Like his historical hero Alexander Hamilton, North Branford High School (NBHS) Class of 2017 Valedictorian Austin Gibilisco is unafraid of taking a stand.

In his valedictorian’s speech to the Class of 2017, Austin brought up a quote from Hamilton that he hopes will inspire similar confidence in his classmates.

“He essentially claimed that one should stand for what one believes in, regardless of what everyone else tries to do to deter you or have you deviate from that task,” says Austin. “It was nice to incorporate that in my speech, that people should pursue their interests and always stay true to their aspirations and who they are as a person.”

Austin says Hamilton’s motto helped him to finalize his own decision to take a path not traveled by many valedictorians: joining the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) during his college undergraduate years.

“It was something I’d been thinking about since sophomore year, and this year I decided to apply for the scholarship, and I was lucky enough to get it,” says Austin, who has been awarded a National Army ROTC scholarship.

Austin plans to graduate from UConn with a degree in political science as well as receiving the U.S. Army bar of a second lieutenant.

“I plan on majoring in political science and also minoring in criminal justice and law, and also balancing the ROTC program at UConn,” Austin explains.

During his four years in Storrs, his participation in ROTC will require Austin to add 24 extra credits per year to his undergraduate degree workload.

“Essentially, I’ll be taking two classes a year in military intelligence and training, as well as going through physical training in different Army requirements,” says Austin. “It’s a large commitment, because you have the physical training every morning and the different classes and labs you have to complete throughout the week.”

When he graduates from UConn, Austin will then fulfill his role as a U.S. Army second lieutenant for a minimum of four years of military service. Then, he hopes to go even further with his military officer pursuits and educational studies.

For those who know Austin, it’s probably no surprise that this academically talented, hard-working student leader has already mapped out the next four years, and beyond.

In 2017 alone, his academic awards include a UConn Presidential Scholars Award, United States Marine Corps Scholastic Excellence Award, President’s Award for Educational Excellence, Yale/New Haven Register Academic Award, Connecticut Association of Schools Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Scholar Athlete Award, NBHS Advanced Placement Scholar, and NBHS Four-Year Social Studies Award. Accolades earned by Austin during his earlier years at NHBS include the Superintendent’s Award of Excellence (2016), Shoreline Social Studies Association Outstanding Commitment and Achievement in Social Studies (2016), and Saint Michael’s College Book Award for Academic Achievement with a Social Conscience (2016), among many others.

At NBHS, Austin served as president of the National Honor Society and was Student Council class treasurer as well as Board of Education student representative. He was a member of the Best Buddies, Current Events, and Helping Hands clubs. He ran with cross country, indoor track and outdoor track all four years at NBHS.

Austin credits his parents with helping him to stay on track academically.

“Academics haven’t always come easily to me,” says Austin. “In middle school, I did well, but I didn’t do as well as I did in high school. My parents have always told me that academics come first. Before you go out with your friends, before you compete in sports, you have to make sure you have good grades. So that was always a motivator for me.”

While he is thrilled to have earned the status as the top academic student in his class, Austin says he didn’t enter high school with his sights set on becoming valedictorian. Instead, he set the goal of achieving his personal best.

“I set out to do as well as I could,” he says. “I always knew it could be a possibility, if I stayed in the classes and continued to do well, but I really didn’t think about it much. Because if you continue to think about trying to be the best, you drive yourself a little crazy. I decided I’d try to do my best and get the best grades I could so I could be proud of myself at the end.”

NBHS Principal Todd Stoeffler says the school and community are very proud of Austin’s achievements and the remarkable young man he’s become.

“Austin is such a great representative of the school and the town of North Branford, because as accomplished as he has been and will be, he’s always been one of the most humble students we’ve had here,” says Stoeffler. “His connections with students crossed all different planes. He is just a consummate young adult that we need more of in our world today. On a national, on a state, and on a local level, Austin is just one of those kids we want to see move forward, and look to him for leadership.”