Valedictorian Otso Barron

After a year filled with Zoom meetings, online workloads, and digital extracurriculars, most people are ready to shun their screens and delete Zoom from their computers forever.

But for valedictorian Otso Barron, the transition to a completely digital world during the beginning of the pandemic led to a different understanding and appreciation.

As companies, schools, and services all around the world replaced in-person interactions with digital meetings and online methods of communication last March, Barron sat at home, observing the increasing role of technology in the world as he completed computer science assignments and worked to program his own games and websites. 

“Seeing everything change during the pandemic showed how much there still is to go,” Barron said. “If only in a year’s time, we can change everything to be online, we can change so much. I think there’s definitely so much potential for making innovative things that can help people.”

A year after the pandemic started, Barron is now planning to bring his skills from two years of computer science classes at La Salle to Oregon State University, where he hopes to make a positive impact on humanity through innovations in technology. 

Barron currently spends an average of an hour each day working on computer science projects, such as websites or digital games. Although attempts to replicate games like Pac-Man marked the beginning of Barron’s exploration of computer science back in middle school, he still finds fulfillment in coding online games, sometimes playing them with his friends after their completion. 

“For some reason, I keep going back to games,” he said. “It’s very satisfying to do something and be able to play it.”

When Barron is not in front of his computer monitors programming online card games or designing gaming websites, he divides the remainder of his time between soccer, piano, and other schoolwork. 

Barron has played club soccer and completed three years of soccer with La Salle, noting that he has made most of his friends through the program. He also practices piano regularly, with the same piano teacher he has had for around ten years now. 

Recently, an organization that donates pianos gifted Barron’s family a baby grand piano that “we got to bring into our home,” he said. “It definitely motivated me to play more.”

As Barron navigated a rigorous course load throughout high school, including multiple AP classes and advanced math courses, he said it was activities like soccer, computer science, and piano that helped him stay focused. 

“I think they were something to look forward to every day,” Barron said. “You have this work on the side, but then you can focus on soccer or computer science as that’s what’s actually driving you. It kind of motivated me.”

Despite Barron’s academic success at La Salle, he did not have any specific goals going into high school. “I was just trying to survive, week by week at La Salle,” he said. 

Alongside his positive experience taking Advanced Topics in Computer Science at La Salle, Barron’s high school education is characterized by the close relationships he developed with teachers, and the range of courses offered at La Salle. 

“Oh my gosh, the teachers here are crazy amazing,” he said. “We hit the jackpot.”

Barron enjoyed having Mr. Larry Swanson as a math teacher, as “he doesn’t really care if his students are good or bad at math — he’s still going to be really nice to them,” he said.

English educator Mr. Paul Dreisbach is also a favorite teacher of Barron’s. Although Barron typically prioritized STEM classes like math and computer science at La Salle, he appreciated the “really deep thinking” involved in his AP English courses. 

“I think they’re completely different types of classes,” Barron said, referring to the English and STEM classes he has taken. 

Barron said he has always appreciated this difference, enjoying the constant critical thinking and evaluation involved in English, and feeling rewarded by grasping math topics quickly in class. For English classes, “you go in, and there’s always an essay to work on or be thinking about,” he said. “At least for me, math classes and STEM classes, it’s more like, you kind of get the work done inside of class, and it’s less of a load on your brain.”

When classes — in English or STEM subjects — got difficult for Barron, he was grateful for the opportunity to turn to computer science, soccer, or piano as an outlet. As advice for other students, Barron suggested finding a hobby or activity that acts as a release.

“Definitely find something you like to do,” he said. “I was really glad that they had the advanced topics computer science course… I guess I was really lucky to have started in middle school and to have liked programming and computer science and coding.”

Barron also attributes his academic accomplishments to his decision to take advanced courses early in high school. “If you do courses in high school that are going to help you in college,” Barron said, these actions will “compound, like a snowball rolling,” and ultimately make you better prepared for the future.

Next year, when Barron will start at Oregon State University, he is considering “trying to work on some projects, or trying to get an internship somewhere with a tech company.”

“I mean of course, in college, there are probably a million things, opportunities to have fun,” he said. “Especially Oregon State, there’s a lot of stuff you can do.”

In the meantime, Barron will continue expanding his computer science knowledge each day, finishing long-term projects and returning to his early endeavors of creating games. “I look forward to it every day,” he said.