Cosmin Deaconu will attend Stanford University after he graduates from McQueen High School in June.
article by Carla Roccapriore, RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL 2005
Cosmin Deaconu
Age: 18
School: McQueen High School
Residence: Reno
Family: Parents, Valentin and Taisa; and sister, Ana, 16
By Carla Roccapriore
croccapriore@rgj.com
Cosmin Deaconu speaks four languages: English, Romanian, Spanish and math.
He is proficient in each one.
But some say he rules when it comes to mathematics.
Cosmin, 18, is the top winner in the 2005 Best of Education competition, awarding the McQueen High School senior a $20,000 scholarship.
The honor came as a shock.
“I had no idea about it,” Cosmin said. “My teachers must have been acting in secret or something.”
Cosmin has continued to push himself above and beyond the call of school duty. On June 9, Cosmin will graduate McQueen High School with 30.5 credits, well over the required 22.5 credits needed to pass high school.
He is Valedictorian 2005.
In the crowd will be his family, who Cosmin credits for his success. His parents’ love, support and encouragement over the years has helped shape his future.
“They always wanted me to do my best,” he said.
Learning has come easy for Cosmin.
His family fled war-torn Romania during a civil war. He was in kindergarten when his family moved to the United States.
Cosmin did not speak English when he first arrived in Iowa, his family’s first stop. He learned the language in kindergarten, and then he learned Spanish.
Math has always been his favorite language.
“In addition to his impressive transcript, Cosmin has taken mathematics courses at the University of Nevada, Reno every semester since the beginning of his junior year,” said Leslie Hermann, McQueen High’s assistant principal.
When nominating Cosmin for the award, Hermann said he excelled early on. He had taken 10 advanced-placement classes, including calculus his sophomore year. The whiz kid has earned the title as McQueen’s “unofficial math tutor.”
His favorite classes in school have been calculus, English, history and government. He’s been a member of the school’s debate team, mock trial group, academic Olympic teams and National Honor Society.
“Cosmin doesn’t just participate in an activity to put it on his resume – he participates fully and enhances all other students’ experiences,” his English teacher Susan Vaughn wrote on Cosmin’s nomination form.
His destination after graduation: Stanford University.
“The other option would be Harvard, but Stanford seemed more laid back and the weather was nicer,” Cosmin said.