FEBRUARY 2024 · MVHS MTB
At the Dan Cook time trial.
A team post from my ninth-grade mountain-bike season, at the first time trial of 2024.
See postSTUDENT. EXPLORER. FILMMAKER.
DANVILLE, CALIFORNIA
Tommy
Fox
Curious about people, the outdoors, and the stories we find when we pay attention.
MONTE VISTA HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2027
↓A LITTLE ABOUT ME
I like noticing the details. How people learn. How places change. How small actions make a difference.
LOOK CLOSELY.
KEEP ASKING QUESTIONS.
I'm a senior at Monte Vista High School in Danville, California. I'm a swim instructor, a filmmaker, and someone who enjoys learning by doing. I'm interested in human health, caring for the outdoors, and finding useful ways to share what I learn.
01 / HEALTH & PUBLIC SAFETY
Curiosity,
with a purpose.
I'm interested in how people prepare, respond, and care for one another. That curiosity is taking me from the pool toward opportunities to learn about public safety and healthcare.
Learning from
the people who help.
I want to understand the preparation and teamwork behind helping someone when it matters.
SELECTED FOR IQUEST · SENIOR YEAR
I was selected through an application and interview for an iQuest placement with the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District.
The placement pairs me with a firefighter/paramedic mentor to learn about emergency response, public safety, and community risk reduction.
PREPAREDNESS
I've completed Community Emergency Response Team training through the district and became a California Disaster Service Worker Volunteer.
EXPLORING HUMAN HEALTH
A closer look
at care.
Healthcare shadowing has given me opportunities to observe pharmacy, outpatient-clinic, and hospital settings through BASS Medical Emerging Scholars and independent arrangements. These experiences have helped me explore how healthcare teams work together.
Student observation · John Muir · BASS Medical · Kaiser
02 / WATER SAFETY & TEACHING
Confidence grows
one lesson at a time.
Teaching a life skill starts with paying attention to the person learning it.
TOWN OF DANVILLEAQUATICS
WATCH. LISTEN. ENCOURAGE.
Learning to feel
at home in the water.
My work with the Town of Danville has included swim instruction, lifeguarding, and program leadership.
I help swimmers move from beginner confidence toward stronger technique. Each lesson asks me to explain clearly, notice what needs another try, and adjust to the swimmer in front of me.
SAFETY FIRST
Attention is part of the job.
Lifeguarding has given me practice staying observant and taking prevention seriously. Teaching and safety both depend on consistent attention.
A LOOK AT THE PROGRAM
These Town of Danville resources introduce the aquatics program where I've taught.
Summer aquatics in DanvilleThe town’s introduction to its 2026 swimming programs.See post ↗ Summer 2026 activity guideLessons and water-safety programs, beginning on page 8.Open guide ↗ Spring 2026 activity guideExplore the town’s recreation programs and aquatics offerings.Open guide ↗PRACTICE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
Back in
the water.
I swim with HOX and Monte Vista, including freestyle, Individual Medley, and relays.
Strength and conditioning are part of my routine. I enjoy seeing what steady practice can change, both in my own swimming and in the people I teach.
HOX Neal Johnson Pop Time Award · 2024 & 2025 · Personal improvement
03 / COMMUNITY & OUTDOORS
Care for people.
Care for places.
Being outdoors makes me want to be useful outdoors, too.
My service has included clearing trails and removing invasive plants on Mount Diablo, building bat habitat boxes with Fertile Groundworks, and helping refurbish bicycles. Each is a practical way to contribute to a place or a person.
HABITAT
Small projects, lasting purpose.
Building bat boxes and removing invasive plants gave me different ways to learn about habitat care while doing something hands-on.
PEOPLE ARE PART OF THE PICTURE
A little help,
closer to home.
Community service also means showing up for the people around me.
I've served meals at Loaves & Fishes and volunteered through town events and community programs. Senior yardwork is another way to help neighbors with something practical.
COMMUNITY, IN PERSON
A little time.
A chance to help.
Helping with town events is another way I get involved, from spring celebrations to fall activities for families.
More ways I've contributed
MOUNT DIABLO · SEPTEMBER 2023
A day of
clearing the way.
I joined the mountain-bike team and Climate Action Now for a cleanup of branches and debris. Working together is part of looking after the trails and outdoor spaces we use.
SOME OF THE WORK, IN CONTEXT
JULY 2022 · MOUNT DIABLOMaking room for native habitat.
I helped remove invasive yellow starthistle in Mount Diablo State Park. The team’s post gives a look at the restoration day.
See post
SEPTEMBER 2023 · MOUNT DIABLOMany hands, one shared space.
The group behind the day-use cleanup. I took part in this volunteer effort alongside the mountain-bike team and Climate Action Now.
See post
OCTOBER 2022 · CPC DANVILLEA bike for its next rider.
I helped assemble bicycles for donation to Bay Area programs supporting children in foster care. The team’s post captures the build day.
See post
DECEMBER 2022 · BICYCLE REPAIRReady to ride again.
Refurbishing bicycles for an adopt-a-family effort put practical skills to work. My cycling service has also included helping with youth workshops.
See postWORKING TOGETHER OUTDOORS
On two wheels
ON THE TEAM · NINTH GRADE
A season on the trails.
Alongside swimming, I raced mountain bikes during ninth grade. Riding with the team brought challenge, friendships, and more reasons to spend time outdoors.
MAY 2024 · MVHS MTB
A season with the team.
A look back at my ninth-grade season through the team’s end-of-season post.
See post04 / FILM & PHOTOGRAPHY
Another way
to pay attention.
A camera gives me a reason to slow down and notice. I enjoy finding a story in a moment that might otherwise pass by.
Everyday moments.
A different perspective.
Through Film Directing Club, I've worked with other students on writing, filming, and producing short films.
The short film featured above explores beauty in everyday moments. I worked on the film and appear in it. A year-long photography course also gave me time to practice composition and develop the way I look at a scene.
3:11 · With sound
MORE FROM FILM CLUB
A Film Club short.
Short video · 0:54
Use the video controls to play, or open the video.
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP · NINTH GRADE
A shared school story.
I was part of Monte Vista’s ninth-grade leadership cohort, contributing to school events, social content, and Homecoming preparations. The class’s “Power Up” Homecoming reel captures that first year’s school spirit.
This reel is from our class account; my collaborative short-film work is a separate project.
Watch Homecoming reel05 / LEARNING & EVERYDAY PRACTICE
Understand it.
Then share it.
I started a study group because working through a problem together can reveal something you missed on your own.
Our subjects have included AP U.S. History, AP Calculus, Honors Physics, and Honors Anatomy. I create notes, practice tests, and study guides to strengthen my own understanding and help classmates prepare.
Working out the steps.
I build TI-84 programs for calculus problem-solving processes. Turning a method into a sequence of steps gives me another way to think through how it works.
Learning goes both ways.
As a certified SAT peer tutor, I completed an eight-session Bootcamp. Preparing a session and explaining a solution both push me to make my reasoning clearer.
A new place to learn.
I was hired by Primos Pizza in Danville during senior year. It's another opportunity to learn about responsibility alongside school and my other interests.
IN THE CLASSROOM
Room to
keep exploring.
Monte Vista High School
Expected graduation · June 2027
My studies include AP Calculus, AP U.S. History, AP World History, Honors Physics, and Honors Anatomy. I'm interested in the connections between what I learn in class and what I notice in the world.
SELECTED RECOGNITIONAP Scholar
California Scholarship Federation · National Honor Society selection
View my résumé ↗