globeChang(e), May 14, 2019

Episode 11 – CARLOS ROMERO JANTACOMMA, YALE UNIVERSITY – I TOOK A CLASS CALLED ‘DEATH’

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“I didn’t know what I wanted to do.” Moreover, we agreed that it is difficult for any pre-college teenager to know what they want to do.  That thought led Carlos Romero Jantacomma to Yale University, a pretty great place to figure out what one does want to do.  Now a sophomore at Yale, he is studying Ethics, Politics, and Economics.

Carlos was part of Shrewsbury International School’s inaugural class, taking both his IGCSEs and A-Levels there. When applying to colleges, he didn’t want to lock himself into a field of study as the UK would have required. High schools generally do not offer specialized courses such as philosophy, and Carlos didn’t want to commit to a field of study without having tried it first.

At Yale, Carlos has been able to explore a variety of academic disciplines from Cognitive Science to Astronomy and even Game Theory. He recalls the first time he sat in a philosophy class, “This is a completely different way of thinking about things.” Slowly, he began to realize that he wanted to study ethics and philosophy, with a grounding in the real world.

Yale’s classes continue to challenge his critical thinking. Carlos has written papers on Death as the deprivation of life and even argued that the Whole Foods episode in South Park is really all about virtue signaling. Taking classes under famous professors such as Shelly Kagan allows him to develop his own opinions instead of relying on other philosopher’s published works.

During his breaks, Carlos travels all over the United States. Moving countries has forced him to pick up new cultural norms that widen his worldview. He appreciates the United States’ astounding food diversity, making it his favorite part of his travels.

Produced by UniGlo in collaboration with Next Step Connections.

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