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Schools

Whiz Kid: Justin Katzovitz

The Eagle Scout and Hinsdale Central senior looks forward to a career as an astronaut.

Name: Justin Katzovitz

Age: 18

Grade: Senior

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School: 

Accomplishment: Katzovitz was an offensive lineman on the Hinsdale Central football team, and is currently a varsity wrestler. He is also a member of the National Honor Society. 

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Key to Awesomeness: Katzovitz has been involved with the Boy Scouts of America since he was in elementary school, and recently became an Eagle Scout. To become an Eagle Scout, the highest rank a scout can attain, Katzovitz had to achieve requirements ranging from the demonstration of outdoor skills to assuming leadership roles.

"[Scouting] gets you involved with the community and also on a national level," Katzovitz said. "It gets you involved religiously and gets you in touch with your church [or] synagogue."

Some of Katzovitz's favorite scouting memories include summer campouts and being a chaplain's aide at the Philmont Scout Ranch in northern New Mexico two years ago. He has appreciated the road that led to his becoming an Eagle Scout, but acknowledges that it wasn't an easy task.

"Obviously it's really hard work, but I don't really see it as hard work," Katzovitz said. 

Katzovitz's main focus while finishing his last year at Hinsdale Central is the wrestling season. He recently placed second at the Berman Classic in Palatine. He said that the Red Devils are only halfway through their season, but "I feel confident." 

What’s Next: Katzovitz hopes to attend the Air Force Academy next year. He has already gotten his congressional nomination, which is the first step to receiving admission to the Academy, and he will receive a decision in March. If he attends the Air Force Academy, he will serve five years of active duty after college. Katzovitz hopes to study astronomical engineering at college, and eventually hopes to become an astronaut.

"It's been my childhood dream; I grew up with it," he said. "I've always loved the planets and space, [and] math and science are definitely my strongest subjects."

Katzovitz looks forward to the rest of the wrestling season, and thinks that the wrestling schedule (which he calls "really tough") will keep him disciplined.

"Wrestling is a lot of fun, a lot of work, and will prepare me for the Academy," he said. 

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