Oakmont Teen Finds Staying Active is the Key to Success

Antonio Paris is involved with government, academics, service organizations, dance and sports.

The 17-year old senior also works part-time at the Longwood at Oakmont and in the summer, volunteers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s (UPMC) hospitals.

“I have to keep busy,” Antonio said. “I always feel like I can be doing more.”

It’s hard to say if that’s possible, considering his schedule is pretty packed. But the Riverview senior said that doing more doesn’t just mean lining up a full roster of extracurricular activities.  

“When I say I feel I can do more,” he explained, “I also mean helping people. I consider myself someone who had a good life and I try to give back.”

Some of that giving back comes from his role in Riverview’s Key Club service organization, where Antonio serves as president.

Involved with the Kiwanis International program throughout school, he was also a member of the Kiwanis Builders Club when he was in junior high. He served as president of Builders Club as well.

Among his activities with the Key Club are monthly bingo games with military veterans and community activities for young kids.

“It’s such a nice way to give back,” he said. “I don’t think people realize how much those little things help people over time.”

Giving back takes Antonio to UPMC hopsitals where he volunteers as a guide in the summer. 

There, he said he is able to help those who are concerned about their loved ones and trying to find their way around UPMC’s maze-like network of hospitals in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

Antonio, who wants to be a surgeon, said that his mom, Maria Paris—a nursing student—and his aunt, Jennifer Paris—a therapist—have served as good examples for working with those in the medical field.

“I’ve always had the patient care aspect in my home,” he said.  

And aside from patient care, Antonio seems interested in the research end of medicine as well. A participant in the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science competitions, he said his work has repeatedly garnered first place at the regional and state levels.

In his junior year, he even received an $8,000 scholarship from Penn State University.

One of his research projects, “Effects of contaminants on blood glucose levels” delved into a subject that is personal for Antonio—diabetes.

“I wanted to see if there were certain things I could place on my fingers to see if they’d affect the (blood sugar) readings,” he said.

Antonio has diabetes himself. In his experiments, he said he found that certain substances—among them soap—affect the readings.

“That was a weird thing because you always have to wash your hands before you do that,” he said.

Another activity that Antonio attributes his interest in science to is participation in the Gene Team at the University of Pittsburgh.

When he’s not doing science or service, Antonio can be found working at the Longwood at Oakmont as a server, creating stunts as a captain of the cheerleading squad, performing with the Riverview Dance Club, or taking part in the Model United Nations program.

Just a month ago, Antonio was selected by Riverview High School principal Jay Moser when Verona Mayor David Ricupero asked for a student to do a presentation on the history of Verona at a meeting of Pittsburgh-area mayors.

“I was pretty impressed and excited to do it,” he said. “I was honored to.”

It may have been a new experience for Antonio, but, in a way, that is nothing new.

“I do try to do everything I possibly can,” he said. “I want to try everything once.”