Jesuit High School: Tribune scholars profiles and essays

More than 200 of Hillsborough County’s top high school seniors from 35 public and private schools accepted an invitation to share their accomplishments and take part in an essay contest through the 2021 R.F. “Red” Pittman Tribune Scholars program. Their profiles and essays are published here, just as the students submitted them. To search all schools, click here.

Diego Maldonado-Puebla

School Activities and Accomplishments:

1. Highest possible GPA among seniors at Jesuit High School.

2. President of NHS senior year.

3. Total of 314 service hours across my four years doing service projects around Tampa and a mission trip in Colombia.

4. President of Mu Alpha Theta (Math Honor Society) senior year.

5. On varsity tennis and lettered all four years and team captain senior year.

6. Treasurer of La Gente (Spanish Club) and member for all four years.

College or other post-high school plans:

Biomedical engineering, University of Florida

Essay:

In all honestly, based on the structure of the United States and the function of our government and the use of federalism, we effectively cannot stem the spread of COVID-19, and what we are doing right now is probably the best plan of action we have.

What we need is for all the states in America to be on the same page and for people to follow strict rules about quarantining and vaccination; there is a reason countries like China with an extremely strong central government has been able to initiate nation-wide quarantines and stem the spread there. However, in the most beautifully ironic way, America’s focus on freedom and democracy has actually caused trouble for our country in this day and hinders our attempts to stem the spread of COVID-19.

What we need is a uniform treatment on the country whether through nation-wide quarantine or nation-wide mask mandates, but asking for something as widespread as that in our country is just unrealistic. COVID-19 has brought out and exposed some of the faults in all the systems of government around the world, and the slow functioning but fair government of America does not shine in this fast-paced context of saving lives and preventing deaths from a virus.

Given our situation though, in my opinion, the most important way to stem COVID-19 is to spread knowledge about the vaccine in schools and get as many people vaccinated as possible and not let people shy away from the shot.