Even a global pandemic during their late middle school and early high school years couldn’t stop these 10 teens from showing us their capacity for overcoming adversity to excel in the arts, academics, athletics and so much more. Come meet the multi-hyphenates (entrepreneur/rower/debater! scientist/dancer/class president!) who represent the best of Stamford’s next generation. This year’s group of talented young people impressed us by how they made their mark being true to themselves, leaning into their personal interests to shine. If there is a through line that connects them all, it is an authenticity that seems to belie their age. No matter our own stage of life, we all have a lot to learn from and be inspired by their passion and determination. We look forward to watching their stories unfold. This is simply the first act.
See the rest of this year’s Stamford Teens to Watch.
Brody EBRIGHT
St. Luke’s School
When it comes to pursuing his passions, Brody Ebright likes to keep things on the fast track. The 17-year-old St. Luke’s School senior is a competitive runner, rock star Relay for Life fundraiser and has high-octane interest in “anything with four wheels.”
Ebright’s love of vehicles began as a child when on long family car trips he would study the other cars on the road. When we chat, he points to geared-up Lego projects behind him and says, “Nothing’s really changed. Cars have always been my thing.”
Ebright’s early fascination with things that move has only grown more serious in his adolescence. During an eighth-grade physics unit at Scofield Middle School, he realized he had already mastered the vocabulary from his long-running habit of watching YouTubing gear heads work on cars. “I love just watching random videos of people taking engines apart and putting them back together,” he says.
Perhaps it’s no surprise that his St. Luke’s years have been punctuated by deep dives into his favorite subjects, math and science, and making real-life connections to his interests in engine dynamics. Last year, he took on a still-in-progress independent study building a go-kart from scratch.
While the GMC SUV Ebright drives to school is not his dream car (that would be a Porsche 911), he hopes to kick things into high gear when he heads to college, where he intends to study engineering.
When he’s not pondering the inner workings of driving machines, Brody has been honored for his campus leadership through his ongoing commitments to sports and service.
Last year, Ebright and a friend partnered to lead the school’s Relay for Life team to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. They had ambitious plans to raise $17,000 and a commitment to avoid the common approach of asking parents to help meet their goal. By the campaign’s end, the team raised $30,000. “We really had to take things up a notch,” he says. “That idea of working together and pushing as a team, really came from experiences with sports.”
Ebright plays tennis for St. Lukes and is particularly passionate about running for the school’s cross-country team. He began during his Scofield days for fun but stuck with it and became increasingly competitive. When we spoke, he was prepping for Fairfield’s half-marathon. “For me, it’s about getting outside. It clears my head for all the other things I have to do,” he says. Naturally, the guy who needs speed was working on improving his race times.
POP QUIZ
Name something you love about your school.
“I love the tight-knit community at St. Luke’s. Everyone is friends with one another. I know my whole class and it’s a great community. It’s been essential to being happy in school. Everyone bands together for the common good.”