Jesse Bross
Jesse Bross is one of the most personable and outgoing students at PCTVS – he’s funny, intelligent, and extremely talented. The Bloomingdale native and Engineering student has an incredible GPA of 4.569, ranks in the top one percent of his class, is musically gifted and is the STEM March Student of the Month.
Jesse began playing music when he was just five years old being taught piano by his grandmother, who is a piano teacher. Over the years he expanded his repertoire to upright bass, bass guitar, tuba, saxophone, clarinet, baritone, trombone, guitar, and ocarina. Jesse now represents PCTVS as Drum Major of the Marching Band, Bass Guitar Player in Jazz Band, and Tuba Player in Concert Band.
That’s not all Jesse does when he is here on campus. He is involved in many school clubs and activities such as Vice-President of the STEM National Honor Society, Events Coordinator for the Society of Hispanic Engineers, a Co-Founder and Committee Member for the STEM Expo Research Convention where he was awarded 2nd place for design of a novel supercapacitor. He is also a Boys State Delegate, volunteer with the Patriotic Events, member of Gifted and Talented, Rho Kappa Honor Society, World Language Honor Society and Tri-M Music Honor Society, a National Hispanic Scholar, and an AP Scholar with Distinction.
When not in school, Jesse likes to listen to music, especially jazz and bossa nova. He also makes films with his friends based on literature and poems and has a small business with several friends called Social Sherlock, which performs social media screening for job candidates.
Jesse has already been accepted and has committed to attend Yale University in the fall making him the first PCTVS student to ever attend Yale! “It’s a great honor being the first to attend such a prestigious institution. I’ve had a lot of great role models who have graduated from PCTVS so I will definitely try to take the things they taught me and pass those on to the underclassmen.” In the future, Jesse hopes to attend graduate school and as of now is considering a career in Venture Capital.
Congratulations to Jesse on all of his outstanding accomplishments. The Bulldog Family wishes you all the best in the future!
Whether it be a relationship, a class, or anything else, make sure that you can look back on your experience with a smile on your face knowing you gave it your all!”
Jesse began playing music when he was just five years old being taught piano by his grandmother, who is a piano teacher. Over the years he expanded his repertoire to upright bass, bass guitar, tuba, saxophone, clarinet, baritone, trombone, guitar, and ocarina. Jesse now represents PCTVS as Drum Major of the Marching Band, Bass Guitar Player in Jazz Band, and Tuba Player in Concert Band.
That’s not all Jesse does when he is here on campus. He is involved in many school clubs and activities such as Vice-President of the STEM National Honor Society, Events Coordinator for the Society of Hispanic Engineers, a Co-Founder and Committee Member for the STEM Expo Research Convention where he was awarded 2nd place for design of a novel supercapacitor. He is also a Boys State Delegate, volunteer with the Patriotic Events, member of Gifted and Talented, Rho Kappa Honor Society, World Language Honor Society and Tri-M Music Honor Society, a National Hispanic Scholar, and an AP Scholar with Distinction.
When not in school, Jesse likes to listen to music, especially jazz and bossa nova. He also makes films with his friends based on literature and poems and has a small business with several friends called Social Sherlock, which performs social media screening for job candidates.
Jesse has already been accepted and has committed to attend Yale University in the fall making him the first PCTVS student to ever attend Yale! “It’s a great honor being the first to attend such a prestigious institution. I’ve had a lot of great role models who have graduated from PCTVS so I will definitely try to take the things they taught me and pass those on to the underclassmen.” In the future, Jesse hopes to attend graduate school and as of now is considering a career in Venture Capital.
Congratulations to Jesse on all of his outstanding accomplishments. The Bulldog Family wishes you all the best in the future!
Whether it be a relationship, a class, or anything else, make sure that you can look back on your experience with a smile on your face knowing you gave it your all!”
