Jupiter High Senior John Lin Makes His Mark by Helping Others

If you've spent any time in the halls of Jupiter High School, there's a good chance John Lin has held a door for you.

The JHS senior has built a quiet reputation as the student who delivers textbooks to teachers, holds doors open, and sits down with classmates to work through calculus homework. It's not for a résumé — it's because school is where he can give back.

Lin moved to Florida from Indiana with his family in 2024. His younger sister is now a sophomore at JHS. With busy parents and no relatives nearby to drive him around, after-school volunteering hasn't been an option, so he looks for ways to help during the school day instead.

"I always wanted to do something in the community, and I can't really do anything after school," Lin told the Jupiter War Cry, the school's student newspaper.

Senior Cindy Mateo Gaspar, a friend who shares several classes with him, said what stands out is his attitude: "[I like] how willing to help he is and how patient he is."

Clubs, competitions and coding

Lin is a member of the Computer Honors Society, Inkwell, and the Asian student union. With the Computer Honors Society, he competes in yearly programming competitions hosted at universities including UCF and FIU — though he says the scoreboard isn't really the point.

"It feels nice to be with your friends and try and tackle some problems together," he said.

Part of a JHS first

Lin is among the first generation of Jupiter High students set to graduate with the AP Capstone Diploma, which requires AP Seminar (taken junior year) and AP Research, which he's completing this year.

"It made me get a better answer about research processes," he said of the program.

His senior schedule also includes AP Physics and AP Calculus BC. His approach is simple: work carefully through every homework problem until he actually understands it. Among his favorite classes are Ms. Steyn's AICE Literature, AP Calculus with Ms. Littles, AP Computer Science with Mr. Riche, and a computer simulation class.

"That was really fun because it allowed me to actually apply my skills," Lin said of the simulation course.

What's next

Lin is still weighing his college options but is leaning toward staying in Florida, with the University of Florida among the schools at the top of his list.

Wherever he lands, he'll bring the same habit his classmates already know him for: showing up for the people around him.

Source: Jupiter War Cry, reporting by Melissa Ubarana