My name is Van-Ado Jean-Noel, and what interests me is government and public service. What makes the human condition unique is the ability to collaborate and communicate effectively and efficiently. With collaboration, great things can be achieved, and I believe that this collaboration is the essence of government. I believe that with good intentions and dedicated minds, government can make a positive difference in people’s lives, which is why I wanted so much to be part of this Ward fellowship. I live in the beautiful neighborhood of Brighton, and my parents, who immigrated to America before my birth, come from Dominica and Haiti. I also have a younger sister, who enjoys, most of all, bothering me.
I unfortunately cannot say that I have overcome any major obstacles in life, but once I graduate high school in May, that will have surely changed. I love to do Karate, and have been doing that for 12 years. Currently, I am a second degree black-belt. This whole process has been one large feat that has strengthened both my character and my body itself. It’s one of the primary things that have made me strong in life, as it’s given me the courage to stand up for myself and to enact the change I want to see in the world. That courage has also helped me with public speaking, which is something that I found I loved doing. My greatest hope in life is that I’m able to have a tangible impact in the world and be remembered for something important. My greatest fear, which impacts me a lot more than my greatest hope, is the fear of running out of time. By that, I don’t mean that I fear being late, or being too busy—I fear not being able to accomplish all that I want by the time I become too old to achieve it. Even though there are an infinite amount of possibilities for someone young like me, I also spend a great deal of my time thoroughly enjoying my youth. I love playing sports, and video games, and also making people laugh. My academic plans for the future are at sort of a split. Half of me want to study economics and go into government, and the other half wants to learn about engineering, specifically at the nuclear level. Even though these two fields seem so different, they both will help drive ourselves forward. Personally, I like to think that nuclear energy is the future, and I want to be part of that future, which is why it interests me so much. While I do have all these plans for the future, something that I really love doing is talking and having fun with my friends. It is something I can never get bored of.
A cool fact about me is that I eat 2 waffles with peanut butter literally every day for breakfast.
One thing that I want to get out of the Ward fellowship is to find out, what happens behind the scenes for every congressman, and who makes them reach their full potential.