Isaiah (Moral Philosophy, Political Science, and Economics, Swarthmore College)

Isaiah, according to one of his teachers at Brooklyn Technical High School, "has an extraordinary ability to overcome obstacles." Despite great challenges in his life, including the death of his mother at a young age, Isaiah's high school record at Brooklyn Technical is outstanding.

He took in six AP courses, established Brooklyn Tech's first blood drive, edited the yearbook and worked in Tech's technology department. He majored in the Gateway to Medicine program, with college-level courses in biology, chemistry, physics, psychology and neuroscience. His grades, said one teacher, are "at the mastery level."

Next for Isaiah is Swarthmore College with a goal of combining medicine and government service. His real passion, though is political science. When talking about the current year in presidential politics, he says, "This is like candy."

Isaiah's Spanish teacher at Brooklyn Technical High School is Angelica Vazquez. Angelica's teaching helped Isaiah to kindle a passion for the language, which made her a teacher who made a difference in his life.