CLASS OF 2021
Featuring Nathan French
Remarkable! Resilient! Revolutionary!
STUDENT INTERVIEWS WITH THE CLASS OF 2021
The Burbank Arts & Education Foundation is proud to highlight students in the CLASS OF 2021 who have been part of the robust STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) programs in the Burbank Unified School District classrooms. We hope you enjoy reading about their experiences and getting to know them as we celebrate an important milestone in their lives: high school graduation.
Today, we present to you Nathan French, who attended the BUSD Independent Learning Academy. During the pandemic, he started his own business. He has been chosen as an Eccles Business Scholar at the University of Utah and will begin in the fall.
“The most important thing I learned in this pandemic is to pivot, be creative, all the clichés about flexibility. The ability to pivot has been a hard lesson to learn, but one that life keeps teaching me over and over.”
My name is Nathan French, I am 17 years old, and I recently graduated from the BUSD Independent Learning Academy.
Was there a moment when you realized that you as one person could affect change?
When I was a freshman in high school, I was asked to be the Youth Chair for the Arthritis Foundation’s Jingle Bell Run. I’ve been dealing with an autoimmune issue for a few years, but I had been really guarded about it. I just wanted to be a normal kid. I didn’t want to be known as the sick kid. I was really hesitant to be the Youth Chair, but eventually I decided it was the right thing. I invited all my friends to come and support me at the Jingle Bell Run. Almost 40 people ended up joining my fundraising team and on the morning of the run, I had a huge team of friends walking with me. I realized at the Jingle Bell Run that I should be a champion for the Arthritis Foundation and that I have a unique opportunity to rally people for a cause close to my heart. I’m much more open now and share my story often because it’s the only way to bring about change and to educate people about rheumatic disease.
What is the most important thing you’ve learned during the pivotal, history-making pandemic?
The most important thing I learned in this pandemic is pivot, be creative, all the clichés about flexibility. I was really looking forward to getting a job during the summer of 2020. With my health challenges, working at a job in the public was too risky. My mom was trying to figure out how to decorate our yard for my sister’s birthday. I helped design some lawn signs for my sister’s celebration and realized this would be a great business. I researched different styles and my business “Celebrations by QuaranTEEN” was born. It’s fun being a birthday ninja in people’s yards at night. It’s rewarding when clients send me pictures of their kids in their yards. It sparked an interest in business and it led me to think differently about my career. I wanted to be a professional baseball player, but really what I love is the trades and building a great baseball team. While playing ball would be fun, I want to work on the business side of sports. The ability to pivot has been a hard lesson to learn, but one that life keeps teaching me over and over.
Describe your first experience with the arts while in the Burbank Unified Schools?
I loved singing with Mrs. McGuire at Jefferson Elementary School. She made us all feel like singing superstars. She taught us to stand up straight, look confident, and keep our hands to ourselves. This was a lesson that was not easily learned with my wiggly elementary school body, but she taught me to be confident whenever eyes were on me. She also taught us to sing with enthusiasm, that anything is more fun when you have a good attitude. Later on, I would do the things she taught me, stand up straight, shake out my nerves, and be confident before walking up to bat during a baseball game. I probably am unlikely to have a singing career, and now I realize it was never really about the singing. Mrs. McGuire was giving us the gift of confidence, learning to be comfortable in front of a crowd and learning how to perform. I am grateful to have been given that gift in my elementary school years.
What advice do you have for younger students?
My advice for younger students is that there are traditional paths and untraditional paths but they can both take you to the same place. Don’t be afraid to take an untraditional path.
What are your plans for your future after graduation?
I took some extra classes during high school. One of the classes was online at Harvard and I was able to graduate early. I was offered the opportunity to be an Eccles Business Scholar at the University of Utah. It’s a special program for business students with an entrepreneurial spirit. I plan to major in business with a minor in history. After I graduate, I am hoping to work in Sports Management. I would love to work in the business office of the Dodgers.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
In ten years from now I hope to be working in professional sports and hopefully be a family man. Science will always play a role in my life as I’m hoping science will make headway in finding a cure for autoimmune diseases.
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