respect.

“Good morning, teacher,” they say in unison.

While everyone was united under Chinese culture, one student virtually spoke a new language when discussing his uncommon passion for computer science.

Sophomore Dongyang Zhang left China in 8th grade, when his mother received a new job opportunity in America. For Zhang, the hardest part about adjusting to America was learning how students interact with teachers.

“In America, some students are not that respectful to teachers,” Zhang said. “Chinese teachers are very professional, restrained and they always stand. They’re always holding a ruler and sometimes can’t just sit. American teachers are really relaxed.”

There was also a drastic difference in how Zhang’s teachers reacted to his interest in computer science. While Chinese teachers cannot fathom his fascination with such an uncommon field, American teachers raise no questions.

“Once, I wanted to go to the computer science club, and our teacher prohibited me and my classmates from going to that club,” Zhang said. “She called it a waste of time and said, ‘You have a monthly test next week, you should spend your time studying the major subjects. Why do you want to go to the computer science club?’”

In China, Zhang’s middle school only offered a computer science course to seventh graders. Computer science is not tested in Zhongkao, China’s high school entrance exam, or Gaokao, China’s college entrance exam.

“Initially, many people held a passion for computer science, but it kind of faded away because of the pressure of Zhongkao and Gaokao,” Zhang said. “In China, being part of a minority who loves computer science can have social pressure. In America, I don’t have that kind of social pressure because there are more people who like computer science.”

Zhang’s passion for computer science has always been very constant, and he hopes to major in it in college. One of his motives for being in this field of study is to combine math and computer science together.

“Solving the exact analytic value for every complex equation is very difficult,” Zhang said. “Computing methods can help us approximate their values, but such approximating methods can be very hard by hand. With computers, we can make computing algorithms that can help us quickly get those values. It’s a very convenient way to help me simplify my understanding of the world of math equations.”

Zhang has been a member of the school’s Computer Science Club since freshman year. He believes that the field connects people and brings their thoughts together.

“I frequently join that club because it’s good to be with guys passionate about computer science,” Zhang said. “It’s been good to talk with them, and I’ve learned something from them.”

Club sponsor and computer science teacher Jose Trejo taught Zhang in HADV Computer Science 1 during his freshman year. According to Trejo, Zhang is “very impressive.”

“Dongyang was that kid that wanted to do additional assignments all the time,” Trejo said. “He always finished early and wanted to go to the next section while everyone else was still working, struggling to catch up. He also impressed me because he knew calculus at a very young age. Even then, he was still trying to master concepts that are outside of high school, like statistics. There is a statistics class here, but it doesn’t go up to what he was doing.”

Trejo, who observed Zhang’s character development over the last year, said that Zhang is a “natural leader.”

“Dongyang’s a motivator and idea generator,” Trejo said. “He doesn’t just sit there quietly. He puts his input too. [One time] he was working with this other student and they were making Block Blast. That was the only time he did stay quiet, because that game is challenging to make. The kid already knew more than I did.”

Thanks to Trejo, Zhang was able to grow and further explore the field of computer science.

“Mr. Trejo has given me much freedom,” Zhang said. “He encouraged me and my other classmates to solve one question with multiple algorithms, helping diversify our thinking. He also encouraged me to cooperate with others, because cooperation is one of the key ways to succeed.”

Sophomore Lucas Nanny became friends with Zhang during freshman year, through a project for the school’s QuERY program. In QuERY, students are taught quantum physics by undergraduate students from Harvard and MIT.

“Ever since I’ve known Dongyang, the guy was just very fervent in that he wanted to do computer science,” Nanny said. “In a good way, you could compare him to a rabid rabbit when he’s pursuing computer science.”

This year, the two friends still bond with each other through the Computer Science Club. They also share the same AP Computer Science Principles class, where they collaborated on a project to create a gradebook website.

“Dongyang’s very enthusiastic and full of energy, especially for things he’s very passionate about,” Nanny said. “He has a winner’s drive, and I feel like that’s something pretty admirable. If he enjoys something, he’s gonna pursue it.”

Zhang believes that the language of coding is something everyone can learn.

“The programming language is more about algorithms,” Zhang said. “Algorithms are solutions to problems and are based on logic, which I believe everyone has. Even if you’re uneducated, you still have that kind of logic. That’s why I think it’s a universal language.”

In fact, Zhang learned a new programming language, Java, at a summer camp hosted by Rice University. While he already knew of codes like Python, he was unfamiliar with Java.

“I found it very interesting to learn yet another language,” Zhang said. “It’s like how using Chinese and English can both convey the same message, but learning them can help you communicate in different ways. With computer science, some questions are easier to solve using Java, and some are easier to solve using Python.”

Zhang helped Nanny notice the difference between American and Chinese ideologies, and how it affects approaches to computer science. While American philosophy is more straightforward, Chinese philosophy uses precedents from the past.

“Dongyang thinks in a different way than what most conventional people who are born in the U.S. would think,” Nanny said. “He thinks in a way that generates new, fresh ideas efficiently and effectively.”