In the fall, you can see Caleb Kohn (I) dominating the soccer pitch. In the winter, he is blowing his competition out of the water in the swimming pool, and by the spring, he can be found conquering the Boston Harbor with the sailing team.
Throughout his illustrious athletic career at Boston Latin School, Kohn has excelled in each of these sports, which he dedicated himself to for many years. Next year, he will continue his commitment to sailing at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, while also studying physics and mathematics.
Two-time National Basketball Association MVP Steph Curry has spoken repeatedly about the importance of diversification in sports, saying, “Because […] you might be better [than your peers] at any certain sport, you might feel comfortable in that space, and that zone. But you don’t get to push yourself, you don’t get to test yourself and how you deal with failure and success.”
Kohn is the perfect embodiment of Curry’s sentiment, and he has had plenty of success in all three of his sports throughout his high school career.
When asked about his athletic goals, Kohn says that his exact goals varied from sport to sport. He states, “For soccer, as a striker, I wanted to score goals. Pretty simple.” He had no trouble doing that, as he has been a key member of the boys’ varsity soccer team for two years. In his senior season, he notched a team high of seven goals in his senior season, which earned him a spot as a Dual County League All Star.
With little rest, Kohn then moved on to be captain of the boys’ swim team, where he qualified for sectionals in two events: the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyles. After the swimming season concluded, he moved on to sailing.
During the sailing season last year, he achieved his favorite accomplishment of his entire BLS career — winning the Mass Bay League Championship. Of his many accolades, this one in particular was his favorite because “everyone on the team worked really hard and finished top four in their event. BLS was champion for the first time ever.”
According to Kohn, the majority of his success is derived from “[his] ability to learn from teammates.” Despite all of his incredible accomplishments on the field and on the water, he remains down-to-earth and humble in the classroom.
BLS physics and junior varsity soccer coach, Mr. Aaron Osowiecki, adds, “Caleb commits himself to success. Whether it is showing up in West Roxbury each day for training or completing each night’s problem set, Caleb always came through. With persistence, Caleb would work on a problem until he figured it out.”
This persistence has been a clear motivation for Kohn’s success — both in school and in sports. In addition to his numerous All Star awards, Kohn has also won a plethora of academic awards: Seals of Biliteracy in Latin and Spanish, the AP Scholar with Honor award and Approbation with Distinction every year at BLS. He also earned the Menino Scholarship and the Adams Scholarship, and he was a finalist for the National Merit Scholarship.
Kohn’s leadership has also stood out to his teammates, classmates and teachers alike. Mr. Osowiecki reminisces, “​​Caleb was chosen by his peers twice to lead the investigation (a scientific inquiry in AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism). While Caleb had almost as much trouble wrangling this year’s goofy group as I do, he used his skills to go around and ensure all the different teams followed the instructions and helped them with the equipment.”
In addition to his leadership prowess in the classroom, Kohn has gained many skills as captain of both the swim team and the sailing team.
Kohn recalls the goal that has stuck with him throughout his high school career: “In both school and sports, I wanted to make an impact on my community.”
It is clear that Kohn truly means this: from organizing the sailing team to tutoring younger students in Latin, he has undeniably contributed to the school community in countless ways. It will be exciting to see Kohn compete at the college level while he pursues his interests in mathematics and physics.