Socially and Politically Aware High School Senior
Lifelong World History Scholar
Electric Guitarist and Rock & Roll Enthusiast
Volunteer Figure Skating Coach & Former Competitor
Jackson Chontos
Hello,
I’m Jackson Chontos, an 18 year-old high school senior, living in Southern California with my parents and my 14-year-old brother and sister. Yep, they’re twins, but my sister hates being the youngest kid in the house by only one minute!
Scroll down and click on the tabs above to read more about me!
CALIFORNIA LOVE
Four years ago, my family moved cross-country from Connecticut for my dad’s job. The transition was hard, but we settled in and quickly made new friends. We learned our way around the 405, the 110, and the 704, mostly by going to soccer games. If you think California is huge on a map, it really hits home when you actually live here and realize the traffic is ROUGH. It can take more than an hour just to go 20 miles!
There are so many things I love about living here. For one thing, California is much more racially diverse than where we used to live. And then there’s the nice weather all year long, with no humidity. The sunsets are amazing, and different every day. And instead of nor’easters canceling my winter birthday parties, I celebrate at the beach, swimming with friends, building bonfires and making s’mores.
I’m so glad to have found friends out here who genuinely care about me and let me know I matter.
WE ARE FAMILY
I’m so grateful for my family and the special times we spend together, just doing simple stuff, like binge-watching “High On the Hog,” “Tiger King” and “Muscle Shoals” in our family room, and each making our own pizzas on Saturday nights. My brother, sister and I clown each other all the time and love to share silly memes in our family chat that crack us up, but that our parents don’t think are funny at all. My Dad teaching me how to tie a bowtie for my Junior year formal was extra special. These are great memories and silly times we’ll never forget.
We also know how privileged we are. My grandparents lived through racial segregation in the South. My mom was a First Generation African-American college student on financial aid and work-study. To pay her college tuition, my grandfather worked three jobs. My mom also had three jobs to cover room, board, and spending money, while studying full-time.
My ancestry and my family's sacrifices are huge parts of who I am as a person. Civil rights, racial justice, and equal human rights are important to me and my siblings. We have been taught to speak up and fight against racism, homophobia, transphobia, antisemitism, bigotry, and prejudice and to expect our family and friends to do the same.
FAMILY SEPARATION DURING COVID
Not long after we moved to California COVID hit hard. It was especially upsetting because I’m very close to my grandmother who lives in New York. I missed her and worried about her all the time because NY was the epicenter for a while. But don’t worry – she’s fine and just visited us for a while this summer! We have such a special relationship.
I love me some Grandma!
The best thing to happen this year so far is that this school year we finally got to experience the moment we had all been waiting for for years – our last time attending the same school. For my Senior year we Superkids are finally back together again! This is an epic year!
I love my two Frosh siblings and get texts from my friends throughout the school day, telling me cool things about them and their accomplishments on the track and soccer fields! I am so proud of them and honored to be their big brother.
MY EXPERIENCES WITH ADHD DURING COVID
Speaking of the negative effects of COVID, I'd like to share that having ADHD made online learning really feel like torture to me. No matter how hard I tried my best, it was impossible to focus on the computer screen and not zone out during 6 hours of classes a day, every day, for 1 ½ years.
Then I read somewhere that music can help some people with ADHD by engaging the part of the brain dealing with executive functioning. So I convinced my dad to buy me a guitar. Playing music definitely helped lower my stress. At the end of the day, the bright side of COVID is that having to work so hard to manage my ADHD set me on my journey as an electric guitarist and helped turn me into a serious musician!
Check out my electric guitar video highlights here!
Follow me on Instagram @jackson_chontos!
I also want to give special encouragement to anyone out there reading this who has ADHD like I do. It took me a long time to realize and accept that ADHD doesn't limit who we are as people. It just means we think and process information a little bit differently, and that's fine.
At some point, I discovered that music and certain sounds make a huge difference in my ability to concentrate and focus.
Like me, you might want to consider playing and listening to music to help you manage stress and organize your thoughts. It works well for me.
Through listening to and playing electric guitar, I was surprised to discover that rock music in the background actually helps me focus. Even while I’m doing classroom work and homework I sometimes keep an earbud in to help me concentrate. I also listen to white noise and audiobooks to help me sleep well.
Here’s an article to consider that might help you find what works best for you, too.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE - HERE'S PART OF MINE!
Our whole lives, my mom has always told taught my brother, sister and me “you have a huge village looking out for you.” It's based on an African proverb from the Igbo and Yoruba people, and is also known in other African languages: "It takes a village to raise a child." Our parents make sure we honor and appreciate our community of family, and friends who are like family. They're always cheering and praying for us, even though we haven't even met some of them yet. As you can see, the Superkids have A LOT of real and play Aunties, Uncles and cousins everywhere we go!
A BOY AND HIS DOG
We’ve all heard the saying “a dog is man’s best friend,” right? Well, meet my cockapoo, Atticus Finch. He loves apple slices, cheese, peanut butter crackers and, most of all, ME. We brought him home when he was 8 weeks old. We’re his pack and even though he’s tiny he would defend us with his life. He’s such a smart pup! He comes running the minute hears you say “snack,” he understands the word “cheese” in Spanish, and now even knows when we’re spelling it! I come and get him out of the family room and take him to my room when it’s time for bed. He also drifts off to sleep whenever he hears Brahm’s lullaby, which is so sweet. He's such a good boy!
