A math phenom, a celebrated artist, a varsity swimmer and water polo player, a Latin and Greek scholar, a Harvard Book Prize winner—what an amazing group of teens, right? Wrong. That list describes just one of our 2024 Teens to Watch. Andrew Tu, the teen in question (the question being: How on earth?), might feel special for the mention here, but honestly, all of these ten superstars are a multihyphenates of mind-boggling proportions. And not only do they do it all, they do it all with heart.
They build computers from scratch, start robotics clubs for younger kids and help the elderly with tech tasks. They go to Juilliard on weekends, break Guinness Book records and raise tens of thousands of dollars for children in need. They conduct sophisticated scientific research with college professors, publish in scholarly journals and break down barriers in sports.
In short, they give us hope. Read on to be reassured that the future of our community and the planet is in good hands.
ANDREW TU
Brunswick School
Andrew Tu seems to use every cell of his right and left brain and every muscle of his body to full capacity. He is a math phenom, a celebrated artist, a swimmer and water polo player, a Latin and Greek scholar and winner of the Harvard Book Prize. The Brunswick grad (and likely, according to his teachers, one of the school’s “greatest-ever students”) will be a freshman at Princeton this fall. He is sure to excel there, as he has already worked with professors around the globe to research and publish work on game theory.
“If you told my sophomore self that I’d publish my research paper, I wouldn’t have believed it,” says Andrew. That came about through Westchester Math Circle, where Andrew volunteer teaches each Sunday. He impressed the math professor there, who then invited him to work with several professors, including one in Thailand, on a research project in Combinatorial Game Theory. The work was published in an international journal, Discrete Math Letters. Even more impressive: “I solved the main theorem of the paper,” says Andrew.
Andrew qualified for the USA Junior Math Olympiad when he was a sophomore and the American Math Olympiad his senior year. “Those are really proud achievements for me,” says Andrew. “I’ve always found the process of solving problems super fun. It’s like solving a puzzle.” He led the Upper School math team to first place in the Connecticut State Association of Math Leagues competition, outscoring even the larger school divisions.
Moving over to his right brain: In 2021, Andrew won the Silver Key Award in the Connecticut Scholastic Art Awards Program for his “Fight for Survival” mixed media piece. “The effects of Covid were dwindling down. I wanted to capture the human resilience and human spirit that were surprisingly strong during that time,” explains Andrew. He entered the contest and won awards each year since middle school, including a national gold award in eighth grade.
Andrew was also a varsity swimmer and water polo player at Brunswick. “Competitive swimming can feel like a very individual sport; you’re racing the clock,” says Andrew, “but the Brunswick team was unique. We were really close. It was part of our culture to push and motivate each other. At meets, we were always the team cheering the loudest, which created this contagious energy that would spread to other teams.”
Q&A
WHAT IS THE GREATEST CHALLENGE YOU HAVE OVERCOME?
Taking up water polo freshman year. A lot of the kids were incredible athletes. It’s very different from swimming. I remember trying super hard that year. This year, I was voted captain of the swim team. Halfway through the season, I broke my toe. It made it tougher for me to lead; what motivates us is seeing the guy next to you working super hard. It was challenging, but figuring out how to be the best role model I could made me a better leader.
WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR FRESHMAN SELF?
Know what you are good at and pursue your passions but also be willing to try new things. What are your strengths? Show them and show your teachers/coaches/advisors how much you care. This is a time to learn more about yourself. Don’t let fear or social anxiety limit what you try. Talk to people you haven’t talked to before. Be willing to do anything to make yourself better as a whole.
which TEACHER HAD THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON YOU?
Dr. Dobbins, my advisor and math teacher. He was always there when I needed advice, and the guidance he gave me extended beyond what happened at school. With my game theory research, he was really supportive. I knew math was what I wanted to study in college. He has a PhD in applied math and gave me a perspective on what math beyond high school will be like.
WORDS TO LIVE BY?
Have a drive to master whatever you are chasing. Chase down the person you want to be. This has made me a more curious and driven mathematician.