Michael Albert Choi
CHOI, YANM WOON, LEE
Posted By: Sarah Fletcher (email)
Date: 5/24/2016 at 11:50:43
Michael Albert Choi, 23, died from complications of depression on May 4th, 2016 in Iowa City Iowa.
A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, May 12th at 2:00 pm at Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service in Iowa City. In lieu of flowers & plants, memorials may be directed to The Michael Choi Memorial MSTP Fund, c/o The U of I Foundation, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa City, Iowa, 52244.
Michael was born on November 24, 1992 in Seattle, Washington to David and Nancy Choi and was the first generation of the Choi family to live in the United States.
When Michael was born, Nancy devoted all of her time and energy to nurture him. She set high standards of achievement for Michael and always praised him when he did well. His parents are so grateful to have Michael as their son; they always told him how intelligent he was and that if he worked hard, he could make a difference and accomplish anything he wanted to in life.
As he grew, Michael did well in public school. He was on the swimming team for seven years and represented Mercer Island Middle School and Interlake High School in many chess tournaments, where many of his trophies are still on display. He was the Chess Club President at his high school and also liked solving puzzles, board games, reading, hiking, tennis and had completed level eight in the British Royal Piano Certification.
Michael was a good traveler, visiting all over the United States and internationally, including a trip to Hong Kong, his parents’ hometown.
At 15 years old, Michael received a one year scholarship with early entrance to the University of Washington. Next, he was granted a three year scholarship through research at the University of Washington Medical Center. Michael worked as a TA for Beginning Chemistry in his third and fourth years. At age 19, he graduated and placed third in his honor program with degrees in Bio-Chemistry, Chemistry and a minor in Math.
After working for one year at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle he was accepted into the PhD and MD program at the University of Iowa. There Michael further excelled. He was part of research team whose article was published in, “Science”, the first time in history for the University of Iowa Chemistry Department. He finished two years of medical school – successfully passed and scored exceptionally well on his Medical Board Exams.
Michael was smart, hard working and humble person - an achiever, a thinker and a doer. He was mature, considerate and worked well with others. He enjoyed tutoring fellow classmates and on the weekends, he donated his talents as a volunteer at the Iowa City Free Medical Clinic.
Michael worked hard and achieved so much in his short 23 years. His parents love him so, so much and are very proud of his accomplishments. He is the best gift they ever had and will cherish all the moments they shared together. He will truly be missed.
Michael is survived by his parents, David and Nancy Choi; his grandparents Ming Yan and Lam Chi Choi and Ching Woon Chan; his uncles, Tony and Milton; his aunts, Ellen and Doreen; his cousins Sabrina, Alvin, Michelle, and Celine. He is also survived by extended family and many friends.
Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service
Johnson Obituaries maintained by Cindy Booth Maher.
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