2006 GRAD HEADS TO CAMBRIDGE

Greg Tainter graduated from Wilson in 2006 and was just accepted to The University of Cambridge to pursue a doctoral degree in physics/materials science engineering starting this fall. The University of Cambridge, also Informally known as Cambridge University or Cambridge, is located in Cambridge, England and is one of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in the world.

During high school, Greg was a member of the Wilson's Varsity Soccer Team, was recognized as an AP Scholar by the College Board, and was a Woodrow Wilson Scholar and a Valedictorian. He participated in Boy Scouts, Portland City United Soccer Club, Milk Creek Outdoor School, Wilson Model UN, and Wilson Economics Team.

Greg received a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Engineering in Materials Science and Engineering from The University of Pennsylvania; a Master of Science in physics of material from Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France; and a Master of Science in Engineering and Applied Physics from Technische Universität München, München, Germany.

He recalls several inspiring teachers at Wilson, Mr. Penk, Mr. Boly, Mr. Meiner, Ms. Feller, Mr. Gerber, Mr. Biemer, Mr. Murphy, and Ms. Fischer. Commenting on remaining Wilson teachers, Greg adds, "Mr. Penk is an incredible educator, working tirelessly to translate chemistry into simple, understandable processes. It was through his teaching that I started connecting chemical equations to visualizations of physical phenomena. Ms. Feller did an amazing job watching over our unruly AP physics course, kept everyone on their toes and motivated- no easy task with 20 know-it-all boys. Mr. Boly calmly pushed everyone to dig a bit deeper, and brought everyone to find their own appreciation of the written word. He also was one of the early influences that inspired me to travel, after learning of his time in the Peace Corps. I still consider joining off and on today.”

Greg states, “Overall, I was lucky to have had outstanding teachers across the board, and draw no small amount of encouragement knowing that several of them are still working hard at WHS to educate and mentor the next generation of students and educators.”

Congratulations Greg and to his parents, Bill Tainter & Denise Demaray!