WOODBURY — Intelligent, passionate, reliable and driven — all are words that come to mind when thinking about Jack Rubacha. The salutatorian from the Nonnewaug class of 2023 is still keeping busy and doing the things he loves while attending Northeastern University on a path to engineering.
Choosing a career path in engineering was not always Rubacha’s first choice.
“The most important thing I did so far was change my major,” said Rubacha. “I chose a science major where I really should have been in engineering, and Northeastern is making it pretty easy to switch. I knew pretty quickly taking my [science] classes wasn’t for me.”
In high school, Rubacha was very involved; not only was he the salutatorian, but he was also the National Honor Society vice president, Math Club leader, Science National Honor Society member, and captain on the cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track teams. And if this wasn’t enough, in his free time he was a part of a Robotics Club not affiliated with Nonnewaug.
The diligent habits Rubacha developed at NHS have stayed with him while at his new home in Boston since he still keeps busy by participating in many clubs at the college level.
“I do a lot of clubs at Northeastern because I usually find myself with extra time even after studying,” said Rubacha. “I am part of Northeastern Electric Racing, where we build an F1-style car and compete across the country. [I also participate in] NU club running, Northeastern Trap and Skeet, a club that practices and competes in clay shooting sports, [and] Northeastern Robotics Space Building Drone, a research and development project for drones that have a carrying capacity.”
Rubacha’s work ethic wasn’t just built in the robotics lab at Northeastern, but instead a foundation for hard work was built on the track at Nonnewaug.
Being captain of the cross country and track team came with responsibilities and leadership to show among the underclassmen.
“Jack was a leader in every definition of the word,” said Deb Flaherty, the boys cross country and outdoor track coach at NHS. “Jack would always step up, even without being asked.”
“Jack was an amazing teammate,” said senior Ethan Perez, a past teammate of Rubacha. “As a varsity athlete, he always tried his best and did every workout to the best of his ability. After finishing a race or a difficult workout, he would always cheer on his teammates and push them to do their best.”
After studying at Northeastern for only a semester, Rubacha has already seen and observed significant differences between high school life and college life and offers some key advice.
“College is very different from high school,” said Rubacha. “For one, you have more free time, depending on your major. Even those in other majors have more free time and can be very flexible when they study versus hanging out with friends and going to clubs. Another thing about college is nobody is really monitoring you. Most things you do are very individual, and if you want advice, you have to email people yourself to get it. Overall the independence is pretty awesome and you really get to think less about doing stuff you maybe don’t enjoy and more time having fun.”
Rubacha’s role as mentor for NHS students steadfast as he continues to remain in contact with current seniors.
“My advice would be to pick a college that makes a major change possible or have some sort of plan if you aren’t 100% sure about your major,” said Rubacha. “Going in undecided, if your school provides support for that, is smart if you don’t know for sure whether your major is the best for you.”
Rubacha’s very involved life at Nonnewaug has left many with only good things to say about him.
“Jack was involved in clubs and organizations outside running sports,” said Flaherty, “and I know he served as a good leader there as well. In the LMC you would often see him helping peers with math and science. He’s just the kind of young man that you can rely on to come through athletically, academically or for just about anything. He is missed!”
