Anyone who has ever spoken to or has been in close proximity to Nephtali Peñate is familiar with how effortlessly this senior can light up a room with his affable and outgoing personality. Nephtali’s cheerful spirit and contagious good attitude is one of the many reasons why John Adams High School is proud to call him its own. 

During his time at John Adams, Nephtali has made the most out of every day by being involved in numerous clubs and activities. Nephtali is an IB advocate, the Vice President of the senior student body, and a member of Science Olympiad, ISO, JAVA, marching band, and more. Nephtali’s fondest high school memories are those he made being a part of these extracurriculars.

Being in student government has allowed Nephtali to plan and be a part of school events, such as homecoming, which he absolutely slayed this year after being crowned King. Nephtali’s marching band competitions are another memorable experience that he will miss once he graduates. Marching band required him to commit to zero-hour and late-night rehearsals. However, he found himself in a great environment, surrounded by an amazing group of people.

Those who know Nephtali are aware of how passionate he is about architecture. Nephtali is in the architectural CTE, which he absolutely loves. He is eager to finish high school and advance to college, where he will be able to continue pursuing architecture. Nephtali applied to thirty three colleges (twenty eight of which have accepted him so far). He is not yet sure on which he will attend– although, he did receive a full-ride scholarship to IU Bloomington.

Whatever campus Nephtali finds himself on next year, he will certainly make the most out of it. Nephtali dreams of maintaining his local roots and would like to base all of his future projects in South Bend. A goal of his is to one day build the tallest skyscraper in the world, here in South Bend. He would also like to build his own hotel, but he is still trying to figure out what he will name it. 

Nephtali finds inspiration in many architectural works. “Every architect is unique in their ideas and designs and every one inspires and makes me want to do better,” Nephtali says. However, in the end, it all comes down to being one’s own muse. “I’m my own inspiration,” Nephtali says.

As Nephtali’s senior year approaches an end, so does a chapter of his life. He looks forward to  starting anew and meeting more people, as well as learning more about himself and his plans for the future. Some words of Nephtali Peñate wisdom that he would like to pass on to future Adams students and the lowerclassmen are: “Enjoy your time here, it goes by quickly. Make friends, be social, get involved in extracurriculars. Take it seriously, but have fun.”

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