Meet Jacob

November 25, 2018

Meet Jacob, a junior at Phoenix Country Day School (PCDS). Jacob has been attending PCDS since fifth grade. He has a 3.98 grade point average and is already looking ahead to college. Here is Jacob’s story in his own words.

I chose Phoenix Country Day School because I was unhappy at the old school that I was attending. When I went to shadow at PCDS, the classes seemed challenging and weren’t crowded, the people were so welcoming, and all the teachers were motivated and friendly. I knew then that Phoenix Country Day School was a good fit for me. My favorite part about attending my school, is that each teacher has so much freedom when planning their curriculum and they all have such diverse backgrounds. How often, other than when you are in college, do you get to have a teacher who has a PhD in Entomology who is willing to talk to you about their work? These personal connections that I have with my teachers broadens my education and allows for it to be so much more than just work in the classroom. At school, my favorite subject is biology.

My hobbies are doing chemistry and biology experiments at home, collecting snow globes, and reading. I also play the violin, attend a program to learn Japanese, am involved with the Teen Art Council at the Phoenix Art Museum, Pre-Medical Club, Chinese Club, Tutoring Club, and am working on a laboratory research project.

I am very excited to attend college in only two years! I would be delighted to have the opportunity to go to Stanford, as I studied there for a quarter over the summer and had an amazing experience. I am thinking of going into biology, biomedical engineering, or chemical engineering. For my career, I hope to become a hand surgeon.

The Arizona Leadership Foundation has allowed me to pursue my love of science, by enabling me to go to such an amazing school. The connections that I have made with teachers here is a key formative element in my lifelong career path. The work that I am doing in school feels as though it has meaning to me. Without the help of the Arizona Leadership Foundation, I would not be able to be where I am today and would be unable to pursue my goals at the level that I would like to.