Journey to top: Manteca High senior Davis reflects on his path to excellence

While Manteca High senior Ian Davis loves learning, and his academic achievements are impressive, he says that the social part of high school has been the thing that’s truly made his experience at Manteca High School unforgettable. (Hanna Palacio/The Tower)

By DECLAN EDWARDS 
The Tower 

Ian Davis has carved a legacy of excellence at Manteca High School. His knowledge of math, science, and programming have proven him as one of the smartest individuals on campus.  

Behind Davis’s pure academic achievements, though, is a genuine love for learning, a desire to push himself to constantly improve, and a determination to help others. Davis has pursued his love for learning outside the class even more than inside of it. 

“I get home from school and I’m usually laying around on the couch and watching a video, and most of the time the video is about math. Even when I want to relax and play, like, video games, I end up doing math related or programming related things,” Davis said. 

While he loves learning, and his academic achievements are impressive, Davis says that the social part of high school has been the thing that’s truly made his experience at Manteca High School unforgettable. 

“I found a very specific group of people who I have meshed really well with that I didn’t really expect coming into high school. I kind of expected to not be around that many people because that was generally my elementary experience. I’ve kind of built a community that has been great to be around. Even though I didn’t expect it, the social aspect has ended up being one of, probably the best, part of high school for me,” Davis said. 

Davis has also had a profound impact on the people around him. Alexander Kona is a student Davis tutored in calculus.

“Ian taught me to look deeper into specific things rather than take them at face value. For example, calculus looks hard at first, but Ian helped me digest the information, and it became a lot easier,” Kona said. 

Davis has stood out as a beacon of excellence at Manteca High School. His intricate knowledge of math and brilliance in STEM fields sets him apart from his peers. Davis’s unrelenting curiosity and passion for problem solving have helped shape his path to the peak of excellence. 

Davis hasn’t had a simple or easy path to the top. It’s been a journey fueled by determination, a passionate curiosity, and a desire to get the most out of everything he does. 

The Tower caught up with Ian Davis to learn about the route he took to the zenith of high school excellence, to reminisce on his time at Manteca High School, and to focus on his future plans. 

The Tower: Who do you think has impacted you the most in your life? 

Ian Davis: I do have to say both of my parents have been pretty instrumental to who I am as a person, but also to my interests. My dad is a programmer, so he’s always been someone who’s leaned me in that direction for computers and technology in general. But him and my mom are both very into mathematics, and so I have, from both sides, gotten a lot of my interest in math. 

TT: Have you felt pressures from yourself or others to excel at everything you do or has that all just been a natural part of the process for you? 

ID: I think I have internal pressure to do well. I’ve always wanted to excel at things. I think it started because I did well early on and then because I was there I worked to stay there but eventually it kind of fell away as just obligation by the time I hit 8th grade. 

TT: What are your career aspirations? 

ID: I’m hoping to be a theoretical physicist which means I sit around in offices and things and do a bunch of math for money. 

TT: Where are you planning to go after high school? 

ID: College is pretty much required for my field of study. I want at least a masters, but I may end up shooting for a PhD. My three schools right now are UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UC Davis. I may end up double majoring in math and physics, and if I do, I’ll get at least a masters in both. 

TT: Do you think you’ll miss Manteca High School? 

ID: I am definitely going to miss the time that I’ve had with the people who I’ve gotten to be around. I’m excited and scared for the rest of my life at the same time. I’ve thought about it a lot recently. It’s exciting, but having to leave behind these people that I’ve gotten to know so well is something I’m really sad about. This has all reminded me to cherish the moments that I have now while I have them, so I’ve been trying to do that as much as possible.