Boynton High valedictorian wants to engineer great future
Chase Mango’s robotics team advanced to the world championship two years in a row.
“It’s great to meet the people from all over the world with similar interests,” said Mango, of Lake Worth.
He considers the robotics team his greatest high school achievement. Another lofty accomplishment for Mango: Boynton Beach High School valedictorian. “I basically made school my No. 1 focus above all else,” said the 18-yearold. Another key for Mango was dual enrolling in multiple colleges and high-level classes.
A member of the Boynton Aerospace and Science Academy (BASA), he earned 17 credits in a dual-enrollment program with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He also thrived in dual enrollment at Palm Beach State College, where he earned 20 credits. ABOUT THIS SERIES
The Palm Beach Post is featuring area valedictorians on this page for the next few weeks. Go online to see past profiles of our county’s top grads at www.palmbeachpost.com/ valedictorians/
All those dual enrollments created a high-stress environment for Mango, but he managed to stay on top of his studies by “not procrastinating.”
Now, Mango will enter Embry-Riddle, where he plans to major in mechanical engineering.
“I hope to do something that will change the world,” Mango said. “An engineer solves problems and this world has plenty of issues that need to be solved. Maybe one day I could make a dent on that list.”
Mango participated in as many engineer-related activities as he could in high school. He was captain of SECME (Science, Engineering, Communication, Mathematics, Education) from 2015-18, and a key part of the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC and FTC) from 2016-18. He was also a member of the Fishing Club and National Honor Society.
For volunteering, he participated in Paint Your Heart Out, which uses recycled paint to paint houses for the less fortunate, with the Solid Waste Authority. He also offered algebra tutoring three times per week during lunch.
He’s held several lifesaving certificates, including CPR and Basic Life Support through the American Heart Association, Emergency Medical Responder through IEMRS and Life Guard through the American Red Cross.
His advice for underclassmen? “Make a schedule to get your studies done,” Mango said. “It’s easier to keep up than catch up. As soon as I had a deadline, whether it was for school or something else, I’d mark it down so there was no chance it would be forgotten.”
He said his parents, Jeanne and James, were instrumental in his reaching valedictorian. But he points to balancing his heavy course load as another major key to his success.
“Staying focused in the high stress of dual enrolling in multiple colleges and high-level classes was huge,” Mango said. Q&A
Who is your hero?
Elon Musk. He set a goal to go and change the world, and he is, digging tunnels under L.A., launching rockets to Mars, and creating self-driving electric cars.
What is your favorite movie?
“Avatar.”
What are your hobbies?
Robotic engineering projects or playing video games. What do you do to get away or take a break?
Playing video games are a great escape that allows me to escape this world into another.
If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be?
The person who I would most like to meet is a man who inspired many generations of engineers, Leonardo da Vinci. He had ideas way ahead of his time.
What is the best advice you ever received?
While many people offered me advice, the advice from my father, James Mango, is the most memorable. He always told me to set a goal and go for it.
What is your favorite book?
“Peter Nimble.” I had a great affinity for the book.
What is your favorite childhood memory?
My field trip to the Kennedy Space Center for my middle school engineering class. It showed me where hard work got people and the possibility that I, too, one day could do something great.