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.
Luke JAMES
Brunswick School and Fairfield University
It would be easy to call Luke James the quintessential scholar/athlete, but that would mean only telling part of his story. Yes, sports have always loomed large in the 18-year-old’s life but the two-sport varsity athlete learned during his Brunswick School years that leadership happens on and off the field.
Eager for standout turns on the soccer field (where he excels) and in track, Luke suffered illness and injuries that sidelined him again and again. A bout with mono wiped out his senior year soccer season. Then there were the consecutive track seasons where sprained ankles and tendonitis took the team captain out of competition.
The disappointments were consequential for James, a striker who had college soccer aspirations, yet they also motivated him to consider other ways sports could remain part of his goals. At Fairfield University, where he began classes this fall, the honor student plans to study sports business and accounting in the Dolan School of Business.
“My injuries taught me nothing is promised and that sometimes you have to pivot,” he says, adding his academic plans are motivated by passion, along with a dose of healthy pragmatism. “As much as I’m a huge sports person, I also want a skill like accounting.”
James will also bring his enduring commitment to social justice to the Stags’ campus. The alumnus of Stamford’s Waterside School and Reach Prep, the Stamford-based nonprofit program that provides challenging educational experiences and opportunities to motivated students from underserved communities, James emerged as a leader of Brunswick’s Diversity in Action club, representing the school at consecutive national Student Diversity Leadership Conferences in Texas and Missouri.
In the aftermath of the George Floyd murder and national conversations about racial injustice, James realized that speaking to these issues was urgent, even in the relatively cloistered environment of a private school campus. “At a place like Brunswick, where we were a real minority, there’s a lot of things you can do to raise awareness. But the one thing we had to do in terms of leadership was to be willing to put ourselves out there more.”
For example, a conversation on hair and culture that club members held turned into a hot topic that led to more serious and ongoing discussions with students and faculty. Interest in the Diversity in Action initiative grew, and its membership diversified. “One thing I took away from these discussions was that if you haven’t had a set of experiences someone has had as a Black person, you just may not understand,” James says. “I know I will speak to these issues going forward because (advocacy) has become part of who I am.”
POP QUIZ
What advice would you give to your high school freshman self?
“Talk more. I would say put yourself out there a little more. Branching out is a great way to meet people and take advantage of what school has to offer you.”