Following His Interests: A CTD Grad's Journey to China and College

by Ross Middleton

When we last spoke to CTD alum Augustine Pasin, he was a rising high school junior, seeking—and finding—new educational opportunities in China. Though he had lived in Hong Kong with his family when he was younger, he was now on his own in Shanghai, the only student at his school with English as a first language. Though classes were taught in English, Pasin pushed himself to become fluent in Mandarin, and excelled in computer science and neurology among what he calls an "intense, intelligent" group of students. Now in his first year at the University of Notre Dame, Pasin is exploring other areas of study, including international business and economics. "You don't want to tie yourself down too hard," he explains in an interview with CTD. "Even if you're really passionate, especially in your freshman and sophomore years, it's important to do as much as possible."

Augustine Pasin's curiosity was always wide in its scope-he admits to childhood plans to become an astronaut, as well as a love for art—and he didn't always know where he fit in school. An avid reader, he nonetheless struggled in his classes: his mother Jane describes reaching a "critical point" when she learned about CTD and began exploring testing for Augustine. He took the SAT® in seventh grade, and the results indicated that Augustine was more than capable of advanced learning: he went on to attend CTD's Summer Program for four years. Recalling his first class, an architecture course, Pasin describes adjusting to the "big time commitment" of homework while experiencing a new level of engagement with learning. "You could satiate knowledge every day," he says of his first class, in which he learned physics concepts through models and practical examples. "The teacher was amazing," Pasin notes, and the experience showed him ways classroom learning can extend beyond a lecture or a textbook.

Pasin continues to gravitate toward intellectual challenges, and his recent college application process further clarified his academic aims. He experienced school selection as a chance for self-inquiry, posing crucial questions while researching the best fit. "Where do I want to be? Where do I want to see myself? What sort of people do I want to interact with?" Pasin asked himself, and he advises others to do the same. "It's really important to identify what your core is, and to be able to clearly and meaningfully explain that to a university," Pasin explains. In doing this, he realized the importance of personalized instruction in his college experience, and found a home at Notre Dame.

Midway through his first year, he's discovering new pursuits in surprising ways: two programs at Notre Dame have brought nature, social justice, and close encounters with the Humanities into Augustine's life. A recipient of the selective, merit-based Hesburgh-Yusko scholarship, he has gotten the opportunity to learn from world-class guest lecturers during the school year while once again enriching his education in the summer; last year, he participated in Outward Bound, and a social service summer awaits. "I love the mission to develop leadership with the intent to pursue social justice," he says of the program.

A second initiative, the Glynn Family Honors Program gives Augustine—once certain of a future in medicine—the chance to take a deep dive into literary and philosophical texts. Through the program's focused, seminar-style courses, Pasin is no longer a stranger to reading 200 pages for a class; this long-time high fantasy and sci-fi enthusiast now gets to experience the imaginative rush of gothic fiction with a professor who's a "superstar" Frankenstein scholar.

Another 10-student course has immersed him in the writings of Hume and Descartes, and the questions raised by those thinkers seem very much on Pasin's mind. When asked what kind of CTD course he would design for a learner like him, he describes a look at the "clockwork" of our current world: a philosophical look at the values of today. "We're not living in the past anymore," explains this student of varied and changing interests. "We're living in a present, evolving society."

 Ross Middleton is an independent writer and formerly part of CTD’s Summer Program staff. He received his BA in English Literature from Wesleyan University and an MFA in Writing from Sarah Lawrence. Read more by Ross Middleton