The last time Franco Blancaflor and his older brother, Angelo, attended the same school, Franco was in kindergarten and Angelo was an eighth-grader at Incarnation Parish School in Glendale.
But this fall, the two will be reunited again academically — this time at Brown University, the Ivy League research college in Providence, Rhode Island.
Franco will double major in applied math and computer sciences as his brother begins his fourth year at the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown.
Blancaflor’s new life on the East Coast is a fitting next step after four sterling years at Cathedral High School, the private Catholic all-boys school in the shadow of Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
At Cathedral, Blancaflor was not only the senior class’ valedictorian with a 4.68 GPA and recipient of the school’s highest academic honor, the De La Salle General Academic Excellence Award, but he was also a four-year varsity swimmer, earning multiple CIF-SS Division IV podium finishes and helping Cathedral to its highest-ever team finish — third place, in 2025 — as well as back-to-back league championships. He also holds seven school swimming records.
As a member of the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center, Blancaflor woke up early countless mornings to drive from his home in the San Fernando Valley to Pasadena for morning practice before 6 a.m. Then he went to Cathedral High to tackle one of the most rigorous course loads before returning to the Rose Bowl for evening practice.
Blancaflor points to his parents and his older brother for instilling in him a work ethic and discipline that allowed him to excel at such a high level in athletics and studies.
“The number one thing is how supportive they were,” he said of his father, Bennett, a banker, and his mother, Rosa (“Lala” to her friends and loved ones), a nurse. “They never forced me to do anything and encouraged me to try a lot of new things. Having that freedom and flexibility helped me develop a strong work ethic. There was never any pressure to be a high achiever.
“And my brother obviously was an influence. I thought, ‘If he can get accepted into an Ivy League medical school, why can’t I also be an excellent student, too?’”
Blancaflor grew up in North Hollywood and began taking swimming lessons when he was 5. Golf was his main sport and he also played basketball, but by age 11, he realized his talent in the pool and locked into swimming, specializing in freestyle.
“I started improving a lot and qualifying at high-level meets, so I decided to continue with swimming every day,” he said. “It became kind of a love-hate relationship. Most of my closest friends I met while swimming, but it was a lot of work. It was like going to war.”
Blancaflor said swimming for the Phantoms taught him how to be super disciplined and how to best manage his time, which helped a lot with his high school course load. He entered Cathedral High as part of the Onward Scholars program, which covered 75% of his tuition and provided academic development, mentorship, and a customized path to college.
As a junior, Blancaflor was selected to Founding Forward, a competitive cohort of 50 students from around the country who met for three months to discuss different civil and social issues regarding the constitution and current global conflicts.
Susan Pennington, chair of the English Department at Cathedral High, took Blancaflor and three other students to Philadelphia and Valley Forge as part of a Spirit of America program during his junior year.
“Again, he showed leadership skills by encouraging others to engage in discussions,” she said. “He was part of a group that planned a vespers service on the final night of the program where he offered a heartfelt speech on his experience.”
This past year, Pennington taught Blancaflor in AP English Literature.
“Of course, he remained an excellent student and leader in the class,” she said. “Franco will go far in life because he understands the value of hard work for success.”
In his valedictorian speech, Blancaflor said Cathedral High continues to shine through excellence, resilience, and the unmatched spirit of its students.
“But beyond the glamour of our academic and athletic accomplishments is the strong and unique community here — the brotherhood that teachers, alumni, and upperclassmen constantly harped on when I was a freshman,” he said.
“At first, I cringed at this ‘so-called’ brotherhood. When alumni gave talks during assemblies about how meaningful their experience here was, I thought, ‘These are just people who peaked in high school and are trying way too hard to romanticize it. Therefore, I will take a nap.’
“But as I grew older here, I began to understand what they meant. I saw how supportive Cathedral truly is, and I’m sure many of us eventually felt that same sense of belonging, too.”
Blancaflor said his career goal is to become a quantitative trader, a person who applies mathematical models, data analysis, and computer code to execute systematic trading strategies in financial markets.
He won’t be swimming competitively at Brown University, but he won’t give up pool time.
Seems that making a splash is a lifelong goal for him.
