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Christopher Bertucci

Biography

Christopher Bertucci says competitive sports taught him respect for others but also honed his work ethic. When practice was tough, he said he found that the only way to get better was to push himself to the limit.

He has pushed himself the same way in academics, taking advanced placement courses in calculus, English, history, chemistry, physics, and fourth-year Spanish. He wanted to take government and economics as well but couldn’t fit them in. He didn’t forget that interest, however, and last summer took those subjects too – at the college level. “That kind of motivation and initiative are typical of Chris,” says Mary Lathrop, coordinator of his high school’s gifted and talented program. “He takes courses simply because he enjoys the academic challenge and process of learning, regardless of the grade that he earns.”

Chris also challenges himself through volunteer work. He thought he had pretty good leadership skills, for instance, until he coached a peewee soccer team. Then he realized he needed something more, “that I needed to become much more patient and mature” and “to be very organized in order to deal with this new responsibility.” That insight doesn’t surprise Ms. Lathrop, who says Chris “has shown great motivation to succeed and unsurpassed self-discipline when compared to peers his age.”

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