Most 16-year-olds anxiously await the perk of legally driving to their high school. But for one student, the perk is walking to classes on a college campus.
Although he recently celebrated his 17th birthday in late August, freshman Mason Bruza was only 16 when he moved to Baker last month.
Before the classroom settings of Baker, Bruza received his education at home. Even though he did not have summers off, Bruza really enjoyed being home-schooled because he had classes only 3-4 hours a day. It allowed him to go at his own pace and subjects that were easy for him he got done quickly. Even with being home-schooled, Bruza said college life wasn’t too much different from what he imagined.
“It was pretty much what I had expected,” he said.
Through his involvement in the Reserve Officer’s Training Corps program, Bruza received the Commander Leadership Scholarship, an uncapped scholarship allowing him to go to any college he wanted, as long as it had ROTC classes. Because he liked small class sizes and being close to his home in Paola, Bruza chose to come to Baker.
“I like the general atmosphere,” he said.
While Baker doesn’t have its own ROTC program, Bruza was still eligible for the award by taking the necessary classes at the University of Kansas.
Altogether, Bruza is taking 17 hours, including his ROTC classes. His major is physics and he is also thinking about earning a minor in computer science. After he graduates, Bruza will be commissioned to the U.S. Air Force.
While he was a little nervous about taking notes – something he hadn’t done before – and learning to function in a classroom environment, Bruza said he was really looking forward to the physics lab, having an actual math teacher and basic dorm life.
Freshman Jacob Draisey is Bruza’s roommate. Draisey said he finds rooming with Bruza to be a good experience. The two are in a couple morning classes together, and since Bruza gets up early, he wakes Draisey up for class.
Draisey also said if he ever had a question, Bruza would try to answer it, and if he couldn’t, he would find the answer.
Ran Sivron, associate professor of physics, is working as Bruza’s unofficial adviser. He also has Bruza in his physics lab and class.
“He seems to be very curious,” Sivron said.
Students in the ROTC program are supposed to plan out the upcoming years, but most don’t. Sivron said Bruza is one of the few who has actually been planning his future years at Baker.
“He’s being very responsible,” he said.
Norman Mast, computer information systems assistant professor, has Bruza in his LA 111 Integrating GIS In Your World class.
“(He) is an enthusiastic, cheerful and conscientious student who I enjoy having in my GIS class,” Mast said.
Mast also said Bruza is really serious about ROTC.
“That’s quite a responsibility for a young man,” he said.
In addition to classes and ROTC, Bruza participates in FCA and intramural kickball. Some of his other hobbies include reading, researching, playing the guitar and watching sci-fi shows and YouTube videos.
“You’ll never see him just sitting. He’s always doing something productive,” Draisey said.
Even though he is a younger freshman, Bruza said he hasn’t experienced any negative differences from his peers. He has noticed the extra attention he gets for being so young, however.
“If they don’t know me, they know about me,” Bruza said. “They never ask, ‘what’s your name?’ they say, ‘are you Mason?’”
Despite only being 17, Draisey said Bruza acts older than his age.
“Once you get to know him, he doesn’t seem young,” he said.
In addition to the attention he’s received for being so young, Bruza has also acquired interest from working hard and smart.
“He doesn’t like to be called a boy genius,” Draisey said. “He likes people to call him by his real name.”
“I’m not a genius,” Bruza said. “I just have a good work ethic and I enjoy learning.”
Becky Bruza, his mother, said Bruza had to learn to research and find the answers himself early on, especially with math. She also said he knew at a young age it was up to him to pay for college, giving him an incentive to find a way to do it.
Despite some initial concerns about his change from home schooling to college, Becky said him having this ROTC full-ride scholarship and using it to come to Baker was exciting.
“I think it’s worked out great,” she said. “I am proud of him.”
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