Junior Evan Monsanto believes growing up Catholic, attending private school, and being a third-generation immigrant has shaped his views on life. 

Monsanto resided in Washington, where he now finds himself occasionally visiting his grandparents who live on the Olympic Peninsula.

After moving to Oregon in 2019, Monsanto was excited for the new academic challenges that awaited him. After moving here he enrolled at Christ the King Parish School for third grade. Overall, Christ the King offered Monsanto a good education and experience that prepared him well for life at La Salle. 

Monsanto was called to La Salle because of its close proximity to his house and also “it has some great academic opportunities, [like] math that goes beyond AP,” he said.

Because some of Monsanto’s biggest influences are math teacher Mr. Peter Shelburne, Math Department Chair Ms. Kathleen Jahn, and Science Department Chair Mr. Kyle Voge, he felt comfortable challenging himself academically knowing the support that La Salle is able to offer him.

“[After] you get past algebra and Geometry and the common core stuff, math becomes more of a creative subject,” he said. “You get to play around with numbers in a way that you don’t see anywhere else.”

Monsanto’s current favorite classes are AP Calculus BC and Multivariable Vector Calculus.

However, math isn’t the only thing that guides Monsanto. Fostering friendships with kind people who share common interests and humor has also been a priority during his time at La Salle. 

“As a person who’s interested in science and math, there aren’t a lot of people who share that kind of level with me,” Monsanto said. 

Outside of life at La Salle, Monsanto plays piano, tutors, and enjoys learning about computer programming.

Monsanto is also proud of earning his black belt in taekwondo, which he sees as a significant accomplishment.

“Specifically with martial arts, it’s about self-improvement,” Monsanto said. “It’s about sharpening your mind.”

As Monsanto has grown up, he has had a continuously rising interest in computer programming as well as a recent interest in the mathematics of AI and the creation of neural networks. Monsanto started programming using the coding app Scratch and has progressed to using Python, a more advanced programming language. 

Using Python, he was able to make a program that can detect written down numbers as well as generate simple videos. Monsanto said he was motivated to continue learning and finishing projects because, “whenever I finish a project, the feeling is really satisfying.”

Monsanto’s biggest role model is physicist Stephen Hawking, “he’s stuck in a wheelchair, but at the same time he’s discovering new things about black holes trillions of light years away,” he said. “It just surprises me how someone so stationary could do something so dynamic.”

Shifting from his earlier dream career of astrophysicist, Monsanto is currently hoping to pursue a career related to AI, although he said choosing a specific career is difficult currently because the tech world is “constantly changing.”