Cayden Chen

Curriculum Vitae

As a motivated high school student, I have gained valuable professional experience in finance, engineering, and law while also pursuing my passions in photography, aerospace engineering, and participating in Lincoln-Douglas debates. Through photography, I have honed my ability to tell stories and capture emotions, skills that seamlessly translate into persuasive communication during debates. Alongside my interest in aerospace engineering, my experience as a pilot has provided me with a unique perspective and a deeper understanding of the technical aspects involved. These diverse experiences and my critical thinking and research skills developed through debates allow me to approach problems from multiple angles and effectively communicate my ideas. Furthermore, my leadership abilities have been cultivated through various endeavors, enabling me to guide and inspire others toward achieving shared goals. With a genuine passion for continuous learning, I aim to contribute meaningfully in various endeavors, utilizing my well-rounded skill set and strong leadership acumen to make a positive and lasting impact.

Education

Rice University

Expected June 2028

The Delphian School

Expected June 2024

Academic Statistics

GPA: 3.98 (Unweighted)


SAT: 1570 (790 EVBRW, 780 Math)


Advanced Placement: Macroeconomics (5), Microeconomics (5), Physics 1 Algebra Based (4), US Government and Politics (5), Comparative Government (5)


Clubs and Organizations

Speech and Debate (Captain)

Student Council (President)

McMinnville HS Varsity Golf

Chess Club

The University of Pennsylvania
September-October 2023
The Philosophy of Science. Delivered by Michael Weisberg, Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania.

Columbia University

July-August 2021

The Future of the Space Economy, delivered by George Pullen and Samson Williams. Our team's project was voted "best in class" by 40 people for a space asset insurance business model.

Professional Experience

Engineering, Legal Intern

Trellis Legal Research

August 2023

Conducted in depth market analysis on AI driven legal research instruments; compiled detailed report for presentation to the CEO and executive marketing team.


Conducted QA research on automated data logging in the platform’s Law Firm Intelligence product; ensuring accuracy in reports.


Managed data validation and entry into backend sales databases; verified accuracy and accessibility of sales information.

Venture, Private Equity Intern

UP.Partners

July-August 2023

Engineered complex financial models forecasting revenue and profit of the Santa Monica Airport following major redevelopment under direct report to the fund’s managing partner.


Designed and delivered comprehensive pitch decks for The City of Santa Monica, NBAA, AOPA, EAA and other aviation trade groups.


Developed detailed, bid-based financial models to budget a large scale event in all aspects; liaise with executives from numerous associated/involved organizations to deliver accurate results.


Constructed detailed business models for revolutionary technology in the commercial flight training field; modeled various runways and scenarios to find ideal avenues to implementation.

Education Intern

Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum

March-May 2023

Redeveloped summer curriculum; worked with the director of education to modernize and streamline 100+ pages of grades 3-8 curriculum on space and aviation.


Planned and conducted special research projects in Vietnam and Korean War era aircraft, resulting in development of new exhibits.


First authored a published article, “The “Lead Sled” | The F-4 Phantom II, A “triumph of thrust over aerodynamics,” for the museum.

Engineering Intern
Age of Learning
December 2022
Worked on front-end game development (Unity and Flutter), back-end web services (PHP and MySQL), and 3D art (Blender and Sketchup).

Spent time learning engineering processes, team workflow, and curriculum design in scrum environments.

Tested prototypes and standard products and wrote reports to document results.

Worked closely with engineers and assisted with the testing of online educational products.

Fundraising Director

Delphian School Telethon

November 2022- January 2023

Developed impactful fundraising strategies to maximize donations and meet fundraising goals including a multi-party donation matching program to boost overall money generated.


Coordinated two-hour livestream and graphically designed print and digital promotions; reached 2,000+ people.


Raised the highest-ever amount ($80,000+) with the smallest team in history (two).

Legal Intern
Yamhill County District Attorney's Office
November 2022
Developed strategies for court proceedings and negotiations by researching statutes, decisions, legal articles, and codes.

Attended multiple court hearings per day to take notes and document proceedings for review.

Gained experience by interacting with Yamhill County District Attorneys, judges and jail deputies during processing, booking, arraignment, trial and sentencing.

Summer Intern, Residential Advisor

Delphian School

June-August 2022

Assisted 28 young students (8-11) with transitioning into new living environments and maintained strong relationships with campers.


Developed and enforced safety policies and procedures to drive safety and well-being of students.


Directed promotional photography and videography over the course of 3 months.


Planned and led recreational trips with 100+ students involved.

Student Leadership

Captain, Coach and Founder

Delphian Speech and Debate Team

August 2021-Present

Founded and coached for all three years, grew from one member to ten, and helped eight students earn sixteen OSAA State Championship qualifications with several top 10 finishes.


Created personalized lesson plans to meet the needs of diverse team members in 10+ different events.


Ranked first statewide, top one hundred nationally, in Lincoln-Douglas Debate, statewide runner-up across all divisions at the 2023 OSAA State Championship.


Led team to fifth place statewide in 2023 as the smallest team in a field of 100+ schools.

President
Delphian School Student Council
March 2023-present
Manage the student council in coordination with the Vice President and a team of 10 officers, each with 2-10 direct reports.

Oversee residential life, student activities, community relations, promotions, and financial divisions, receiving daily briefs on the state of affairs of Student Council.

Hold multiple weekly meetings with staff, student council members and officer council to ensure forward progress and production.

Implemented a scrum environment operating in sprints, generating more profit sprint over sprint and increasing efficiency.

Student Service Officer

Delphian School Student Council

March 2022-March 2023

"[The Student Service Program] is designed to give experience working at all kinds of jobs as a part of a group... This program teaches lessons in hard work, gives a student the experience of having a job or position of responsibility.”


Managed a team of 70+ students through 10+ managers and team leaders.


Collaborated with parents, school faculty, and students to address problems and grow student success.


Encouraged and trained younger students to take on positions of increasing responsibility as team leaders.

A/V Manager
Delphian School Student Council
November 2021-March 2022
Performed sound quality checks and mixing to maintain and run sound systems in 4 venues with up to 300+ seats for productions of 2+ hours.

Set up and tested equipment prior to events, broadcasts, and recordings; managed lighting and sound during 10+ different live productions per term.

Performed detailed maintenance of lighting equipment, including custom fabrication, soldering, and thermal analysis, ensuring safe operations.

Student Life Photographer

Delphian School Student Council

October 2021-February 2022

Worked as a photojournalist capturing sports, portraits and general photos of the student body.


Edited, toned, captioned, and uploaded over 10,000 photographs for publication.


Managed a team of up to 3 photographers for special projects.


Trained three new photographers in the use of camera equipment and editing software.

Academic Awards
  • The Oregon Federal Bar Association
    Ancer L. Hagerty Scholarship (advised by Simon Whang, J.D.)
  • National Speech and Debate Association
    Academic All-American
  • The Delphian School
    Dean's List
    Outstanding Physics
Talk to me:
cayden@caydenchen.com