First-Ever “Gen Z Rising Star” Awards Honors Spring, TX Student

SPRING, TX -- Adapting to all of 2020’s curveballs has been stressful for high school and college students alike, but we have also seen a wave of students emerge who are not only interested in tackling educational challenges but also stepping up to make learning environments more collaborative, accepting, and productive for their peers.

Fiveable, a social learning company that supports more than 1.5M students across the country, is recognizing the incredible achievements of these young adults -- those who are bringing about positive changes in education. The company unveiled their first-ever “Fiveable Gen Z Rising Star” awards, and one student is Brandon Wu, an 18-year-old college freshman at Georgetown University who lives in Spring, Texas.

What are Brandon’s hopes for the future of education?

“I hope that the quality of a student’s education becomes completely independent of their zip code and socioeconomic status. In both developed and developing countries, there seem to be multiple tiers of education, in which students who live in areas with higher property values or pay for their K-12 education obtain better outcomes. This inequality needs to change, and I'm hopeful that policymakers and those in education will continue to make progress towards leveling the education playing field.”

What does the Fiveable team have to say about Brandon?

“Brandon uses his voice so thoughtfully and strategically to help others. He truly knows how to rally young people together to reach a communal goal- whether that's getting out the vote or simply coming to AP Lang office hours. I'm so excited to see what the future has in store for Brandon!”

“Brandon Wu does it all! I'm not sure how he sleeps, but I'm so glad he's here.”


The award was developed by the company’s leadership team to highlight 10 students who exemplify these five qualities:

Super impressive: Consistently shocks and awes us with their ideas and work, exemplifies leadership qualities, and takes initiative with new projects

Passionate: Oozes with excitement for anything they are working on

Critical thinker: Doesn't accept the status quo. Embodies a sense of curiosity and intrigue in tackling challenges within the education system

Love for learning: Always trying to gobble up new things

Fights for others: Works to make things more inclusive and accessible