EVERGREEN PARK, IL — A current Evergreen Park Community High School student is already a college graduate. 

Maximilian Castillo is the first Moraine Valley Community College graduate in which the school is aware of to ever earn a degree prior to their high school graduation. The 17-year-old from Evergreen Park actually earned his associate’s degree in general studies in Summer 2024, prior to the start of his senior year at EPCHS. Not only did he accomplish the feat so quickly, he did so while earning the Summa Cum Laude distinction for students with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. 

“I took a pretty diverse selection of courses, but I did go further in the science field than I did in humanities and social sciences,” said Castillo, who was recently recognized as one of two EPCHS senior students who were named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists. 

Science has long been Castillo’s favorite area of study. He credits EPCHS science teachers Kevin Knapik, who taught him in AP Biology; and Bryn Zingrebe, who taught him both Honors Chemistry and AP Chemistry, for “pushing me along the way and giving me the idea of pursuing more coursework in the sciences.” 

He’s in the process of applying to a number of top-ranked schools across the country, sharing his specific interest in the chemistry program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

“I would love to go to a university that heavily incorporates the current physical science literature into undergraduate coursework,” Castillo said. “My dream school is MIT due to its dedication to keeping its curriculum relevant as well as its commitment to creativity in the sciences. MIT is very much a stretch coming from a small high school, but I would be more than happy going to any school with a strong chemistry department and a collaborative environment!”

Castillo said he fell in love with chemistry in his first semester at Moraine Valley, and hopes to be involved in some capacity with biomolecular therapies.

“Every time I take a course, it’s like a new world opening up,” he said. 

At Moraine Valley, Castillo began in the summer semester of 2023, and mastered the use of the “interim” system the school uses in which students have the opportunity to complete four-week courses without having any breaks throughout the semester. 

As of the first week of October 2024, Castillo has earned 92 college credits, well above the threshold needed to earn an associate’s degree. He said it was only one prerequisite course, AP Language, to have its credits become official this past summer, or otherwise he would have earned the degree even earlier than he did. 

It’s more than likely that by the time Castillo officially becomes an EPCHS graduate this May, he will have earned multiple college degrees, as he’s only one credit away from picking up an associate’s degree in science from Moraine Valley as well. Added to his academic schedule is also a course in biochemistry he’s enrolled in at the University of Illinois-Chicago. 

Through the process, Castillo’s school counselor, Eileen Durkin, was “extremely supportive in helping me navigate significant changes in my academics and advocating for my ability to pursue higher level coursework.” 

Although he’s a proud member of Mustang Nation, he rarely has the opportunity to enjoy life on the campus. His EPCHS coursework is completed on a fully remote basis due to having been born with a hypersensitivity to gluten. 

“It has gotten to the point where I am unable to be in the same building where gluten is being produced. And it’s mass produced in cooking and baking.” he said, noting that he has been able to attend most of his Moraine Valley and UIC courses in-person.  

Through the power of post-COVID era technology, Castillo has had the opportunity to closely connect with his EPCHS teachers and peers remotely. 

“I love the staff at EPCHS,” he said. “The encouragement I’ve received from teachers and administrators has impacted me profoundly. I do not think I would be nearly as far along as I am with my college studies without the support of everyone at EPCHS.”