When you first see junior Antonio Pizza, you may notice the bright orange suit, or during the winter holiday, the fluffy white beard of Santa Claus. No matter what he is wearing, he is usually found being involved in one of the many clubs he’s involved in, such as the Film Club and the Chess club, or working on the editing of the Woof TV sports videos.
He spends the mornings and lunches in the room, along with junior film club president Eastin Mathies and sophomore Jahmari Abbott. In addition to filming sports, Pizza also films and edits club promos
Juggling high school and personal life isn’t easy, but Pizza makes it look like a piece of cake… or pizza. Starting his day at 4 a.m., he spends an hour or so doing homework, answering and sending emails and ensuring that he is ready for the day. Once he gets ready and heads to school, he films and edits the sports section of the Woof TV every morning with Abbott.
Pizza is also known for going all out for school dress up days like a Santa Claus outfit for Winter Week, an orange suit just because it was his favorite color, and to embrace the feeling of being someone else for a day on Halloween.
If Pizza was only a dedicated TV Production student who wore a lot of crazy outfits, it would still be a story. However, his most lasting legacy might be the sheer number of clubs he leads and has even started. Pizza has founded the Chess Club and the Italian Club, he serves in student council as a senator, and he also spends a lot of time with the Environmental and Shakespeare Clubs and multiple honor societies.
“I started the clubs I founded for similar yet different reasons,” Pizza said. “But in the end, chess was a metaphor for life, and the Italian Club was a way to spread my heritage to people who may not know a lot about the culture.”
With dyslexia and an IEP, learning has not always been easy for Pizza, but he tries his best to overcome the challenges. He pours everything he has into everything that he does, whether it be showing his cultural pride in the Italian Club, or taking a stance in the Young Republicans. Since freshman year, Pizza has run for president of student council and has lost each time, but he has not given up.
“Losing is a part of life,” Pizza said. “But so is working to make the world better. I am a simple man just trying to make a difference in our world even if it’s a small one.”
While his fashion statements and his loud personality make him seem like he enjoys the crazy things, Pizza also has big ambitions after Hagerty. Pizza hopes to pursue a law degree as well as a political science degree. He would love to pursue careers as a politician and a constitutional lawyer.
“I really want to study constitutional law because it fascinates me,” Pizza said. “How does a document that old still have such strong ties in our modern world?”
Pizza will continue a career in politics after he graduates and returns to his home state of New Jersey.
“Pizza just has a bubbly personality,” Chess Club sponsor Jennifer Thomas said. “He has so many ambitions and is just making the most out of his high school experience.”
Thomas isn’t the only one who shares the idea of Pizza’s energy. Many students around Hagerty have said similar things.
“I would say that Antonio is hardworking, fun and creative,” Abbott said.
But where does Pizza get all of his energy?
“I just know that if you don’t put everything that you have into what’s going on around you, you won’t succeed. It really bothers me that everyone says that our generation is going to be the leaders, but how are we gonna be leaders if all we do is sit around and be on our phones?” Pizza said.
Despite all of the time, energy and commitments that Pizza pours into his campus and his life, his end goal isn’t to better himself. He uses his energy to better his campus for the people around him so that people who see his energy can be inspired to make a change.
“The end goal of my involvement is to improve my community,” Pizza said. “I love joining new activities because you only live once. Every decision that we make can affect the future, and I hope to make my future better than the present.”
