Diego Gonzalez-Lizardi Presidential Scholar 2018
We are extremely proud to announce that Diego Gonzalez-Lizardi has been selected as one of the two recipients from Puerto Rico of the US Presidential Scholars Award. This is the fifth year in a row (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018) that a student from SJS receives this great honor.
The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars selects scholars annually based on their academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, leadership and demonstrated commitment to high ideals. The 2018 U.S. Presidential Scholars are comprised of one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
According to Diego, "his love for academics led him to compete at the national and international levels in math, chemistry, computer science, and physics, where he earned a bronze medal in Uruguay. Diego also does his best to challenge himself in the classroom and be an active part of the school community. His challenging course load and impressive academic performance has led him to earn the award of AP National Scholar and maintain the distinction of being on the High Honor Roll.
Being an active part of the school community is also very important to Diego. At school, Diego loves to spend time debating (preaching) about Star Wars with his friends and teachers. He spends extensive time with the robotics team, who are the closest people he has to brothers considering he’s an only child. As Secretary of the National Honor Society he has helped raise money for the scholarship fund, has provided a student run tutoring service, and has assisted in relief efforts for Hurricane Maria.
One of his great passions is the intersection between business and technology. This led Diego to create the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Club where he started a speaker series which hosts a combination of entrepreneurs and engineers across the island. The goal is to provide students a firsthand perspective on the industry.
Diego also applies what he knows about these fields by interning at Lily’s Angels Down Syndrome Foundation. There, he has worked on developing their webpage, creating fundraising brochures, and raising money on a crowdfunding page.
Diego considers all of this an essential part of who he is, and nothing matters to him more than being true to oneself. He wakes up every morning to the confused looks of those around him as he sways to Imagine Dragons music while walking to school, but he doesn't mind; the songs really hit home and motivate him to give his best effort every day.
He is immensely grateful to his parents for helping him understand the importance of balancing fun with hard work and determination from an early age.
Diego wants to give special thanks to Sra. Gretchen Giuliani who over these past three years has awakened his passion in Spanish literature and helped him learn to confront his challenges by first being introspective.
Diego is proud to announce that starting Fall 2018, he will be attending UC Berkeley’s Management, Entrepreneurship, and Technology program where he intends to learn more about being a global leader in technology. In the future, he hopes to use what he learns to foster the development of the technology industry in Puerto Rico."
According to Diego, "his love for academics led him to compete at the national and international levels in math, chemistry, computer science, and physics, where he earned a bronze medal in Uruguay. Diego also does his best to challenge himself in the classroom and be an active part of the school community. His challenging course load and impressive academic performance has led him to earn the award of AP National Scholar and maintain the distinction of being on the High Honor Roll.
Being an active part of the school community is also very important to Diego. At school, Diego loves to spend time debating (preaching) about Star Wars with his friends and teachers. He spends extensive time with the robotics team, who are the closest people he has to brothers considering he’s an only child. As Secretary of the National Honor Society he has helped raise money for the scholarship fund, has provided a student run tutoring service, and has assisted in relief efforts for Hurricane Maria.
One of his great passions is the intersection between business and technology. This led Diego to create the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Club where he started a speaker series which hosts a combination of entrepreneurs and engineers across the island. The goal is to provide students a firsthand perspective on the industry.
Diego also applies what he knows about these fields by interning at Lily’s Angels Down Syndrome Foundation. There, he has worked on developing their webpage, creating fundraising brochures, and raising money on a crowdfunding page.
Diego considers all of this an essential part of who he is, and nothing matters to him more than being true to oneself. He wakes up every morning to the confused looks of those around him as he sways to Imagine Dragons music while walking to school, but he doesn't mind; the songs really hit home and motivate him to give his best effort every day.
He is immensely grateful to his parents for helping him understand the importance of balancing fun with hard work and determination from an early age.
Diego wants to give special thanks to Sra. Gretchen Giuliani who over these past three years has awakened his passion in Spanish literature and helped him learn to confront his challenges by first being introspective.
Diego is proud to announce that starting Fall 2018, he will be attending UC Berkeley’s Management, Entrepreneurship, and Technology program where he intends to learn more about being a global leader in technology. In the future, he hopes to use what he learns to foster the development of the technology industry in Puerto Rico."
Congratulations to Diego on his impressive achievements. We know he will continue making us proud through college and beyond.
Saint John’s School
1454 Ashford Avenue
San Juan, P.R. 00907
Phone: 787-728-5343
Fax: 787-303-4486/787-906-0186
info@sjspr.org
San Juan, P.R. 00907
Phone: 787-728-5343
Fax: 787-303-4486/787-906-0186
info@sjspr.org
Saint John’s School is a non-profit, college preparatory, nonsectarian, coeducational day school founded in 1915. The school, located in a residential area of Condado, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, has an enrollment of over 800 students from pre pre-kinder to grade twelve. Instruction is mostly in English with the exception of language courses.