Highlights
- GPA of 4.569 and ranks in top 1% of his class
- Drum Major (Band Leader/Conductor) of the PCTVS Marching Band
- Bass Player in Jazz Band
- Tuba Player in Concert Band
- Vice-President of the STEM National Honor Society
- Events Coordinator for the Society of Hispanic Engineers
- Co-Founder and Committee Member for the STEM Expo Research Convention (Awarded 2nd place in competition for design of a novel supercapacitor).
- Volunteer at Butler Museum where I serve as the Youth Director. I have also created my own exhibit there.
- Recently completed a research project with the Smithsonian Institute about the history of early 20th century saxophone mouthpieces and one of my photographs published.
- Business Development Intern at a startup called Pinata.
- Boys State Delegate and volunteer with the Patriotic Events
- Gifted and Talented
- Rho Kappa Honor Society, World Language Honor Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society
- National Hispanic Scholar
- AP Scholar with Distinction
- NJPAC Jazz for Teens
David Joseph Garcia
David Joseph Garcia of Woodland Park is an ambitious and industrious young man who fills his days with hard work and dedication unrivaled by many of his contemporaries. He is a senior in the School of Construction Technology with a focus on Welding, his current GPA is 3.713 and is a PCTI Student of the Month for March.
When asked what it felt like being named student of the month, David replied, “It feels like an honor to be student of the month because only a very select few students are chosen. It’s something that shows how hard work pays off, and I’ve been working hard for as long as I can remember.”
David is a co-op student whose love for welding has translated into a budding career in the field of construction. In addition to his co-op job, he has managed to successfully maintain his part-time construction job which he started over the summer. “I like rolling up my sleeves and building cool things – gives me a sense of accomplishment.” And even though David likes to build and create things, he plans on pursuing a career in law enforcement.
Looking to attend Montclair State University in the future, David is considering becoming a police officer. He has been a member of the PCTVS NJROTC Program all four years of high school and is also a volunteer firefighter for the West Paterson Fire Department and a sergeant in New Jersey State Police Explorer Program, which provides experiences to young men and women who are interested in a possible law enforcement career.
Additionally, David has been involved in the New Jersey Labor and Workforce’s Youth Transition to Work program which provides greater opportunities for high school juniors and seniors to transition to high-skill, high-wage employment. “The YTTW has given me the chance to go to school in the mornings and work in the afternoons. The experience I have gained through the program has definitely helped make me become more comfortable in my own skin and more easily interact with my fellow students and coworkers.”
Congratulations to David! You have made PCTVS proud, and we wish you all the best in the future!
No matter where he goes, Kevin has made PCTVS and the STEM Academy very proud! Congratulations and best of luck to this gifted and ambitious young man!
When asked what it felt like being named student of the month, David replied, “It feels like an honor to be student of the month because only a very select few students are chosen. It’s something that shows how hard work pays off, and I’ve been working hard for as long as I can remember.”
David is a co-op student whose love for welding has translated into a budding career in the field of construction. In addition to his co-op job, he has managed to successfully maintain his part-time construction job which he started over the summer. “I like rolling up my sleeves and building cool things – gives me a sense of accomplishment.” And even though David likes to build and create things, he plans on pursuing a career in law enforcement.
Looking to attend Montclair State University in the future, David is considering becoming a police officer. He has been a member of the PCTVS NJROTC Program all four years of high school and is also a volunteer firefighter for the West Paterson Fire Department and a sergeant in New Jersey State Police Explorer Program, which provides experiences to young men and women who are interested in a possible law enforcement career.
Additionally, David has been involved in the New Jersey Labor and Workforce’s Youth Transition to Work program which provides greater opportunities for high school juniors and seniors to transition to high-skill, high-wage employment. “The YTTW has given me the chance to go to school in the mornings and work in the afternoons. The experience I have gained through the program has definitely helped make me become more comfortable in my own skin and more easily interact with my fellow students and coworkers.”
Congratulations to David! You have made PCTVS proud, and we wish you all the best in the future!
No matter where he goes, Kevin has made PCTVS and the STEM Academy very proud! Congratulations and best of luck to this gifted and ambitious young man!
