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Try Harder! Premiered May 2, 2022. Directed by. Debbie Lum. At San Francisco’s academic pressure cooker Lowell High School, stressed-out seniors chase college dreams. Preview. EXPLORE THE FILM.
Dec 10, 2021 · The documentary follows five high school students as they navigate the notoriously stressful college admissions process at Lowell, a top-tier San Francisco public high school.
- Where Is Sophia Wu Now?
- Where Is Alvan Cai Now?
- Where Is Shealand Fairchild Now?
- Where Is Ian Wang Now?
- Where Is Rachael Schmidt Now?
While Sophia Wu was ruthlessly self-disciplined during her senior year in an attempt to land a spot at nothing short of an Ivy League college, she admits she has since grown a lot. “I had no clue what I was doing, what my goals were, what was driving me, or who I wanted to become, even though I thought I did know,” she recently said. However, as a ...
The best way to describe Alvan Cai — the math whiz son of Taiwanese immigrant “tiger parents” — is endearing owing to his big personality, funny one-liners, and explosive dance moves. He honestly showcased his charm, perseverance, as well as dreams at every step of the way, which is why we’re happy to report he’s on his way to achieving the latter....
Hailing from an economically disadvantageous background, Shealand “Shea” Fairchild was a junior when filming began. He hence wholeheartedly believed he needed “to go to one of the top 20 colleges because otherwise I’m not gonna be doing anything significant.” Thankfully, his resolve eventually paid off. He landed a spot at Stanford, the private res...
If there were only one word we could use to describe Ian Wang, it would be high-achieving. There’s no denying he was driven, but he wasn’t really competitive within the Ivy League race, and yet he still managed to bag a full scholarship ride to Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Not only did he pursue a Bachelor’s in Business Administration Degr...
As someone who has always had an affinity for words/stories, Rachael Schmidt was the editor-in-chief of the Lowell school newspaper before graduating in 2017. However, her rather newfound passion for biology, sparked while attending a high school summer program at Harvard, drove her to pursue science to the best of her capabilities, which is saying...
Mar 20, 2023 · At Lowell High School, the top public high school in San Francisco, the seniors are stressed out. As they prepare for the emotionally draining college application process, students are keenly aware of the intense competition for the few open spots in their dream colleges.
- (501)
- Documentary
- Debbie Lum
- 2023-03-20
For decades, Lowell High School has had a majority Asian American and Pacific Islander student body. Founded in 1856, this iconic San Francisco institution is the oldest public high school west of the Mississippi River, yet had never had a feature movie made about it.
May 2, 2022 · Bay Area filmmaker Debbie Lum’s documentary Try Harder! captures the unnerving pressure facing seniors at San Francisco’s elite Lowell High School, where students need high grades and...
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In a world where cool kids are nerds, seniors at Lowell High share the dream–and the stress– of getting into a top university. In theaters December 3rd!
