Huntington Senior Brian Romero Challenges Himself

Brian Romero isn’t afraid of hard work. Rather than coast through the year, the Huntington High School senior is enrolled in six Advanced Placement courses as he prepares to study engineering in college and go on to a career that helps make the world a better place.

Mr. Romero has tried to push himself throughout high school. He’s earned solid grades and extensively participated in many co-curricular and extracurricular activities.

“Mr. [Omar] Santiago is my club advisor for robotics and I would like to thank him for really developing my interest in engineering,” Mr. Romero said. “In robotics we’re all making stuff from square one and Mr. Santiago does not hold anyone’s hand; he lets us figure it out on our own with his guidance. Being there has taught me that in the real world there is no answer key or a quizlet set to rely on and as an engineer you have to make your own. You have the tools, all you need is the know-how. I really have to give him thanks not only for the reality check, but for being a fantastic mentor and really believing in his students.”

Mr. Romero already knows where he wants to attend college. “I’m planning on going to Stony Brook if I get the chance because it’s close to home and they have a solid molecular engineering program or Case Western because of their engineering program and also because I have a few friends there,” the teenager said. “As for my major, I want to become a chemical engineer since it combines two things that I love to do; chemistry and creation.”

The senior describes himself as “socially awkward,” but adds that he still “tries to be as friendly as possible.” He does all of that and more.

“For my last year in high school, I really want it to make it count so for extra-curriculars I am the chief technical officer in the robotics club; I am a member of the National, Science and Spanish honor societies; I’m a volunteer in the New World Club’s mentoring program, where I help a teacher mentor ENL (English as a new language) students and show them the basics of English and I also work a part time job in order to financially support myself during college,” Mr. Romero said.

The senior is also planning on participating in New York State School Music Association’s evaluation and performance program “to see how I’ve grown in these past eight years of playing violin,” Mr. Romero said. “And just for fun, I’m taking on a third language; French.”

The teenager tries really hard at whatever he does. “I like doing new things just for fun,” he said. “I’m small, but loud.”

Mr. Romero said that “this year, just like the last, I wanted to push myself beyond my usual comfort,” so he enrolled in six Advanced Placement courses including class in Calculus AB, Micro and Macro Economics, Research, Statistics and Chemistry.

“My favorites, by far, is chemistry and calculus,” Mr. Romero said. “Both offer an incredible challenge yet still manage to be enjoyable. In chemistry, learning the intricacies of how elements around us work and how they can be manipulates is fascinating and in calculus, learning the different formulas for certain equations and seeing math used in a real world scenario is fun to me.”

Striving to be the best version of himself and pack as much into every 24 hour period as possible is part and parcel of who Mr. Romero is. He looks to seize upon every opportunity to expand his mind

“My time in high school has been unforgettable,” Mr. Romero said. “Those first two years might have been tough and with COVID-19 making learning tougher, I still would not change anything. I’ve met so many new people and had experiences that I would never have had. I even picked up a new language just for fun. My experience has been amazing. There isn’t anything that I would trade it for. It was fun and I hope everyone else can say the same.”

Mr. Romero can always be found close to home and Huntington High School. He uses his time wisely and is always looking for personal growth.

“I’m a home-type person so I don’t do much traveling,” Mr. Romero said. “However over the summer, I used that time to fully recharge and get ready for another year. I mainly spent it with friends and family, but I also spent time learning new things. I managed to learn a whole new programming language, C# and learned the basics to video game development and now have an idea for a small project.”

The teenager continues planning for a future that appears to be quite bright. “In ten years, I hope to be the chemical engineer that the 16 year old me wanted to be,” Mr. Romero said. “Helping out on the environmental side, finding new ways to make less waste, less harmful production methods and just being part of the generation that tries to keep the earth alive. I don’t know where I might work, but that’s just part of the fun. I know it’s going to be tough, but I know that with some effort, motivation and a little caffeine, I will be fine with a diploma to boast about.”