Highlights
- GPA is 3.713
- NJROTC Member
- Squad leader in the Passaic County Fire Academy
- Volunteer Firefighter for West Paterson Fire Department
- Sergeant in the NJ State Police Explorer Program
- Member of the NJ Labor and Workforce’s Youth Transition to Work (YTTW) program
- PCTVS Varsity Lacrosse
- PCTVS Ice Hockey
- Goals: To attend Montclair State University and pursue a career in law enforcement.
Michael Shimabukuro
Michael Shiambukuro is a highly intelligent and ambitious young man from Clifton, studying Graphic Design in PCTI’s School of Communication Arts. His current GPA is 3.747 putting him in the top twenty-five percent of his class. Michael has been selected as a PCTI March Student of the Month. “Being a student of the month has been a goal of mine since freshman year. I feel so proud and accomplished.”
Michael is an exceptional student who is meticulous in his work and doesn’t hesitate to help others when it comes to art. When asked if he would consider himself a role model for other students, Michael replied, “I would consider myself a role model, especially when it comes to illustration art and graphic design. Any time my friends or classmates ask me for help, I’m always willing to help and lend a hand.”
Here at PCTVS, Michael is a member of the Circle of Success, as well Marching Band and Concert band for which he plays the trumpet. One of Michael’s fondest memories was from his freshman year, “In 2018, the marching band earned our very first gold rating at the NJMEA Marching Band Ratings Festival. I will never forget the overwhelming feeling of pride and accomplishment seeing how happy all my bandmates were.
In his free time, Michael likes draw, graphic design, play the trumpet, go for long walks with his dog, and ride his bike to his old neighborhood and sit on a familiar hill that has a great view and get nostalgic for the past. Michael also competes in the Special Olympics where in 2018 he he was awarded Outstanding Athlete Passaic County, NJ
Michael has already been accepted to Montclair State University where he will continue to hone his graphic design skills and hopefully one day work for a video game company such as Sega. He would also like to one day be an artist that is able to sell his works at Comic Con conventions worldwide.
Michael has some really good advice for current and incoming students, “Don’t take everything so seriously. If something is challenging, don’t stop. Keep going and say this quote to yourself, ‘Everything is figure-out-able.’”
Congratulations Michael and best of luck to this in your future endeavors!
Michael is an exceptional student who is meticulous in his work and doesn’t hesitate to help others when it comes to art. When asked if he would consider himself a role model for other students, Michael replied, “I would consider myself a role model, especially when it comes to illustration art and graphic design. Any time my friends or classmates ask me for help, I’m always willing to help and lend a hand.”
Here at PCTVS, Michael is a member of the Circle of Success, as well Marching Band and Concert band for which he plays the trumpet. One of Michael’s fondest memories was from his freshman year, “In 2018, the marching band earned our very first gold rating at the NJMEA Marching Band Ratings Festival. I will never forget the overwhelming feeling of pride and accomplishment seeing how happy all my bandmates were.
In his free time, Michael likes draw, graphic design, play the trumpet, go for long walks with his dog, and ride his bike to his old neighborhood and sit on a familiar hill that has a great view and get nostalgic for the past. Michael also competes in the Special Olympics where in 2018 he he was awarded Outstanding Athlete Passaic County, NJ
Michael has already been accepted to Montclair State University where he will continue to hone his graphic design skills and hopefully one day work for a video game company such as Sega. He would also like to one day be an artist that is able to sell his works at Comic Con conventions worldwide.
Michael has some really good advice for current and incoming students, “Don’t take everything so seriously. If something is challenging, don’t stop. Keep going and say this quote to yourself, ‘Everything is figure-out-able.’”
Congratulations Michael and best of luck to this in your future endeavors!
Highlights
- GPA: 3.747
- PCTVS Marching Band
- PCTVS Concert Band
- PCTVS Circle of Success
- Outstanding Athlete of Special Olympics New Jersey, Passaic County 2018
- Project Unify: Special Olympics NJ
- Goals: Attend Montclair State University, one day work for a video game company such as Sega and be an artist that is able to sell his works at Comic Con conventions worldwide.