In 2017 Emery Latchaw graduated from St. Barnabas. It was at St. Barnabas that two significant things happened in his life. Not only did Emery discover his love for the sciences at St. Barnabas, but he met Mr. Joseph, his 8th grade science teacher. The impact that teachers have on students’ learning and interests are often discussed, and in Emery’s case, it seems to be evident that his appreciation for Mr. Joseph, and his passion for science run parallel. Not only has Mr. Joseph supported Emery in his education, but he has encouraged Emery to attend wildlife camp and pursue his dreams. Emery can easily recall the many experiments that St. Barnabas’ science program offered. “We had a garden where I grew broccoli and brussel sprouts. Every day, we would go to the garden and later we would write a blog about it. It was a lot of fun!”

Just recently, Emery built a battlebot with which he competed with at Father Lopez on October 18th. His bot came in second place, but came very close to taking home the gold with not a scratch to be seen on its body. Emery now attends DeLand High School and is a part of the DeLand Engineering Program. He loves being a part of the program as he says, “it’s fun, straightforward, and you are constantly building new projects.” Emery is no stranger to mechanics. His hobbies include four-wheeling and dirt biking. Additionally, Emery is a professional speed skater.

Emery has two years left at DeLand High School but intends on continuing in the engineering field and will be applying to lineman school upon graduation. Emery is certainly a go-getter and can easily define his goals. Emery says that he is motivated by his own personal enjoyment, and that he follows his own path. St. Barnabas certainly commends Emery for all his hard work and is looking forward to watching his engineering career continue to grow.

Article written by: Lauren A. Davids