Jose Castillo-Lara is part of the third graduating class from Edward Brooke Charter High School on American Legion Highway. He is US-born with roots in the Dominican Republic, and a first generation American student from Dorchester.
He was very involved in sports and academics at Brooke, where he participated in Boys Cross Country, National Honor Society, Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica (Hispanic Honor Society), Robotics Club, and Community Meeting Council. Outside of school he participated as a research intern at Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and the Upward Project.
His awards include the Advanced Placement (AP) Scholar with Distinction, the Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction, National First-Generation Recognition Award, National School Recognition Award, and the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship.
He ended his high school career at Brooke as a valedictorian with an impressive 4.71 GPA, good enough to earn him a full ride Questbridge and Gates Family Scholarships to Brown University in Providence.
In his spare time during high school, he enjoyed volunteering at the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless clinic and shadowed a doctor who treats patients with HIV/AIDS.
