It was September 1st, 2005 in Mission Viejo when now-17-year-old Judd Karn came into this world. Being the current Editor-In-Chief for The Diablo Dispatch, as well as being involved in numerous other activities including golf, the SVUSD Student Advisory Committee, and multiple MVHS clubs, Judd has definitely made an impact on this campus.
Outside of school, Judd’s hobbies include playing golf, playing Minecraft with his friends, and going to his friends’ places of work to try to get free food. “Not for the free food, I just think it’s a funny thing to do. It’s a goal to have while you’re just talking with your friends,” he explains. He also enjoys watching movie (singular movie), computers, graphic design, and writing.
Some items on Judd’s bucket list include going to Cyprus or Bermuda, and traveling “as much as possible” in general. Aside from that, Judd is very lucky to have already experienced some bucket-list items like going to Catalina Island, New York, and visiting his family in Canada. He also has a passionate desire to watch Werewolf by Night, which is a fantastic one-hour-long movie about a werewolf at night (released a whopping 213 days ago, as of May 8th). Can you believe that?
Speaking of movies, among Judd’s favorites are The Truman Show, La La Land, Django Unchained, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Everything Everywhere All at Once. He enjoys film analysis and also writing entertainment articles.
Judd’s love of writing stems from Mission Viejo High School. He specifically accredits The Diablo Dispatch and Mr. McCormack for helping him learn to enjoy writing, as well as plenty of help from Mr. Cost and AP Literature. Journalism has definitely had some influence on his future career possibilities, which could be journalism, screenwriting, or business administration for journalism.
During his time at Mission, Judd has also really enjoyed humanities. He says that it is “a really great program where you kind of get that transition between college and high school, with the lectures. But it’s also just fun and it’s a great way for me to relax in my senior year because a lot of other schools have you take, like, the hardest classes your senior year.”
When asked about the most important thing that he has learned in high school, Judd explains, “I feel like a lot of high school isn’t really about the content, it’s more about learning to learn. So, the most important thing, in my eyes, has been figuring out how to learn to learn.”
Taking this knowledge with him, Judd is going to be graduating from Mission Viejo High School in just a matter of weeks. Thus, leaving him with a relaxing and fun summer break before he leaves for Brown University in Rhode Island. “I will be sleeping a lot… the first week, I think I’ll probably do nothing,” he says. After that, however, Judd hopes to spend the summer road-tripping across the West Coast, possibly visiting his family in Canada, and working at a golf course, Disneyland, or participating in an internship.
A well-deserved break, especially once you hear how much he has already accomplished so far. In high school alone, he created the entire website for the school newspaper, got nominated for Youth of the Year, actively participated in the Saddleback Student Advisory Committee, and received a Diablo Excellence medallion—twice. Now that he is going to Brown University, Judd is sure to have many more accomplishments coming his way.
Nestled in Rhode Island’s capital city, Providence, the Ivy League Brown University has an open curriculum, meaning there are no general education requirements. This aspect appealed to Judd. He explains, “Since I don’t really know what I want to do in the future, Brown helps me choose.”
The ex-Miami blue enjoyer is looking forward to studying computer science, business, journalism, and, possibly, film at Brown. He is trying to “take up a bunch of different stuff to figure out, Do I like this? Do I want to do this forever?”
Though Judd is currently undecided about what he wants to do in the future, he is currently leaning toward becoming a screenwriter. Yet, he knows that his aspirations could change. Judd suggests, “A lot of people in high school have certain goals of theirs. Last year, I had a certain goal. I was like, I’m going to be an engineer, and I’m like, Wait, business is also cool, and now I’m like, I shouldn’t be 17/18 and trying to figure out those darn goals of mine. That’s what college is for. College is for figuring out what you want to do. And so, my goal right now might be to become a screenwriter, but that’s probably going to change ten times over in college. And that’s a good thing.”
Which is great advice, especially if you are also somebody who does not yet know what you want to do in the future. Speaking of really great advice, Judd would like any incoming freshmen to know that, “There are some freshmen that are already caring about what college they get into or where they want to go. It doesn’t really matter. The difference you have from getting into an ‘elite college’ and a Cal. State is negligible. You’ll probably just get a couple year head-start, but I’d argue that that couple year head-start is not worth as much as spending your time in high school developing as a person and having fun. So, I’d say focus on having fun in high school.”
Just have fun. It is an idea that appears to be common among a few of Judd’s philosophies. An example of this is his philosophy of trying to make an impact wherever he can. “Just making sure that every single act I do has a positive impact on someone. If I can do that, and magnify it as much as possible, I will,” he says.
It is evident that he follows this mindset in his day-to-day life. From smiling and “waving profusely” to his friends, just because he feels that “it’s funny and a lot of people smile” when he does it, to dedicating endless amounts of time to everything he gets involved with, it is obvious that Judd really is making a positive impact wherever he goes. “If I can do that, and make someone’s day just slightly better, then I’ll do that every single time,” he says.
Judd has more than certainly left his impact on Mission Viejo High School, as well as on his friends, teachers, and classmates. His positive attitude, diligence, and kindness will continue to pay off well into the future.
Even though Judd is considered a traitor to our journalism program, along with the entirety of Mission Viejo High School for leaving us, we all wish him the very best—in college and beyond.
