Here we are at a time when students are fleeing to charter schools, but Francisco Orozco went the other way.
He left a charter school for Tucson High, and that has made all the difference.
Orozco has never taken an advanced-math class. He's never taken an advanced-placement class for college credit. His parents never went to college.
But here he is, a budding scientist whose research into how enzymes can increase biofuel production has received national recognition. He's cleaned up at major science fairs across the country. There's a good chance his research will be published.
And now that he's graduated from Tucson High, where he was one of two science students of the year, he's off to the University of Arizona where he plans to continue his research. Thanks to his research methods class at Tucson High he is already connected to a UA lab.
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Where does his story begin? In Three Points, where he grew up on two acres, burning ants in the sun with a magnifying glass? At the Academy of Math and Science, where he felt forced to do science projects and never really applied himself?
Let's start with Margaret Wilch's classroom where he found inspiration. Wilch teaches honors research methods at Tucson High - she's a legend there - and when Orozco saw the kind of work her students were producing at a regional science fair a few years back, he knew he had to be in her class. He was on fire for it. He switched schools in his junior year and hasn't looked back.
"Every project that was from Tucson High stood out so much at the regional science fair," Orozco said of what he saw in Wilch's students, and why he had to be in her class. "Prestigious projects. Amazing notebooks. They were just really, really, really high-quality projects."
Orozco is 18 and carries himself with an easygoing lightness and a quiet optimism. He has the kind of vibe you find only in recent high school grads, which is to say anything is possible.
He was sitting at the dining table in his grandmother's house in the Menlo Park barrio. Trophies and awards from various science fairs were on display in the living room.
His research title might come in mouthfuls - "Plant-symbiotic microfungi as novel forms of cellulase and ligninase enzymes for biofuel production: a two-year study" - but the honors have come easy. He was a gold-medal winner at this year's International Sustainable World Energy Engineering Environment Project Olympiad.
He finished third at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. He has finished first in state and local science fairs. He's earned more than $10,000 in prize money.
"He's enthusiastic, self-effacing and humble, but does great work," Wilch said. "He lives out in Three Points, and he drives all the way over here. He's been one of the most delightful students I've ever worked with. He's a great guy."
There's a certain gee-whiz angle to Orozco's story: A kid from Three Points who didn't even know what advanced-placement classes were two years ago becomes a science superstar.
"It's amazing," said his mother, Diana Orozco.
"I never went to college. His dad didn't go to college, either. So, we're very proud of him. Wow. And then a scientist. I just hope he keeps it up."
Orozco's grandparents, Dolores and Juan, simply beam with pride.
But what I especially like is that Orozco has earned excellence. He saw it in Wilch's teaching, and he wanted to be part of it. He traveled back and forth from Three Points to Tucson for it. He woke up at dawn and worked until midnight for it. And he has the insights to prove it.
So often with high school grads, their reflections can be cringe-inducing expressions of naivete. But Orozco is simply yearning for more school.
"I've never taken an AP class," he said. "I'm not in these high math classes like everyone else. I guess I never took advantage of those opportunities. When I was at my charter school, I didn't know what an AP class was," he said. "I really regret not being able to do more. … I want to go as far as I can go."
With graduations, we tend to celebrate the end of things. But commencement means beginning. Orozco is just getting started, and that's worth celebrating.
Contact columnist Josh Brodesky at 573-4242 or jbrodesky@azstarnet.com
