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As a child, Ethan Politzer would reenact dramatic performances for an audience of dinosaur toys. Now, as he prepares to graduate from Sequoia High School, he’s set to attend his dream college for acting. But even after all these years, his motivation for performing remains unchanged—whether for toy dinosaurs or a real audience, it has always been about telling compelling stories.
“I’m super proud of what I’ve been able to do and the impact I’ve been able to have, and also the people I’ve been able to interact with,” Politzer said.
A Bay Area native, Politzer was born and raised in San Carlos. He spent his four years at Sequoia High immersed in campus life, serving as class president, performing in dance and drama productions, and holding multiple leadership roles.
He recalls that even in preschool, he enjoyed putting on shows and staging full productions at home, with toys as the audience.
“People would say there are not many days when Ethan isn’t doing a little performance,” Politzer said.
Though his parents encouraged him to try sports, nothing ever felt quite right, until he joined a community theatre program his older sister was part of.
“I was like, this is really fun,” he said. “This is something I enjoy, and I have a good feeling for it.”
Politzer continued exploring acting through various opportunities. He attended an acting camp and, at the end of his sophomore year, traveled to the Cannes Film Festival. The following summer, he participated in the National High School Institute’s film and video program at Northwestern University. Each of these experiences solidified his goal of becoming an actor.
When it came time to apply to college, Politzer submitted applications to 31 schools with drama and acting programs. He spent much of the summer before his senior year writing essays, assembling portfolios, and traveling to audition in cities like New York and Los Angeles.
In March, one early morning as he got ready for school, he received a call from his top-choice school—the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He immediately ran to his parents’ room to share that he had been accepted.
“I was super excited,” he said. “This validated all the hard work I’ve put in over the last four years.”
This fall, Politzer will pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama with a concentration in acting. He was also accepted to the University of California, Los Angeles, New York University, Northwestern and the University of Southern California.
Politzer’s contributions at Sequoia High extended far beyond the stage. He served as communications director for the student council, managing its social media accounts. At the end of his junior year, he collaborated with the principal and other faculty to launch the Student Senate, a group that brings together leaders from clubs and affinity groups to address campus-wide issues.
According to Politzer, the Student Senate has helped improve access to gender-neutral restrooms and expand support for the Black Student Union.
“I think it’s a good life skill that I’ve learned through these leadership opportunities—how do we make the things we’re doing accessible to as many people as possible?” he said.
During his time at Sequoia, Politzer received a Junior Achievement Award, a California Scholarship Federation Award and the Seal of Biliteracy. He said he is also on track to receive an Academic Excellence Award for earning straight A’s.
Looking back, Politzer said he’s most proud of the friendships and connections he has built. Though most of his friends will be attending different schools, he said he expects to remain close with them.
His advice to incoming freshmen: “Throw yourself in the deep end and seek out as many opportunities as you can. This is a perfect place to try things out and see what you like, what you enjoy and what you may want to be a part of.”
Check out this year’s list of Sequoia High School graduates and read our article about the graduation ceremony.
For all of our graduation coverage, go to our central graduation page.
