Every
year, the weekend before Thanksgiving, MIT invites 7th –
12th graders to spend the weekend and learn everything
from origami to video game design to lambda calculus. It’s called
the SPLASH program...like “jump in, the water is fine”.
Santiago Perez, a senior at Island Trees High School, found it on
the web during his freshman year and attended. That weekend he
discovered the world of cool. During that weekend he purchased a
hooded sweatshirt with an MIT LOGO. He did not put it on; instead he
put it in the back of his closet. That act symbolized the beginning
of his daring dream; he committed to take the elevator to cool...to
be accepted to MIT.
As a
member of an immigrant family, Santiago’s elementary education was
interrupted, resulting in nondescript grades and placement in lower
level classes.
During
the three years that followed SPLASH, Santiago transformed himself
by self-study, taking on massive academic challenges that amazed the
teachers who knew him. Highlights of his elevator ride include
self-study of Math B in order to leapfrog to pre-calculus, learning
French 1&2 on his own to leapfrog to French 3, becoming a proficient
computer programmer, and developing a significant expertise in
robotics.
He
elevated himself, transitioning to advanced classes and excelling in
each of them. After school, he passionately devoted himself to the
science of robotics, spending countless hours learning and building
his capabilities.
At the
end of his junior year, he was accepted to MIT’s MITES program, a
summer academic boot camp designed to be the ultimate challenge to
the best of the best high school students in the United States. Even
in this rarified atmosphere, he excelled due to intense preparation
and study.
On
December 16th, 2009 Santiago’s elevator to cool arrived
at the top floor when he received early acceptance at MIT. The next
morning, for the first time, he put on the MIT sweatshirt which he
had bought 3 years earlier and wore it to school.
VERY
COOL INDEED!!!
(Dr. A.
R. Sass, a physics and robotics teacher at Island Trees authored
this article. He is an MIT graduate and is proud to have worked with
Santiago for the last 3 years.)
Dr. Sass, Physics and Robotics Teacher
Nick Grande, Principal, Island Trees High School
