Whiz Kid Andrew Grasso

Our Whiz Kid this week is Senior Andrew Grasso.

Earlier this month, Grasso was named a 2011 U.S. Presidential Scholar Semifinalists by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars and the U.S. Department of Education.  The finalists will be announced in May and until then, Grasso has a lot to keep him busy.

Grasso is a four year member of Brunswick's Cross Country Team and served as Co-Captain this year.  Grasso is still running from the fall and as a two year member of the Track Team, he is this year's Co-Captain. He is also the Co-Captain of the Math Team, where he has been a four year member, and a member of the Debate Team.

For the past three years, Grasso has been a member of the school's Room to Read Club, an international literacy organization, and is this year's Co-President.  Every Sunday, Grasso as part of the Brunswick Outreach Program, visits in Stamford to provide companionship to the senior residents. In addition to outeach outside of the school, Grasso also served as a Peer Leader at Brunswick in the fall providing a link to the Upper School experience for incoming freshmen.

He also plays guitar and gives guitar lessons and works as a sailing counselor during the summer at .  While Grasso awaits word on his finalist status, he also needs to decide where he will be attending in the fall.  Impressively his choices are Harvard, Princeton or Yale.  Clearly Grasso is already an award winner of young man!

1. Who is your hero?
My hero is my dad. He grew up having to work for his father's landscaping
company and was the first of his family to attend college. Years of hard work and dedication made him the man he is today. And now he does his absolute best to give his children wonderful opportunities that he never had, and for that I am tremendously grateful. He has also given much to his community, especially to our parish, where he serves on the board. He is a testament to the power of hard work, and I am proud to call him my father.

2. If there is one thing you could change about your school what would it be?
Brunswick is a fantastic school, and I count myself lucky to be able to go there. But if I had to change something, it would be the school's coordination with . The two schools, despite sharing classes, have enough differences between them that they often seem to compete with one another. The Brunswick-GA model is a fantastic system, and it is a unique and effective approach to education, but it would be great to see more efforts to encourage a closer relationship between the schools, building towards a greater sense of unity.

3. If you had a day to yourself, what would you do?
I would wake up early and try to get out for a run. It's always tough in the morning, but it's good to get that out of the way. I'd stop for lunch somwhere in Old Greenwich (Alpen Pantry has been my favorite lately) and then call up some friends to go to something outdoors, whether a sail out on the water or a round of golf at Innis Arden. The activity isn't really important; it's being with friends that makes the day fun. The I would catch a train into the city to go see a concert. Of course, it's not a great day unless you come home exhausted.

4. If you could be a character in any novel you've ever read, who would you be and why?
I would be Aeneas, the hero of Vergil's Aeneid. Aeneas is the quintessential Western hero, human and flawed yet unyielding in his character. He is an ordinary man, a real human being, who becomes extraordinary in the face of great adversity. Even in the most trying circumstances, he is mindful of his duty and is a leader for his companions. I can only hope that I would be so courageous and resolute in such trying circumstances.

5. What is your favorite place in Greenwich and why?
My favorite place in Greenwich would have to be . I live less than a mile away, so I find myself down there all the time. Sometimes I think my beach pass is more important to me than my driver's license. In the summer, it's a great place to meet friends on the beach or go out for a sail. But I think I like the Point best in the winter, when I can have the trails to myself for a run through the cold. I like to end my long runs with a loop around the Point; it gives me something to look forward to.

Andrew, just as one can see the New York City skyline from that back loop at Tod's Point, you clearly have a lot to look forward to as well.