Flying discs, calculus now, engineering later

Joe Hittinger

St. Thomas High School’s Joe Hittinger, a National Merit Commended Scholar, hopes to study chemical engineering in college. Right now, the three things he says he can’t live without are “my Frisbee, my calculus book and my bed.” When asked who in his life has characteristics he emulates, he said, “I try to emulate my grandfather, Lt. Col. Francis Hittinger, because he was selfless and saw service to others as a duty, not a chore.”

Joe Hittinger
AGE: 17
GRADE: 12
SCHOOL: St. Thomas High School
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: National Merit Commended Scholar
CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES: School newspaper editor; Spanish Club president; Ultimate Frisbee team
FAVORITE CLASS: “Calculus, because I find it interesting, and I will study it further in college.”
FAVORITE WEBSITE: www.bleacherreport.com — he says it’s “super informative.”
FAVORITE TV SHOW: “ ‘Parks and Recreation’ because it’s the only show that actually makes me laugh.”
FAVORITE MOVIE: “ ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.’ The ’80s were so much cooler than now.”
FAVORITE BOOK: “ ‘Breakfast of Champions’ by Kurt Vonnegut. His use of satire is one-of-a-kind.”
FONDEST HIGH SCHOOL MEMORY: “When we beat Strake Jesuit in football for the first time in 14 years.”
AMBITION: “I want to study chemical engineering at the University of Notre Dame.”