Seeing the World Through His Eyes: Juan-Pablo Piña

By Diego Rodriguez Deshon

Portrait of Juan-Pablo Piña (Photo Credit: Juan-Pablo Piña)

Every morning at 6:45, while most of the students of Christopher Columbus High School are still waking up, junior Juan-Pablo Piña is already climbing the stairs of the L-Building to the fourth floor.

The fourth floor feels higher than it should be at that hour. By the time he reaches the CCNN headquarters, the hallways are quiet and the lights are bright. This is Piña’s sign to be ready for work.

Normal day at CCNN studio (Photo Credit: Juan-Pablo Piña)

Piña’s mornings are not just about getting to class on time. His mornings are about stepping into an environment where stories and passion begin. Whether he is editing a script, writing an article or sketching what’s on his mind during a break, his days usually revolve around his creative expression.

"I try to be an upstanding gentleman, but I’ve found I can’t ever leave behind my silly inner child,” said junior Juan-Pablo Piña 

This combination of maturity and imagination makes much of who Juan-Pablo is. A student with dreams of becoming a paleontologist, he is fascinated by dinosaurs, fossils and the prehistoric life forms that once walked the face of the planet. Piña is also deeply interested in environmental conservation and understanding how humans can protect the planet’s future. 

Piña’s identity as a writer began to take shape in his classes Journalism 1 and 2 under the guidance of his teacher Mr. Joseph Busatto, who has played a major role in his development. Busatto was more than just a teacher giving out homework to his student; he became a mentor to Piña and a strong influence in his life.

”JP is a passionate student and writer. When he is working on something he truly loves, there is no limit to what he can accomplish,” said Mr. Busatto, “As a writer overall, he is genuinely impressive. He is a twice published author, a feat most people can only hope to claim.”

Journalism made Piña discover that writing was not just a hobby he liked to do, but it was a way of understanding himself and the world around him. Through a quote he often returns to and reflects on, he sees creativity as “A writer is a world trapped inside of a person.” To Piña, his creative work is his world’s way of speaking.

"Writing and drawing are my world’s way of saying, ‘I’m here! I have a story to tell that I think you’ll like,” said Piña.

That belief eventually led him to his biggest project yet, writing his book, Primordial: A Biology of Ancient Triumphs and Tragedies. The book is available on Amazon for both paperback and hardcover, and eBook. The book talks about evolution, extinction and humanity’s role in protecting the planet. Through science and Piña’s storytelling, he explains how species that existed back then are now extinct and connects those patterns to modern environmental issues that continue to affect life today.

Cover of Piña's book (Photo Credit: Juan-Pablo Piña)

His inspiration came from a lifelong passion for nature and a documentary that pushed him to follow his dreams. Watching Life on Our Planet on Netflix activated what he described as “the kick in the butt” he needed to finally start writing. He wanted to create something that was both educational and meaningful, something that could encourage people to care. 

Piña’s process would be far from easy. Research had become one of the hardest elements of Piña’s goal. This was a field where new discoveries could happen any day. He pushed through revising every day, motivated by a desire to tell the story closest to the truth. 

“There were new dinosaurs, new links or rewrites of the human family tree, and also just my own compulsion to cram as many things as I could,” said Piña.

Behind the success of his first book is a more personal story of growth. Piña reflects openly on struggling with depression earlier in high school, especially during a difficult year that left him feeling annoyed and disconnected from everything. Writing became a way for his emotions to roam free, a way to process feelings he could not easily express.  

“I was just angry and sick of it all, which is ironically what pushed me to start creative writing, I not only survived but managed to get something real good out of it,” said Piña.

Those close to him have watched this development close up. Juan Pablo’s friend Gavin Lynch, who has known Piña for most of his life, described him as having the talents of being adaptable and open. 

“I’ve known JP my whole life, and I’ve been able to grow with him as a person. Whether we’ve always been close or not, I’ve seen him grow and adapt to new environments. He’s very open to new ideas and is always willing to take on new challenges,” said junior Gavin Lynch. 

Junior Andries VanDerGraaf also described Piña’s dedication and loyalty as beyond something else.

“He’s the kind of guy who really shows what ride-or-die loyalty is,” VanDerGraaf said. “No matter the topic or whether he’s interested or not, he fires on all cylinders to help someone get something done, even if he doesn’t fully understand it. And when he is interested in something, you already know he has 15 pages of research done and is preparing three different projects.”

VanDerGraaf and Piña on the Jurassic Park River Adventure ride at Universal Islands of Adventure (Photo Credit: Juan-Pablo Piña)

Busatto also highlights that JP is more than just a student who cares mainly about academics and that he is beyond that.

“What truly sets JP apart is his dedication and his care for others. He is one of the most emotionally aware students I have met. He notices when others are struggling and consistently reaches out to check in. He leads with empathy and selflessness in everything he does,” said Busatto.

Piña hopes one day people will remember him for the way he sees the world. He believes many people overlook the beauty surrounding them because they are too focused on distractions. He finds meaning in much simpler things like a green caterpillar inching across a leaf, a fossil embedded in stone or a child feeding a giraffe for the first time at the zoo.

“So many people walk around with, like, dollar bills taped over their eyes and they miss out on the magic all around us.” said Piña 

Juan-Pablo Piña at the Marist Achievement Awards (Photo Credit: Juan-Pablo Piña)

Juan-Pablo Piña’s storytelling is about memory, meaning and survival. Through his articles, sketches and every page he writes, he is trying to remind people of one simple truth: life itself is the greatest story ever told, and it is one worth preserving.