Senior Paolo Bartolucci is a man of varied interests. When he’s not enjoying the adrenaline rush of winter sports, he can often be found surrounded by wires and circuit boards showcasing his talents as a computer builder.

“I love video games, and I love new technology, so I thought building a computer would be the best of both worlds,” said Bartolucci, who was introduced to the art of PC-smithing by a handful of friends who happened to have the same interest.

Bartolucci looks up to people such as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, citing them as inspirational inventors and pavers of the road to a better future.

To new computer-builders, Bartolucci advises people conduct thorough research to find out what they truly desire from the machine they make.

“Parts can be expensive, so it’s good to know what you are buying you will actually put to use,” Bartolucci said.

Paolo’s current masterpiece is a PC with an i56600K processor, 16 GB 3200 MHz RAM, a MSI Z270 motherboard, a PNY 1080ti, and a 650w power supply. Starting out, he purchased the least expensive parts available to him, but subpar gaming experiences during a test run bottlenecked him into putting more money into his machine. Bartolucci recalls his trial-and-error experiences trying out different components:
“I soon realized my graphics card was not built for the work I was putting it through- so this past Christmas, I purchased a top-of-the-line one,” Bartolucci said.

Bartolucci has also brought his ingenuity to Mr. Madden’s film club. As a dedicated member, Bartolucci is always ready to help improve the club. One day, Madden required a camera slider for a project. Bartolucci, upon looking up the cost of the equipment, realized that some of it was available to him all along.

“I realized I had similar parts already in my basement,” Bartolucci said. With his father’s permission, Paolo came in the next day with a newly built slider, ready for use.

Life isn’t all about computers and cameras; Bartolucci also likes to feel the fresh winter air while snowboarding. He can be found frequenting Camelback as he works on his tricks and techniques. Bartolucci has snowboarded for seven years and counting, ever since his friends took him to shred the snowy slopes with them one day.

Currently, Bartolucci plans to attend either Northampton or Penn State, but “decided against going for a major related to computer science due to previous goals.” As of yet, those goals change day by day. However, he also had mentioned the possibility of switching to something in the field of computer science if he feels the need to.

As Bartolucci looks to the future, he prepares to leave high school behind in favor of an new chapter, and new adventures. “It goes very fast,” Bartolucci said, “Do your best to have fun and make friends.”

With the first half of the school year coming to a close, it would seem that Bartolucci’s following his own advice and making the most of each day while it lasts.