Q. In what grade are you currently enrolled?

A. I am in 12th grade at Emmaus High School.

Q. Please provide the first names of your family members: parents, siblings and pets.

A. My father Angel, my mother Christine, my brother Zaiden and my sister Ziana.

Q. What is your favorite subject? Why?

A. Has been and always will be science. Compared to the courses in every other subject, science courses give me a deeper understanding of the world around me every day. Whether it’s my biology course making me think of capillary action when I see a tree with big roots, my physics course teaching me how a circuit breaker works or my computer science courses teaching me everything I’ve wondered about digital electronics, science gathers my interest and fuels my mind like no other.

Q. Have you received any special awards or recognition?

A. Tenth Grade Academic Achievement Award, 11th Grade Academic Achievement Award, Varsity Letters for 10th, 11th and 12th grade track and field seasons.

Q. Are you involved in any extracurricular activities? How has COVID-19 impacted these activities?

A. I’m a sprinter for the EHS track and field team and I saw great improvement in my first season. I ran a 70 second 400-meter dash during tryouts and dropped nine seconds by my last junior varsity meet freshman season. I was surprised by and proud of my improvement, eager to be one of the top 400-meter runners next season. I signed up for winter track club and got extra experience and training under my belt for the regular season. I ran my first sub-minute 400-meter dash in January of 2020. Later in March I ran a 57 second 400-meter dash at tryouts, 13 seconds faster than myself a year before then. Soon, March 13, 2020 came around and Gov. Tom Wolf called for a two week quarantine for the state. It was disappointing, but I was determined to train during my time away from school and the track. As we all know, two weeks turned into a month, two months, the rest of the school year, the rest of the year, etc. COVID-19 essentially deleted my sophomore season, made a confusing mess of my junior season and has still not fully subsided even today. I still saw steady improvement in my last two seasons, achieving a 24.4 second 200-meter dash against Whitehall and a 53.4 second 4x400-meter split at the Dallastown Invitational, with our 4x400-meter winning gold. I believe without COVID-19 I would’ve seen greater improvement, but that can be said for everyone and I wouldn’t change anything considering what I have today.

Q. What do you consider your biggest challenge to date?

A. There are smaller challenges like being subbed into a 4x400-meter relay in a dual meet 10 minutes before it happens or spending three hours coding a program three days in a row and still not getting it to work. Although these challenges were difficult to overcome, they do not compare to balancing my academic, athletic and family and friend responsibilities. I continue to challenge myself with balancing the different facets of my life because it keeps me focused and gives me a deeper sense of purpose than anything else.

Q. What is your next goal after high school?

A. I am committed to Lehigh University, majoring in computer engineering. My academic career has always been my number one priority. My goal is to work as hard as I can during my years at Lehigh to augment and guide myself toward a successful career. I plan on applying for numerous internships and seeking research opportunities to build connections and experiences outside of the classroom.

Q. Whom do you admire? Why?

A. Someone I’m inspired by and who’s story motivates me to be the best I can is an American sprinter named Trayvon Bromell. Bromell is an extremely decorated sprinter, winning the NCAA Championship in the Men’s 100-meter dash in 2014 as a college freshman, being the first junior athlete ever to break the 10 second barrier with a time of 9.97 seconds. He continued to dominate the track, winning gold in the Men’s 60-meter dash at the 2016 World Indoor Championships. Later that year he suffered a mild Achilles injury, but continued to run in the Men’s 100-meter dash Olympic Final, where he got dead last. People speculated about the cause of his shortcoming, running more than 0.2 seconds slower than his 2016 season’s best time. Was it his Achilles or just a bad day? Either way, he had a Men’s 4x100-meter Olympic Final Relay to focus on, where he was the anchor for the United States. He barely edged out Andre De Grasse of Canada to seemingly clutch the United States a silver medal. He ran so hard he took a great tumble after the finish line, severely rupturing his Achilles. After review, the United States’s first handoff was outside of the exchange zone. Bromell’s team was disqualified before he even had the baton. Bromell gave it his all, injuring himself in the process, for nothing. Bromell worked hard over the next five off seasons to return to the track and surpass his pre-injury form. Overcoming a ruptured Achilles and making a full-fledged comeback is unheard of in the sprinter realm. After struggling for seasons on end to return to sub-10 second form, Bromell ran a 9.76 second 100-meter dash in September of 2021, making him the sixth fastest man in the history of the event. With that time, he is the fastest man in the world this season. Bromell’s pure determination, grit and unwillingness to quit are characteristics I admire deeply. He is a great role model and example to everyone, not just athletes, that there is no good reason to give up in this game called life.

Q. For what would you like to be remembered?

A. I want to be remembered as someone who invoked positivity from those who knew me. Someone who made sure to gather and understand all perspectives before speaking his mind. An intelligent individual who tried his best to be his best and inspired others to do the same. Someone who led by example and guided through actions, who didn’t let emotion cloud his judgment. A regret-less and doubtless soul when everything is said and done.

Q. Do you have any advice for your peers?

A. I personally struggle with my time management. I get distracted and unmotivated, which leads to procrastination and furthering myself from the best version of me. If you can relate, take time to question yourself. What are you doing at this moment? Is your current action supplemental to who you want to be? Taking a step back and seeing yourself from the third person is crucial to self-discipline. It’s a lot easier to get back on the right track when you’re outside earshot of your mind’s excuses.