Ethan Kerstiens

Arvada West High School

Tell us a little bit about yourself

My name is Ethan Kerstiens. I’m a graduating high school senior at Arvada West High School.

As a student-athlete, I’ve played soccer, football, basketball and track and have a strong academic record with a 4.2 GPA in honors classes. I spend my free time volunteering with the National Honor Society. I have earned 11 athletic letters and four academic letters in my high school career and have earned academic allstate in every sport I’ve played as a junior and senior. I recently committed to the Colorado School of Mines and I am going to study computer science.

What is the most enduring memory from your high school career?

School was scary and di erent during COVID. e shift from learning fully in person to being half online and half in the classroom was a strange shock to most kids. It gave me a new perspective on relationships and working with others. During my sophomore year, I presented a chapter of an English text with my friend. We had to dress in nice clothes for the assignment even though we were at home. Even though we talked to 30 kids and our teacher, it was a surreal experience that didn’t even feel like a presentation because of the split learning environment.

Talk about your role in society going forward. What issues do feel drawn to address post-graduation and how do you plan to do that?

Moving forward, I feel that my generation has to help solve many of the world’s biggest problems. In the eld of computer science, working with my peers, I will help improve the world by developing technology that makes people’s lives better. e software and hardware tools that I develop will help those who use the technology to do great things such as addressing pollution, climate change, and world hunger. ere are so many di culties that we face every day. After graduation, I plan to start my journey with an open mind, dedicated to helping the world through technology.

Where do you see yourself in 20 years?

In 20 years I will make an impact on the world. Right now I don’t know what that will be, and I want to help make the world a better place. ere are endless paths that I can choose. I want to make a name for myself by engineering technical solutions that help future generations and make amazing contributions to society. While I don’t know exactly what those will be, or what the world will look like in 20 years, I know that I will be successful because I care about others, and I know how to adapt and persevere.