Queens Gazette

Local Express

Michael N. Manta

 

 

Michael N. Manta is a high school senior at Xavier High School who has lived in Howard Beach his whole life. In his junior year, inspired by the mentoring that he did for his younger brother, Jonathan, as he was applying to high school, Manta co-founded the nonprofit NYCMentors.org with his brother, who attends the McCallie School. (See the Gazette story, Local HS Student…,” www.qgazette.com/articles/i-on-politics-150/) Since its founding, the organization has become a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit and has been certified to award the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Furthermore, the organization has partnered with Chess In The Schools and Kweller Prep, with the help of Shaun Smith and Frances Kweller, respectively. As CEO, Manta has also gained the help of NYS Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr., who has been their biggest advocate as they seek grants from the government of New York City. Currently, the organization is in the process of applying for a Google Ad Grant worth $120,000 annually. Manta also has an essay published in the book, Getting Into NYC High-School by Alina Adams, who is an advisor working with the organization.

 

 

Since a young age, Manta has been a competitive chess player and is still currently ranked in the top 5% of players in his age group. In addition to chess, Manta has a passion for pure mathematics and philosophy. In high school, he helped rebuild the math club and currently serves as the president, designing challenge problems for students.

In his passion for mathematics, he has also written a research paper with the guidance of a professor at Baruch College on a version of the Hadwiger-Nelson Problem which is available on ArXiv and has been submitted to the journal Discrete Mathematics. In his sophomore year, Manta founded the Philosophy Club, which has brought in guest speakers in the field, competed in the NYC Ethics Bowl, and has facilitated a plethora of philosophy discussions on fields from metaphysics to ethics.

Throughout high school, Manta has also been part of the school’s Speech and Debate team as a Varsity Debater and ranked as a semi-finalist at New York State Forensic League State Championship in the last two years in Congressional debate. He has also been active in student government in high school since freshman year, and as treasurer, helped the school raise thousands of dollars for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation that funds children’s cancer research. Manta is also part of the National Honor Society and is a National Merit Semifinalist.

When Manta is not managing his responsibilities, he relaxes by playing his acoustic guitar and street hockey in his local park.

QG: Burning question: how do you find time to watch TV??

MM: I usually don’t have too much time to watch television, but when I do it’s typically when I need a break. Since freshman year, I have been part of my school’s Speech and Debate team, so when I need a break, I’ll usually watch the news to keep up with what is going on in the world.

QG: But seriously, what would you say keeps you on track?

MM: I have to give a lot of credit to my family as support. In general, I assume a lot of responsibility in the clubs that I run and my workload for school, but I know that if I am overwhelmed or need guidance, my family is there to help me out.

QG: Have you decided on a college major yet? What college(s) would you like to go to?

MM: I have a deep love for pure mathematics and philosophy, so if given an opportunity I would double major in both in college.

QG: What do you love about Queens? Enjoy doing here?

MM: I love how Queens is more relaxed than Manhattan. For me, it recharges me to come back home since there isn’t the same busy-ness that fills the air. Also, there is so much diversity in Queens that is expressed in language, food, and culture. I marvel at the beauty of being able to experience a piece of any ethnicity found in the world by strolling down a row of restaurants owned by people from all over the globe.

QG: Where does a good mentor start?

MM: A good mentor starts with their passion. In order to build a connection with the middle school student that mentors work with, mentors should be making an effort to form a connection with their mentee and their family. In other words, they should take their work seriously and not as a box to check off on their things todo for a day.

QG: You won a $60,000 scholarship to Xavier High School. Did anyone help you navigate the high school application process?

MM: Fortunately, I was able to receive a significant amount of guidance from the counseling department from my middle school, the Speyer School. My advisor made sure that I was keeping up on my deadlines and pushed me to go outside of my comfort zone and consider Xavier, even though we added it last minute. I have tried to incorporate the lessons I have learned from Speyer’s guidance within my mentorships.

QG: Who inspires you?

MM: My little brother, Jonathan, inspires me. He has always been my best friend and someone I have been with through a lot of difficult points in my life. His buoyant personality and his creativity never fail to impress me, and learning from him has made me a better person and brother.

—Annette Hanze Alberts

This column was originated in July 2013 by Nicollette Barsamian.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.