As seen in the annual ‘Terrific Teens’ issue of West Hartford Magazine, 2015. Jacob Cantor is a 2015 graduate of Hall High School.

By Katie Cavanaugh. Photos by Todd Fairchild/ShutterbugCT.com

Jacob Cantor is a 2015 graduate of Hall High School and one of 2015’s ‘Terrific Teens.’ Photo by Todd Fairchild

For our fifth annual spotlight on recent West Hartford high school graduates, we were once again challenged because the pool of “Terrific Teen” candidates is virtually never-ending. We discovered teens with talents, tastes for travel, and thirsts for new challenges – both big and small. Every young person has an interesting story, and what resulted are eight stories about eight great role models whose aspirations will inspire anyone of any age.

Leadership. That is one word that our male Terrific Teen from William H. Hall High School, Jacob Cantor, is very familiar with.

As son of West Hartford’s Deputy Mayor, Shari Cantor, Jacob has political roots. However, it is Jacob’s personal accomplishments that have proven him to be a natural leader. He served as president of both Student Government and the Human Rights Coalition, demonstrating how he can take charge in and out of the school building.

Jacob learned how to take criticism and work through controversial situations while fighting for his beliefs. This year, he participated in the debate over whether or not the Conard and Hall Native American mascots were disrespectful and should be changed. Jacob condemned the Hall student fan club, which called itself “The Reservation” and believed a change had to be made.

Acting as both student body president and president of the Human Rights Coalition, Jacob found one of his biggest challenges was getting his point across to those in the community who did not agree with him. “It was difficult dealing with adults in the community that were not on the same page as I was,” he said.

In the end, Jacob was fairly satisfied with the results. “They kept the names [Warrior and Chieftain] but every other reference is gone,” said Jacob.

As president, Jacob ran meetings, organized school events, debated inner school policy, and promoted a “Human Rights Day” throughout the school.

Despite all of his accomplishments, Jacob remains modest about the impact of his work. “I probably just left a mark on my friends,” he said.

While at Hall, Jacob sang in an auditioned-based singing group called the Choraliers, and was a member of Hall’s improv comedy troop called “The Answer.”

“The Answer definitely taught me some of my most interesting and important skills like thinking on the spot and acting in situations with confidence,” he said.

In his spare time, Jacob enjoys going to the Quaker Diner when he’s in West Hartford, and he likes singing and playing guitar.

He also enjoys wearing tie-dye; or at least he did when he was younger. “I wore tie-dye for 10 years straight when I was four to 14 years old,” he said. “It was a streak that kept going.”

Jacob is now a freshman at Tufts University.

Like many young people, Jacob has entered college as an undecided major and is unsure of what career he wants to pursue when he graduates. However, this young leader has one goal that is sure to lead him on the path to a successful future: Happiness. “I hope I end up doing something that makes me happy, professionally and otherwise,” he said.

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford!