WPHS senior Declan Matthew Brown looks ahead to his next chapter

On a quiet dead-end street in White Plains, where cousins live a few doors apart and neighbors have watched him grow up, Declan Matthew Brown has built the foundation for a future in business as he approaches the end of a successful high school career.

Born in Greenwich and raised in White Plains since he was a year old, Declan has spent virtually his entire life in the same neighborhood. “I’ve been living in the same place since I can remember,” he said.

Declan grew up alongside an older brother, now a junior in college, and four cousins on the same street, including one his own age. “I’ve been really close with them my whole life,” he said.

A product of Post Road Elementary and Eastview and Highlands middle schools, Declan arrived at WPHS already understanding the rhythms of academic life. Both of his parents are teachers — his mother at an elementary school in Rye and his father at a middle school in Scarsdale — and education was always treated as a priority at home.

“There was always an emphasis placed on putting your schoolwork ahead of everything else,” he said. “If something’s optional, you should do it. If you have a test, you should study for it.”

That mindset has paid off. Declan ranks 18th in a class of about 550 students. He earned a 1510 on the SAT and was named a National Merit Commended Student based on his PSAT performance. His course load this year reflects his academic drive: AP Literature, AP Calculus, AP Government and AP Physics.

He also has been recognized as an AP Scholar and a Scholar-Athlete, balancing rigorous coursework with varsity sports. Baseball is his main focus — he plays first base, outfield and pitcher — and he also competed in cross-country and indoor track for all four years of high school.

Athletics have shaped his approach to challenges.

“In baseball, if you make a mistake, there’s nothing you can do to undo it,” he said. “You kind of have to put it out of your mind and try to be better the next time.”

That lesson proved useful during the demanding fall of senior year, when college applications coincided with four AP classes.

“There were some nights where I went to bed later than I should have,” he admitted. “Sometimes it felt overwhelming. I’d get to the end of the week and feel exhausted.”

Still, he kept perspective, pushing toward deadlines while making time for friends and the moments that made October “one of the best parts of the year.”
The college process felt familiar, thanks in part to his brother’s experience.

Declan began seriously exploring schools last November, visiting Binghamton University and nearby campuses, then expanding his search before ultimately narrowing his list to about a dozen schools.

One institution has always held special significance: Fordham University. Both of his parents attended Fordham, along with five of his mother’s six siblings and another uncle. A cousin is currently enrolled there. Declan was even baptized at the university church.

“Whenever I thought about a college campus, I envisioned Fordham,” he said.
He also applied to Binghamton and the University of Maryland, among others, and has been accepted to eight schools so far, including those three. He plans to wait until close to the May decision deadline before committing, weighing financial aid packages and revisiting campuses before making his choice.

Declan intends to major in business, though he is keeping his options open within the field. After taking marketing and personal finance in high school, he looks forward to exploring accounting, finance and other foundational courses in college.

“I want to kind of explore all these different areas,” he said. “Then I can figure out which ones I’m strongest in and which ones I enjoy the most.”

At WPHS, Declan credits both teachers and peers for creating an environment that helped him thrive.

“I’ve liked pretty much all the teachers I’ve had,” he said. “Something that’s helped make me successful was the fact that I like my teachers and I enjoy my classes.”

He points especially to AP Government teacher Fred Rickles, who also taught him AP U.S. History. Before that class, Declan viewed history as memorizing dates and facts. In Mr. Rickles’ classroom, it became something more.

“It felt different,” he said. “It made me more open to learning about different things and actually trying to understand content instead of just memorizing.”

Socially, Declan describes himself as outgoing, with a close-knit group of friends and a wider circle he enjoys spending time with. A devoted fan of the Mets, Giants and Knicks, he attends baseball games whenever he can. His favorite song? “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus, a detail his friends know well.

As he forges ahead, Declan carries with him the quiet confidence of someone who understands both preparation and patience. He has learned from his family, from his teachers and from roller-coaster baseball that success rarely comes from dwelling on setbacks.

“If you don’t do well on something, you use it to motivate yourself to do better next time,” he said. “You can’t get the same score again. You have to be better.”