STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS
Tristan Hyppolite ’22 wants to
be a doctor. And not just any doctor.
“Specifically, I want to be an oncologist,”
he says.
It’s mid-July and unlike many
teenagers who are cooling off at the beach
or spending time with friends, Tristan
has come to Xaverian to speak about
his recent experience at the Congress
of Future Medical Leaders. He’s excited
as he describes the conference. “It’s
intended for students between high
school and early college who want to be
physicians or work in the medical field
in some capacity. Really, it’s for anyone
who wants to make a difference. You
get to listen to physicians and people
involved in medical research, and then
from the other perspective, you hear
from patients.” He says that the two-day
conference (during which he earned a
“Congress of Future Medical Leaders
Award of Excellence”) helped to solidify
his plans to be an oncologist. “I felt it
motivated me more on the path that I’ve
always known I want to take,” he says.
How can he, at the age of 17, already
know with such certainty what he wants
to do with his life? He’s a sincere young
man, quiet, and deliberate, and he
doesn’t hesitate to explain that for him,
it’s personal.
“In 2014, my grandfather was
diagnosed with prostate cancer, on
my Mom’s side. As he went through
his treatment and was starting to get
out of the woods, my grandmother
on my mom’s side was diagnosed with
uterine cancer, and my dad’s mom was
diagnosed with breast cancer.” After
13 months, his maternal grandmother
passed away. Witnessing the experiences
of his grandparents only solidified that
which he says he has known since he
was four.
“I always said I want to help people,”
Tristan tells me. “I don’t know why, but
at four I just said I want to be a doctor
when I grow up. I know kids change, but
I’ve never changed. As a doctor, I can
make a difference in other people’s lives.”
Having witnessed his grandparents’
battles with cancer and losing his
grandmother to the disease, he knows
FUTURE MEDICAL LEADER
A Mission to Help Others
THE GIFT OF SERVICE
One Student’s Birthday Trip
of a Lifetime
Andrew Maggiacomo ’26 got a 13th birthday present
that, at first blush, might not sound like a gift to many kids
— 24 hours of community service. He was thrilled! Andrew
was part of a trip of a lifetime to Hawaii, offered by ARCC
(Adventures Cross Country). It’s a blend of service, learning,
and adventure in a two-week trip to Kauai and the Big Island.
Weighed down with a 40-pound backpack, Andrew took off to
volunteer and explore with a group of 13 other students from
across the globe.
“It was labeled as a
marine biology trip and I’ve
been interested in marine
biology since third grade,”
he explains. “I want to be a
marine biologist; I want to
study fish! My dad always
took me fishing and gave
me the bait and told me to
cut it for him, and I’d always
study it - feel it - I know it sounds weird, but I was fascinated
by it. I started to get books about fish, and I just blew through
them all.” On this trip, instead of looking at fish in a book,
Andrew was seeing them up close on snorkeling expeditions.
“We got to see a ton of different types of species that you’d
never see here. It’s stuff like you’d see in Finding Nemo. We saw
sea turtles. We swam with manta rays; it was amazing.”
And he learned some important lessons along the way. “A
lot of cute things can be invasive,” he says. “There were snails
everywhere. And there were minnows invading the water.”
For service work, much of the focus was on restoring natural
habitats for both marine life and animals on land, and that
meant addressing the invasive species.
“It felt really good to do this trip. Knowing that I helped
not just the animals but other people, too, it makes me feel
amazing. And proud.”
Back on the mainland with dreams of future marine
adventures, Andrew came home with two new skills in addition
to his new knowledge about the natural habitats of Hawaii. He
can surf, and he can crack a coconut. And he now has a group
of friends from around the globe with whom he plans to stay
connected.
part of being an oncologist is having
difficult conversations with patients and
families. “I think part of being a doctor
is being strong,” he replied. “You have
those tough conversations when things
don’t go as expected. But when things
are difficult, when I need help, I always
go to my faith.”
Faith has been a constant for Tristan
throughout his life. He attended a
Catholic elementary school (St. John’s
in Canton) and once he became a Hawk
here at Xaverian, he immersed himself
in the campus ministry experience. He
serves as a peer minister and eucharistic
minister and even earned the honor of
being one of the handful of students
selected to attend the Xaverian Brothers
Sponsored Schools national retreat. As
he enters his senior year, Tristan reflects
on his experience as a Hawk. “The
moment I walked into Xaverian, I just
felt like this is the place I was supposed
to be. I didn’t feel that elsewhere. I have
made a lot of connections here, which
was something I was worried about, but
it came naturally.”
When asked how he would define
“Strong,” in keeping with Xaverian’s
Redefining Strong campaign, Tristan
said, “Strong is believing in yourself and
having motivation.” Tristan is certainly
embodying this strength every day as he
takes one deliberate step after another
toward his goal of helping others.
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