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.
GAVIN HAROCHE
Greenwich Country Day School
Gavin Haroche is an exceptional blend of brains and heart. He founded a charity group, Whiz Kids, which helps the elderly with tech needs. He also founded the first-ever Robotics Club at Greenwich Country Day School and builds things like computers and robotic hands. He is the chairman of the Junior Board at Parsonage Cottage. Not to leave out brawn, he also was on the varsity rowing team and has a black belt in taekwondo.
Gavin was inspired to create Whiz Kids (joinwhizkids.com) after seeing how much of an impact he had on his grandparents when he taught them how to text their grandkids, how to use Amazon, and other tech skills. “I love my grandparents. I’ve always been good at helping them,” he says, “but I really realized my connection with the elderly when I was talking with seniors over Zoom during the Covid crisis when I was in eighth grade. That was a program set up by Brunswick, my middle school, to talk with seniors every Friday and help with the loneliness. That’s what really kicked it off for me. I sympathize with them. I understand when they feel overwhelmed and anxious.”
In the past year, Gavin has grown the program to include three schools: GCDS, Greenwich High School and Greenwich Academy. “I hope to expand it to other schools in Greenwich, then out of town and then nationally,” he says.
Gavin considers the Parsonage Cottage, the senior center where Whiz Kids was launched, like a “home away from home. I’ve formed a connection with many elders there,” he says. “As chairman of the Junior Advisory Board, I help with the annual fundraiser event, getting sponsors and traction.” Gavin is also a member of MIT AgeLab, OMEGA, an initiative designed to foster multigenerational connections.
Robotics is a huge passion for Gavin. In an independent research project with another students at GCDS, he spent half a year developing an AI-driven, robotic hand- programmed to grab specific items. He was inspired by all the “biomechanical humanoid robots around now, like Tesla is creating their own, and Boston Dynamics just released theirs.” He thinks the hand works well, but now that he has learned so much from the process, over the summer he plans to rebuild it and create an improved model.
Gavin is also a member of GCDS’s chapter of the American Computer Science League, has taken summer engineering courses at NYU and U-Penn, and builds high speed computers from scratch.
Q&A
WHAT IS THE GREATEST CHALLENGE YOU HAVE OVERCOME?
My summer camp at Outward Bound in 2021. It was a nature camp focused on hiking. It wasn’t a camp with cabins. We were never inside for two months. We hiked up to ten miles a day in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with two weeks straight of rain. Hiking in torrential rain wasn’t the challenge though; it was managing the group. I kind of self-adopted the role of team leader. No one was really stepping up, and we had to get to the next camp. We had 60-pound backpacks. Some of the kids didn’t want to be there in the first place, so I really had to motivate exhausted teens. I was also exhausted, but I relied on positive energy. I learned a lot about myself and how to lead.
WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR FRESHMAN SELF?
Keep working hard and never doubt yourself.
which TEACHER HAD THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON YOU?
The teacher who stands out is Mr. Carr. He is my homeroom advisor and my teacher for physics and a bunch of other programs I’ve taken. He’s also sort of my robotics mentor. He guides me through projects and I consult with him about science. He’s the most influential teacher I’ve ever had. I didn’t even know I was going to do robotics when I met him over three years ago. Being in his advisory, he introduced me to the STEM world.
WORDS TO LIVE BY?
Hard work and determination always beat pure talent.