Zac is Harvard-bound. 

In a world where high school seniors often feel pressured to follow a rigid formula to get into top-tier universities, Zac spent his time at Collingwood doing the opposite. He simply followed his natural curiosity wherever it led, resulting in acceptance letters from some of the world’s most renowned institutions, including Yale, Oxford, UCLA, and UC Berkeley. 

While choosing Harvard over Oxford’s legendary Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE) program is a decision very few seventeen-year-olds ever have to make, Zac kept his focus entirely on the reality of the student experience. He recognized that all of these top-tier institutions offer incredible resources and are home to brilliant minds. His choice wasn’t about comparing accolades – it was about finding the specific community where he could truly collaborate and grow. It was entirely about finding the right fit.

A Flawless Academic Resume

To truly understand Zac is to look past his flawless academic resume and see a student with the grounded perspective of an old soul. He is a member of the Canadian National Debate Team, set to represent the country in Nairobi, Kenya this summer. He has fully embraced Collingwood’s Advanced Placement (AP) program, earning perfect scores of 5 on every exam he’s taken. Yet, if you only view him as a math and economics prodigy, you miss who he really is. This is also the student who spends his downtime coding and modifying retro game consoles, writing science fiction stories, and enjoying complex roles on the Collingwood stage, like the Burgomaster in The Visit.

Zac’s wide range of interests comes from a deep-seated curiosity and belief that everything is connected. "Much of my free time in childhood was spent reading and watching videos online, accumulating as much knowledge as I could about whatever obsession overcame me that month or year, from cars to geography to the history of rock music," Zac reflects. 

"I always believed that whatever I learned would be useful in some way, however unexpected its application may be. If something was worth understanding, it was worth deeply understanding."

Contributing to Long-Term Change

What stands out most about Zac is how he takes this massive breadth of knowledge and actually applies it to the real world. In 2019, he founded The ZacPac Project, a charitable initiative that has distributed over 8,800 essential-filled dry bags to unhoused individuals across nine Canadian cities. Where others might see a purely social issue, Zac’s analytical mind saw a systemic challenge.

While The ZacPac Project was designed to provide a small amount of temporary comfort, the experience opened Zac's eyes to a much larger picture. "It forced me to look at the systemic issues impacting housing," he notes. "Seeing how regulatory barriers constrain housing supply and how support services are routinely stretched thin made me realize how economic structures dictate who struggles." Rather than overstating the project's impact, Zac views it as the catalyst for his future goals: studying economics to eventually contribute to long-term, structural change.

Personal Pathway

This is exactly the kind of purpose-driven passion and agency that Collingwood School deliberately nurtures. Through the school's commitment to the Four Strands — Academics, Arts, Athletics, and Service Learning — students explore broadly early on, discovering talents they might not have known they had. By the senior years, this model shifts toward true personalization, giving students the flexibility to dive deeply into the specific areas that align with their future goals.

For Zac, this meant he didn't have to choose between being an academic, an artist, or a humanitarian—he could be all three. He was able to master high-level economics, compete globally on the Canadian National Debate Team, command the stage in lead theatrical roles, and run a major charitable initiative like The ZacPac Project. 

Collingwood School supports students in pursuing their passions with purpose, partnering with them to navigate the multi-faceted post-secondary journey. Rather than steering individuals toward a predetermined track, the University Guidance (UG) team empowers students like Zac to take ownership of their path and build the critical decision-making skills needed for the future.

How University Guidance Supported Zac

"What I found special about Collingwood's UG was how they provided helpful advice without prescribing any particular path," Zac says. "Meetings always resembled dialogues more than lectures, with guidance about how to best achieve my goals, not what anyone else thought my goals should be."

This collaborative approach gave Zac the space to truly figure out his next steps. 

"Zac oscillated from business interests back to social sciences, looking for a fulsome liberal arts education," notes his Collingwood University Counsellor, Ms. Adriaanse. "Our conversations were always about helping him maximize his options while managing expectations without dismissing his ambitions. His process was never about chasing a name; it was about finding an environment that matched his natural curiosity."

For Zac, that environment was Harvard, where he will study economics and philosophy. 

Choosing Harvard

The decision wasn't easy, but it ultimately came down to a distinct appreciation for community and mentorship. During on-campus events for admitted students in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Zac found a culture of peers who were intensely passionate about their niche interests, yet remarkably warm and welcoming. He also saw the value in joining upperclassmen at Harvard who are alumni of the Canadian national debate scene—giving him a built-in network of mentors to help guide his next chapter.

Zac leaves behind a legacy of mentorship and an appreciation for teamwork at Collingwood. After leading his peers to a victory at the 2025 Harvard World Schools Invitational, his proudest takeaway wasn't the trophy, but the chemistry and resilience the team developed along the way.

"The win reaffirmed my understanding that all great teams are greater than the sum of their parts," Zac says. "Winning alongside teammates that had become genuinely close friends throughout the tournament made it all the more special." 

As the executive of the school’s Academic Committee and captain of the debate club, he spent his final year pouring that wisdom back into younger students, celebrating their recent podium finishes at the junior national championships with the same genuine pride he holds for his own achievements.

An Unpredictable Future

As Zac prepares to step onto the Harvard campus, he looks toward a future rapidly being reshaped by artificial intelligence and shifting global landscapes. He isn't intimidated by the unpredictable world ahead; he is energized by it.

This mindset aligns closely with Collingwood’s pedagogy, which prioritizes competencies over content and focuses on real-world experiences and skills like discernment, resilience, and adaptability. It’s a philosophy designed to ensure that no matter how fast the world changes, students are poised to respond. For a self-driven learner like Zac, that flexibility has been key to preparing for what comes next.

"The jobs and industries that I am interested in now may not exist in the same form when I graduate," he notes. "My primary goal is thus to accumulate as much knowledge as I can over the next few years, so I can be adaptable and a difference-maker with the perspectives I bring to whichever career path I choose."