William Fulton, a senior at the Wolfson Campus School for Advanced Studies, moved to Miami a little over a year ago from Chicago. Miami is a different world than the suburb of Chicago he lived in.
“The weather was certainly a change, but the opportunity to meet new people with different experiences has been so rewarding,” he says.
That doesn’t mean there weren’t adjustments to be made.
“I was halfway through high school,” he says. “I went to Downers Grove North High School with kids I knew from kindergarten. I can be a different person. Grow a little bit.”
When he graduates from SAS, he’ll graduate with a high school degree and an AA degree. When he switches to a four-year college, he wants to take Environmental Engineering or another degree that is environmental based.
Being at SAS has allowed him to explore his interests in this area, more than he’d be able to in a regular high school. Being in a new area has also allowed him to explore new interests through volunteering. He’s involved in the Florida League of Young Immigrants as Outreach Coordinator.
“Last year I worked closely with a small group of students from my school to plan and coordinate a one-day event in March to benefit underprivileged children in the area, particularly newly arrived immigrants.”
He also volunteers as a student supervisor of a program at Ponce De Leon Middle that works with students in the drama club.
“I set up fund raisers, help build props,” he says. “They have a variety of performances, including a talent show.”
He became involved through a friend. That friend graduated so and another student have taken over the program. He likes working with the students.
“It’s a safe program for all of them,” he says. “Even though it’s stressful getting them to learn their lines, they’re still kids and it’s fun.”
Fulton has interned the engineering firm, Miami Environmental & Civil Engineering. He’d receive reports, work up the calculations and turn it into a PDF report. He attended public hearings and did Phase 1 environmental site assessments.
He interned at Fairchild Tropical and Botanical Garden. He worked directly with the Volunteer Coordinator and planned events for and worked with the Conservation Student Scholars.
He also interned for three months with IMPACT Miami at the Idea Center at Miami-Dade.
“They try to foster the growth of non-profits and local businesses,” he says.
While there he worked on four events, preparing tables and doing other things as needed. Fulton wanted to do the internship in order to learn about business. He hopes to apply that knowledge when he goes into environmental engineering.
At school he’s the treasurer of the National Honor Society and the founder and president of the Environmental Club.
“We’re planning beach clean-up and field trips,” he says. “We’re bringing recycling bins to our school and creating awareness of the conservation movement.”
He’s also a member of the Engineering Club and the Medical Club.
This past summer he tutored young musicians who play the viola. He played viola at his old school and was First Chair in the orchestra.
For college, he hopes to go back to a cold climate. If he stays in state, he’d go to the University of Miami or the University of Florida.
Fulton is a former athlete. He ran cross country in Chicago and would run cross country for SAS except the school doesn’t have a sports program. To compensate, Fulton runs with the Baptist Health Run Club.
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
