We-Ha–West Hartford Magazine’s seventh annual ‘Terrific Teens’ spotlights local teens who are making a difference in the community – and for this year’s photo shoot we headed to Westfarms.

By Aaron Greene, photos by Todd Fairchild

Even though this is West Hartford Magazine’s seventh annual feature on local teens in West Hartford, the task of choosing the young adults to interview hasn’t gotten any easier.

Our goal has always been to find the kids who capture attention not just because they earned the best grades, or the most points in a game, but because they are all around good kids. As you can imagine, there is no short supply of eligible students.

This year features 2017 graduates who hail from Conard, Hall, Kingswood Oxford, and Northwest Catholic. Our tradition is to pick one male and one female from each school – but the male from Hall has a twin brother, so we had to be inclusive!

Look for one teen each week to be featured on We-Ha.com for the next nine weeks.

Terrific Teen 2017: Samuel (Sam) Nanni – “Future Businessman”

Conard High School graduate Samuel (Sam) Nanni said that participating in the track program all four years was an important part of his high school experience and also gave him an appreciation for teamwork.

“It was an enriching experience. It brought me discipline – and the coaching staff was great,” said Sam.

Running is not Sam’s only sport, and he said he is also interested in sailing, skiing, and swimming. At Conard, he was a member of the swim team, competed in the state championships three times, and was named captain his senior year.

Since he’s already a runner and a swimmer, Sam has plans to add cycling to his regimen and one day compete in a triathlon.

Sam said his role models are Bo Jackson and Muhammad Ali – Jackson for being a multi-sport athlete and Ali “for being very outspoken about what he believed in.” He looks to both as great examples of how he wants to maintain himself outside of sports.

He said he has also always admired the Wright brothers for their innovative spirit.

Sam is now a student at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. Although he is undecided about his major, he is considering international business. He said he has always been interested in his father’s work, and admired his skill at networking and brokering deals.

Sam’s favorite quote is by Mark Twain: “Better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid, then to open it and remove all doubt.”

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