Andrew De Luna (TECHS)

Andrew De Luna will be among Travis Early College High School’s first graduating class – and its first valedictorian. In the fall, he plans to attend Yale University, where he will study biomedical engineering, with a concentration in biomechanics. Andrew plans to intern for several doctors this the summer before he heads to New Haven, Conn., for college.

Of his many accomplishments over the past four years, he considers his biggest to be the 17-page thesis he penned on the paradigm shift of masculinity in early 20th-Century United States.

As a student at Travis, Andrew was given the opportunity to simultaneously take advanced courses at the high school and college courses at nearby San Antonio College. He has been a member of the National Honor Society at Travis, as well as a member of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society at San Antonio College. He received Presidential Honors at San Antonio College, for his 4.0 grade-point average, and has been named a National Hispanic Scholar.

He believes the courses he took at SAC, the college-readiness GEAR UP program (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) and his activity with Phi Theta Kappa were among the programs that most prepared him to attend college. At Travis, he was involved in Robotics, Student Government and the GEAR UP Student Leadership Team. He also served as a student ambassador. Outside of school, Andrew has given his time to United San Antonio Powwow, where he helps to promote, set-up and manage cultural gatherings that aim to promote and preserve Native American culture. He has also volunteered for the Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner.

Andrew plans to make a difference in the world through his research as an undergraduate at Yale and, possibly, through graduate work in Public Health. He also hopes to work with Doctors Without Borders or the World Health Organization after he has been in practice for some time.