About Jobel

Hello! My name is Jobel Kyle Vecino and I am a rising senior at Hercules High School. I am privileged to join my cohort in visiting the East Coast and attending Yale University as members of the Grand Strategies program this summer.

I have been attending Hercules Middle High School for the past six years. In that time, I have learned a myriad of things both in academic studies and about myself. In particular, I have focused my time and interests in English and Social Studies, while making forays into the Sciences and Math. I have made a multitude of friends and encountered amazing people in my time there, as well as outside of the school, and I try my best to learn and grow from those I meet.

Outside of academics my interests vary. I have been an active part of my local Boy Scout troop, having served as a Troop Guide and Senior Patrol Leader in the past. Despite the fact that I am not a member of any official school ensemble, I have strong interests in music -- I currently preside over the Hercules Save the Music club,  intern with a local nonprofit arts support organization, and I play the electric guitar in my spare time. I particularly enjoy writing -- I have been an active editor on my school's newspaper, The Titan Template, for two years, as well as having been published in our school's literary magazine, The Dynamite Factory. I also enjoy performing my poetry at Open Mic Nights and Poetry Slams. Law and politics also pique my interests -- I am an attorney on my school's Mock Trial team, and I have been a member of our school's Junior Statesmen of America club.

This is my second year as a member of the Ivy League Connection, having gone to Cornell last year as part of the Hotel Administration cohort. Just as that experience unequivocally helped me to grow up and see that there was so much more after high school. I am incredibly grateful that the ILC has chosen me once again to attend the Grand Strategies program at Yale. The idea of debate and in-depth dissection of how to succeed at anything tantalizes me.

I plan to take full advantage of this program, and learn all that I can. This is an exciting opportunity that often only comes once in lifetime -- and I will make that moment count a thousand times over.