Christopher Saunders was born in Boston, MA, and has lived there all his life. Born on January 1st of 1986, he lives with his two parents in Roxbury as an only child. He is a currently a senior at Boston Latin School, with plans of attending college and possibly graduate school. It’s possible that he would pursue in a plethora of careers ranging from physical therapy to politics. Having an intense issue in local and world affairs, he wants to be in a position where he can help people, and make a difference in their lives.
Chris never had to be told the importance of helping people. Although not a religious person himself, he has always been looked upon by others as a compassionate, and understanding individual. A firm believer in the benefit of hard work, it is hard to find a task that Chris is not willing to handle, and even harder to find something he has started and not finished.
Since he was six, he has had an immense love for the game of football. His passion is rooted not in the physical aspect of the sport, but the philosophical concepts that he himself is directly linked. The game, being only so many minutes long, is a chance for a man to prove himself in every venue of the human state: physically, mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually. As a sixie, Chris went out for the football team, but was told that he was too young and had to wait a year. The following year in eighth grade, he showed up for practice and hasn’t stopped since. Devoted to his team and the game he plays all year round, he can be found in the weight room often in the off season, training and joking around with his team, and attending strength and conditioning camps in the summer. The game of football has taught him to take nothing in life for granted, and he plans to hopefully continue his career in college.
For that principle alone, the John William Ward Fellowship could have made number one on the priority list of things to be accomplished in his life. However, there was also the desire to be exposed to a political environment, the willingness to take on a challenge in a field that he had never step foot in, and a curiosity about the inner-workings of the Massachusetts state government which stems from his unfaltering love of History.
Besides the football field and the weight room, Chris enjoys running, being with his friends, camping, reading, writing, and singing. He tries to spend as much time with his friends and family as possible, as he believes that without the two it would be particularly difficult to live. He volunteers during the winter as a snowboard instructor at Youth Enrichment Services, an organization that funds outdoor trips throughout the year for inner city children. He is also the co-manager of the all male a cappella group at Latin, the notorious Wolftones, and an active member of the school Gospel Choir. He has just completed his second year in Photography, and plans to continue this after high school.
As Chris begins his internship at the State House, he hopes that this position will give him some exposition into the life of a politician, and open up future public service opportunities.
Chris’s sponsor is Thomas M. Finneran.