I am Brando Palmarini.
I am a senior at Boston Latin School. Before that, my life drastically and quickly changed as I moved to the U.S. from Italy, where I was born and raised. Soon I was immersed in a new environment at my middle school, halfway through my time there I earned a spot at this prestigious public school, and it’s been an exceptional journey since then.
I am a native Italian speaker, but English has been my first language for over five years when I moved to Boston where, in addition to Latin, I started studying Chinese four years ago.
I chose Chinese after a trip to Shanghai which impressed me so much that I tried to know more about the country and culture through its interesting language. This is something that happens to me relatively often: having traveled to the UK, France, Switzerland, Greece, and Guatemala where I was a member of the Italian delegation of CISV. What interests me the most about these experiences is to understand the history and culture of each country. This is why I am a member of the Boston CISV Chapter as well, which I helped to establish thanks to my previous international experience. Cultural exchange and friendship are important to me and finding a way to help others to achieve them is more than a mission to me.
After trying different sports I discovered my true passion: rowing. This is my third year in the BLS Boys Crew and - between training and competitions - I spend a good part of my free time on a boat or an erg machine. Over the last three years I’ve raced quite a bit and racked up a few medals. Some of my most memorable moments were racing at the Head Of The Charles and being the first BLS boat to requalify, as well as winning states the year prior. I like it so much that I am the founder of Zerow which aims to launch a zero environmental impact rowing team. This way I can combine my passion for rowing with my desire to understand in a deeper and more direct way the issues of our planet and our society. The project has caught the eye of some international companies and we hope to be their first pilot in regards to this type of project, and to later export it following our blueprint. It has also been approved to be under the “.eco” domain. The thing that struck me is the relative lack of innovation in a sport with a very long tradition, however, rowing is just an example of how everything – from sports to industries - has to deal with change and the great challenges of our planet such as climate change or inclusion.
I am co-founder and tutor of Docemus Tutoring we established during the COVID-19 pandemic, when we saw the short-comings of the learning systems adopted by many schools across America. With Docemus Tutoring we seek to provide a free individualized education experience for those who need it most. The project has gained some attention and we’ve become an official partner of Boston Public Schools, in order to have an impact on our communities.
I volunteer at my school as a student leader in organizing the school’s book rooms, at Crash-B’s where I help setting up the events including the placing of equipment, and building of infrastructure and at the Giovanni Armenise Harvard Foundation where I help with the guest reception of visiting students.
I am an officer of the Junior Statesmen of America and a certified trained CPR of the American Heart Association, and I dabble in American Sign Language.
I also have a few medals to pin to my chest, I won a bronze, a silver and even a gold (with a perfect score in 2019) at the National Latin Exam, I am a member of the Boston Latin School Honor Society and I pride myself on having received the approbation for every year since 2017.
You can reach me via mail or find a more formal CV