Senior Tristan Patel’s graduation is not simply a departure from Plainfield East but the final celebration of his monumental legacy at the school.
Patel has been enrolled at Plainfield East for all four years of high school and has showcased his involvement in the school as a leader in various extracurricular activities.“I have participated in Marching Band, Jazz Band, Pep Band, Swim Team, NHS, Mu Alpha Theta, SNHS, and Spanish Honors Society,” said Patel.
Patel says he enjoys everything East has to offer, on both an extracurricular and academic level, but he particularly enjoys musical activities such as Marching and Jazz Band.
“I love being in the band because I love to perform and jam with a lot of talented musicians. I also love to bring the energy and am big on school spirit, and band gives me the chance to bring all that to support all our school sports teams,” said Patel.
Patel takes pride in attending East and loves displaying his school spirit. You may hear him on the morning announcements on Fridays, energetically delivering the Bengal anthem. He enjoys the band so greatly that he plans to take the knowledge he learned from the band’s beloved director, Mr. Lesniak, to college and participate in the band as a hobby.
Patel will be attending Hope College in Michigan in the fall, where he will major in Math and Statistics. Once settled in, he plans to join their Jazz Band, Worship Band, and Formula SAE Team.
After Patel’s time at college, he hopes to explore career opportunities in the Formula One field as a statistician.
“A lot of the time, the race can be decided on a perfectly timed strategy change. And given that I enjoy math and stats, it wouldn’t even feel like work if I were doing something I enjoy in a sport I love,” said Patel.
Patel said his love for the sport began when he was on vacation with his family, and since that pivotal day, he has seen many more races. He’s traveled to Japan, Canada, and Austria, and in a couple of weeks, he will be adding Spain to that growing list as Patel will be visiting the country to see the Barcelona races.
Tristan Patel has made a substantial impact at Plainfield East, contributing to many academic milestones at the school, and is a wonderful influence on the underclassmen at East. Patel’s parting advice to the younger classes at East: “Give it your best effort, and don’t be afraid to try new things”.
