by Sasha Ryu

Editor-in-Chief

There’s so much more to LGHS senior Declan “DJ” Adams than meets the eye. To a new classmate, he might seem shy and soft-spoken, but, after one conversation, Adams’s quick wit and sarcastic quips are bound to leave anyone in stitches. 

No matter how busy his schedule, Adams always manages to dedicate a couple hours of his day to broadening his diverse skills. This fall, he plans to take Agriculture, Cuisine, Philosophy, Honors Economics, AP Government, AP Physics I, and Japanese III, as well as Organization and Life Skills at De Anza Community College. 

According to Adams, he chose to take Philosophy in place of a traditional English class because his older brother, Aidan, studied the subject in college. 

“Aidan [is] a really smart guy, so I thought it would be fun to try and ‘catch up’ to his level of intellect. [Hopefully], after I’m done with this class, we can have better discussions together. I’d say I have a pretty Machiavellian take on the world, so it’ll be fun to know how he [sees certain things],” Adams commented.   

Adams’s parents also inspire him to learn more about the world. Like many children, growing up, Adams dreamed of becoming like his father.

“[My dad] went from being the son of a poor worker in a do-nothing town out in the middle-of-nowhere Texas…to a huge corporate power. He saw a clear path to success and did what he wanted to do. He taught me to make goals and go towards them every day,” Adams explained.

After hearing about his father’s business trips to Asia, Adams began reading books about the Japanese government and Japanese history. The stories interested him so much that, at the start of his sophomore year, Adams decided to opt out of his French classes to learn Japanese. It quickly became one of his favorite courses, and the following summer he signed up for a three-week student exchange program. 

During his time staying abroad, Adams lived with a family in Tokyo and attempted to “learn as much as possible” while attending classes at the local school. In between his courses, he visited Nara, Kyoto, and Osaka and experienced the Japanese culture first hand. 

“The people there were so polite,” Adams remarked. “Actually, every other week or so, I still write back and forth with the people I stayed with. I hope I can go back again one day,” he added.

In the future, Adams hopes to return to Japan as a bank intern. Although international travel regulations might make this a difficult goal to achieve, after graduating college, he plans to move to Asia to work in financial management.“I’ve always been [naturally interested] in math, and the idea of tracking where all of that money goes seems really fun to me,” Adams stated.

In addition to his passion for problem solving and challenging himself with complex calculations, Adams also enjoys cooking. During his junior year, he was a teacher’s assistant for the LGHS Culinary Arts course. Using some of the skills he picked up in class, Adams often spends his free time grilling steaks in his backyard. He also hopes to apply what he learns in his gardening class to expand his culinary repertoire. 

A highly ambitious and hardworking individual, Adams is the type of person who understands how to succeed. Although much is still uncertain about this young man’s future, one thing is for sure—Declan Adams is bound to go far.