About Sharon

By Spring Sun

On August 2, 1989, a beautiful baby girl was born in a hospital in Shanghai, China. With a loud wail, Sharon Xi Lun Cao opened her pure dark orbs and observed her surroundings with curiosity. “Eyes are the windows to the soul,” and Sharon’s eyes were so large and beautiful that there was no doubt her soul was just was beautiful and perfect. From birth, Sharon already proved to be extraordinary – carefully wondering at the new world instead of crying and sleeping.

Sharon grew up in a loving family, cared for by her father, Yuming, her mother, Meihua, and 9-year-old sister, Susan. It’s no wonder she matured to such a perfect young lady. She carried herself in a special way that her jovial spirit was passed on to everyone around her.

From a young age, Sharon excelled at everything she did. When she was small, she stayed with her grandparents, listening to them tell stories, learning Chinese characters, and reading small books. By the age of 2, Sharon had already been able to recognize 200 Chinese characters and by the age of 5, she had already mastered 3-digit multiplication.

At the age of 3, Sharon, her father, and her mother moved from Shanghai to Corvallis, Oregon. In 1994, she attended kindergarten at her first school, Garfield Elementary. In April of 1995, their family moved to Fremont, California where Sharon finished Kindergarten and went on to first and second grade at Durham Elementary. In first grade, Sharon was selected as Student of the Month the very first month of school. She continued to shine as she was voted VIP in both first and second grade, an honor to only one student in each class. In second grade, Sharon also passed the GATE test, proving to the world that she was indeed very gifted.

In September of 1997, the Cao family moved once again to Pleasanton, California where Sharon finished both elementary (Fairlands) and middle school (Hart). In third grade, Sharon left a lasting impression on her teacher, Mrs. Boster, who, 7 years later, still can’t forget such a wonderful student. In fact, Sharon’s favorite dinnertime question to ask her sister was “What? Mrs. Boster called you Sharon again today?”

After middle school, Sharon went on to Foothill High School where she left a lasting impression on all those who knew her. Not only did she hold excellent grades, Sharon was also loved by all her teachers and peers. She was the treasurer of Badminton Club, Public Relations Officer of Interact, and Future Opinions Editor of the school newspaper. Sharon was successful in so many ways: academically, socially, and to the community.

In her spare time, Sharon loved to read, and it was with reading that sparked her love for Harry Potter. She would count down the days until the new Harry Potter movie or book came out. Sharon also loved music and art. Although she would always modestly say that she wasn’t that great at playing piano, or that her voice wasn’t that great, once she showed her talents, it was hard to deny that she wasn’t.

At times, she would be serious and hardworking, while other times, she would just let loose and live life to the fullest. Sharon would always speak of others who were successful at one part of life, yet she never knew that she was successful in so much more. She touched the lives of so many friends and inspired in others a motivation to carry on her legacy, to carry on her promise, to carry on the torch she left behind.

Sadly, Sharon’s time on Earth did not last long. Only a few weeks before her Sweet Sixteen, Sharon Cao passed away peacefully in her sleep. Sunday, June 12, 2005, was possibly, the most difficult time in the lives of her family and friends as they were forced to say farewell to such an important part of their lives. Life after her passing will be hard, but it is for her unfinished future that we must strive, for now there is another shinning star in the sky twinkling down upon us.

Although we say goodbye, it is not forever, for there will be one day when we can meet once again.