Senior Spotlight: Max Abe Plush '20, Pitzer College

April 24, 2020

As the Keystone Regional Coordinator at Think Ocean and President of the Léman Sustainability and Environmental Design Club, founder of the Environmental Explorers Club, Head Programming Team Intern at the 5013c non-profit SuitUp Incorporated, Head of Delegate Training in the Model United Nations Club, Co-Coordinator of the Léman Students Ambassadors, and Science Editor at the Léman newspaper, the Bull Horn, Max Abe Plush has set himself up for success at university next year. He said, “I consider every ‘misfortunate’ event in my life or the classroom as a lesson for growth. It could be a lower grade than expected to an issue I had running my sustainability club. I realize the weakest point in your character or personal life story is the strongest point. I’m a firm believer that through bad experiences you will come out stronger than before. I’m grateful for the time I fell behind in my 10th Grade English class which pushed me to become a better writer and maintain an A+ every trimester in my IB HL Language & Literature. A statement that sums me up is, to make the best out of it no matter what.”

This positive attitude will help him succeed next fall at Pitzer College, ranked #35 in National Liberal Arts Colleges by U.S. News and World Report, which he chose because of its world-class resources in environmental science, “It also offers the advantages of a smaller school with a fantastic student to faculty ratio, and the advantages of a larger institution as a part of a  consortium. Meaning that I will be taking some of my classes at the nearby top colleges [including] Pomona, Harvey Mudd, Keck Science Center, and Scripps College,” he said. Those resources will be important to Max, who is planning to major in Environmental Analysis and Engineering. “At 17 I realize that we only have one life, and we only get one chance to live it. I want to learn material that will directly impact the lives of others through science and research that will hopefully assist in mitigating the laundry list of the effects of climate change. I want to create a legacy that inspires others to strive for the impossible,” he said. 

In addition to his leadership roles and environmental activism, Max is also a full IB Diploma candidate. “The massive amount of work was a challenge at first, but it taught me the importance of planning, organizing, and executing my assignments on time,” he said. He feels that his hard work paid off in addition to the support he got from his college counselor, James Luciano, “Since day one, Mr. Luciano supported every decision I made and assisted me with rejection and acceptance. He never treated me as one of the x numbers of students in my grade, rather he truly supported me as a student and genuinely cared about where I would spend the next four years of my life,” he said. He also is thankful to his teachers at Léman, “who shaped me into the student and person I am today. I am eternally grateful for the knowledge and sincerity each of my teachers has provided me throughout my four years at Léman,” he said. 

When asked what advice he would give to an 8th grader entering Léman next year he said, “Do what you want to do. Join the club that you're interested in, try out for the musical! Take risks and realize that the failures are the best parts of growing. Often the people who are looked at as different are those who end up changing the world.”