By Michelle Colesanti
Sometimes with all the negative press, we don’t step back and appreciate what is right in our society; our local young students who will excel and become our leaders of tomorrow.
One such student, Newsome High School graduate Mitch Verboncoeur, received a full ride Cornell Scholarship to attend Rollins College in Winter Park and has not looked back.
At age 21, he has emerged to be one of the leaders at the school. Recently graduating from Rollins, Verboncoeur now plans to attend Yale Law School in the fall. He was accepted into multiple law schools, including Harvard, but he chose Yale because he felt it has the best law school in the country with small class sizes, notable professors and more.
At college, he was co-captain of the men’s crew team and a winning member of the college’s very successful debate team.
Not entirely sure what to expect at law school, he feels that his dual major in physics and philosophy with a minor in women’s studies will help.
“Philosophy and physics both lend themselves to logical thinking. My philosophy courses also required a fair amount of writing. The classes I have taken in formal logic have proven to be immeasurably valuable in both my schooling and my personal life,” said Verboncoeur.
Prior to leaving for college, Vergoncoeur worked at the YMCA and he still continues to volunteer there in various capacities. Vergoncoeur said, “The YMCA and its programs provided me with a few good role models before I went off to college.”
He also looks to his mom as a role model for him and his sister. His mom spent many years as a single mom and he appreciates her role in where he is today. He also has an older sister, Courtney, who graduated from the University of Central Florida, and is currently working as a scribe in an Orlando hospital. She plans to apply to medical schools this year.
Vergoncoeur also enjoys hiking, biking and reading. When he finishes law school, he does not plan to practice law in the traditional sense, although he is still not quite sure what his plans will be.
