Exemplifying how relentless dedication and humility can pave the way to success, the class of 2026 Class Orator Thomas Conti demonstrates the power found in actively seeking out opportunities for oneself
when they are not handed to you.
Growing up as a Malden native and being a Linden STEAM Academy graduate, Malden’s community
has shaped and ingrained itself into Conti’s life, relationships, and view of the world around him. Conti
remarked how growing up around peers of “different backgrounds, different incomes, different ethnicities,
and different perspectives” has provided him “a really unique viewpoint” and allowed him to be “way more
free thinking and just open to really anything.”
During his time at Malden High School, he took part in creating the Health Occupations Student of
America (HOSA) Club and the Science Olympiad Team to create spaces where his passion for science
could thrive and spread opportunities for his peers.
“Thomas is just not a gatekeeper in any way. He wants everyone to also have those same opportunities.
For an environment that can be competitive, I really respect that. He brings the people up around him,” biology teacher Jessica Webber noted.
Over the last two and a half years, he has worked in Dr. Benjamin Ebert’s lab at the Dana Farber Cancer
Institute conducting research on “target protein degradation and hematologic oncology, which is just blood
cancers,” Conti explained.
Conti was drawn to pursuing a career in cancer medicine due to his family’s history of prostate cancer;
he has faced the tragic reality of how damaging a diagnosis can be not only on a patient, but on their family.
Last summer, Conti had the opportunity of shadowing Dr. Jeremy Grevet and working with him to characterize resistances within cancer drugs. “There are countless numbers of families and children and adults
who, on a daily basis, are ravaged and disparaged by the fact that they get a diagnosis. I had seen patients
come in at their lowest and leave at their highest. That has been very beautiful to me,” Conti exclaimed.
Aside from his medical pursuits, Conti has a passion for poetry and performative speaking. He was a 2025 Poetry Out Loud Massachusetts State Finalist and is a dedicated member of Speech & Debate.
Conti credits his interest in poetry stemming from the struggle of “truthfully understanding and being cognizant of my emotions. You tend to push those things to the side and just kind of say that you’re okay
when you are feeling things, and I have been able to express that through poetry a lot.” Conti played a crucial role in the communal effort of turning the Speech & Debate club into a class, his contributions consisted of talking to former Superintendent Ligia Noriega-Murphy to build the “momentum,” and initiating the “renewed effort” with the transition of power to Superintendent Dr. Timothy Sippel, History and Speech & Debate teacher Kurtis Scheer mentioned.
“The leadership has always been strong and even in Thomas’s first few years doing Speech & Debate, I
could always see that he was somebody that was ready and willing to take over when the juniors and seniors
moved on and had the ability to lead and organize,” Scheer added.
Conti will be attending Harvard University through the QuestBridge National College Match and majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology. He was driven to selecting Harvard as his first pick due to the countless connections and resources available for a pre-med space in the Boston area.
Conti encourages any student interested to apply through QuestBridge because “even if you don’t think
you’re going to want to do the whole match process, you should, because you’ll get a huge network of people” and it “guarantees a full four year scholarship.” Malden students could greatly benefit from this opportunity.
While Conti acknowledges that Harvard is historically a prejudiced school, he detailed how he hopes what he can bring to Harvard is “someone from an area who kind of knows what it’s like to not really have a lot
and know what it’s like for those people who don’t really have that many opportunities. Those values of understanding a broader community and understanding what it takes to come out of the den as we speak, is
really huge.”
Reflecting on the indelible legacy Conti will leave at MHS, Scheer noted how he will leave the impact
of “not willing to sit back and let things be, but to challenge teachers, to challenge the new principal,
to challenge the city to do well. He is able to hold people accountable, but also to work with them.”
Conti echoed the importance of making sure that your voice is heard: “I know that everyone is feeling
slightly worried about the future of Malden High and the most important thing that you can do is not be silent about it and make sure that everyone and anyone can hear your perspectives. This school has been and
forever will be a product of its students, its teachers, who make it happen. So, make it happen.”
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