Senior Spotlight: David Wertheimer II

By Leanndra Martinez

Everybody wants to cure cancer, but how many people actually contribute to the effort? Not many, but there is one student in the senior class who interned this past summer in New York at a cancer research center. He’s also traveled to Singapore, Italy, Hong Kong, and Indonesia, he has a knowledge base in Latin, a dead language, and he is only 16 years old. David Wertheimer has already done more than what most people do in their entire lifetimes. David, the only student at ESHS graduating with the class of 2004 at the age of 16, hasn’t even been in the El Segundo school district for more than three years and he has a list of accomplishments that would make anybody think that he has been here for the full four years.

When David first came to ESHS, he entered as a 13 year-old sophomore. Prior to enrolling here, David was home schooled by his mother and was working at an accelerated pace. “I finished 5^th grade in about four months,” he said. Because his father is a film director and he often had to go across the seas for work, the family traveled with him and David had to be home schooled. Some people might complain about having to move so much throughout their childhood, but David took it as a learning experience and saw it as an adventure. “I traveled a lot when I was younger. We went to Indonesia, Hong Kong, Italy and a variety of other places,” he said, “Traveling has given me a world perspective. Being home schooled and traveling has helped me to see the world and the people in various conditions. It has given me a world appreciation.”

While he believes that home schooling is a great education because of its one on one nature, he knew that he was missing out on something that every teenager wants: a social life. It was only when his dad was transferred back here that he decided to stop being home schooled and to go to a public school instead. “The transition was pretty hard at first,” he said. Since he was younger than everybody else, he often felt out of place among his new peers. After befriending Mrs. Richards, his science teacher, he was able to meet other students through her and found a wide circle of friends. “I didn’t have many when I first moved here,” he said, “Now it’s unbelievable. They are a key part of my life. If it weren’t for my friends, high school would have been miserable. Having friends is one of the main reasons I stopped home schooling. If I hadn’t made them, I would have gone back to being home schooled.”

Since he has had to deal with being younger than the rest of his peers, he has learned how to be compatible. “I can work with anybody from a freshman to a senior.” Because of this, his circle of friends has grown to everybody he has met through the various activities he has been involved with. He has friends from the Latin class he took at UCLA that he still keeps in touch with, friends from an honors society he is involved with at Santa Monica College and friends from courses he has taken at El Camino. Senior Kamille Kirk said, “David is a really outstanding, creative and unique individual. I just hope that he doesn’t forget me when he gets famous!” He started the science fiction fantasy club with senior Matt Miltenberger and is currently the president. Even though it is a club that he runs, it’s more of a hobby for him since it encompasses all of his favorites, The Lord of the Rings, Yu-Gi-Oh and science.

Although David is aware of his accomplishments and is getting ready to move on to college, he still recognizes that fact that he is young. “Something tells me I’m ready to graduate now, but something else tells me I could stay back one year and it wouldn’t hurt,” he said. While he has these feelings, it’s evident that he is going to fit into the college atmosphere well because of his early interaction with adults. Many of the activities he is involved with outside of school are activities in which he is the only high school student surrounded by adults. He joined an honors society at Santa Monica College that is involved with community service and has given him the opportunity to immerse himself in the college atmosphere that he terms as “wonderful”.

Since coming into ESHS, David has taken a rigorous course load. He took AP US History, AP Biology, and AP Music Theory last year and is taking AP Literature this year. He learned the fundamentals of Latin in one summer that is normally learned in three years in a course at UCLA. In order to prepare himself for this accelerated course, David took night classes at El Camino the previous summer. During the fall, he applied under the as a DAP applicant to UCLA and UC Berkeley and was accepted to both. Since he applied as a DAP applicant, he is going to Santa Monica College for two years and is guaranteed a spot at the school of his choice, UC Berkeley. David plans on majoring in chemistry and going into the medical field.

Even though he has always had an interest in science, he has taken a special interest in cancer since he interned in New York at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Research Center for a month this past summer. He became interested in cancer research after his grandmother died of brain cancer in 2000. David took the opportunity to intern primarily because he wants to pursue chemistry, but also because he loves lab research. He worked with cancer-infected mice, learned about DNA, and got hands on experience in a chemistry lab.

David’s talents also extend beyond the classroom. He has been playing the violin for 11 years, the piano for five years, and is a part of the orchestra and various chambers at Santa Monica College. A self described accident prone person, David chose to begin swimming competitively when he was about ten years old since it was the only sport he could do without getting hurt. He has been swimming for the varsity swim team for three years and it hasn’t been an easy experience. When he first joined, he was made fun of because he was so young compared to them. Even though this happened, he took it all in stride and he has been voted most inspirational for two years. “It’s been a rewarding experience. I always thought swim was an individual sport, but it has taught me that it’s really a team sport,” David said.

So what has allowed him to succeed? Not only is it his dedication to his academics, but it has also been his teachers. “All the teachers I’ve had have been crucial to me,” he said, “My mom has been on of the most influential sources, both in home schooling me and in guiding me.” Most importantly, he would not have been able to accomplish everything he has been able to without his parents. David is very close to his parents because he traveled over Europe and Asia with them throughout his childhood. Even though he has a sister, he was raised like an only child since she is older and doesn’t live with them. “My parents are really supportive and are the biggest part of my life. They have made me focused and determined to reach my goals,” he said.

Even though David is younger than the rest of the senior class, he is older intellectually and maturely than most. His thirst for knowledge has allowed him to seek out more learning experiences outside of the high school setting and has given him opportunities to expand his knowledge base. His advice for all high school students, from freshman to senior, is, “Don’t let anything stop or distract you, get to your goals.”