Jean Vega

“My dad taught me that if you don’t try harder, you won’t be able to prove to yourself that you can do it.”

In his sophomore year, Jean Vega made the decision to refocus his efforts on schoolwork and extracurriculars. Jean’s father and aunt were the inspiration and motivation for the critical decision and for the incredible change that he made. Jean saw a rise in his grades, and he ultimately graduated fourth in his class at Hartford Public High School. He also became an active member of his school’s community when he joined the soccer, mathletics and robotics teams. Jean’s robotics team went to the national championship in 2016, and he describes this group as more of a family than a team. This experience was very important to his academic growth as well. At first, Jean had to work tirelessly to learn about robotics. Given his passion for and progression in his study of this subject, he wants to serve as a mentor to the group. Next year Jean will be attending the University of Connecticut to study mechanical engineering.