Eighteen-year-old Nathan Martin, Plainfield High School’s Class of 2010 Valedictorian, was President of the school’s National Honor Society, a class officer and a well-rounded athlete who, after working his way through summer vacation, plans to attend the honors program at UConn in Storrs, where he will study chemical engineering.

With so many things already accomplished in his young life, Martin said the thing he is most proud of is the receipt of the CT Association of Schools Scholar Athlete Award, an award that acknowledges students who excel both on an off the playing field - or in his case, the track. “I think it’s really important to have balance,” he said.

Prepared to move away from home as a participant in UConn’s Connection Mentor Program, Martin also feels ready to face the challenges of college academics. “Time management is a big factor,” he said of his success. “You have to learn that you can’t have an enormous amount of fun every day…it’s one of those deals where you budget your time,” he continued. “That sort of makes me a bit more confident for college next year. I have a pretty good understanding of how I should budget my time.”