Aedan Conners, an EHHS senior, received life-changing news on Thursday, March 27, 2025: after being deferred for 200 days, he was accepted to Yale University with a GPA of 4.94. “It was the best moment of my life, there was screaming [and] crying.” Aedan applied to multiple schools including Vanderbilt, Duke University, Harvard, and Brown University, but got waitlisted to all. He was also accepted into the University of Florida and Boston College, which was his second choice. “I’ve seen people on TikTok say it only takes one great school, and what happened to me really speaks to that.” 

Aedan emphasized the importance of his work ethic in both academics and swimming. He has been swimming for seven years and spends eighteen hours a week swimming at the Yale pool in addition to attending school. Aedan expresses the connection he felt to the school through swimming before the academic factors: “The connection I felt to the school already, just from being there every day. That whole connection spreads throughout the entire school, like it’s a very interconnected university.” 

Aedan is majoring in Biomedical Engineering, specializing in developing and advancing medical equipment and systems to enhance human health. Aedan explained and highlighted the interconnected community of Yale, particularly the unification of the STEM and humanities departments. He expressed how drawn he felt to Yale’s interdisciplinary approach after coming out of EHHS, where the departments are more isolated. “It was kind of like a big old family, which is the thing that really appealed to me, especially coming out of East Haven, where it feels really separated and almost excluded from each other.”

Aedan mentioned how Mrs. Ruggiero inspired him to choose Biomedical Engineering as his major because he took her AP Biology class during his Junior year. Taking AP Bio sparked his interest in majoring in Biomedical Engineering due to him breaking his collarbone while skiing in eighth grade, causing him to stop swimming for eight weeks and also wear a sling. “I was confused why there was nothing they could do to help heal my collarbone without using surgery. So that kind of sparked an interest in trying to engineer new ways and treating medical disabilities”. When Aedan was asked who supported him the most throughout his journey, he responded with, “I can’t really say one person, I had such a great support system and I really attribute my success in the college applications process to them all.” He thanks his teachers who helped him write recommendation letters and prepare for his Yale interview, as well as his family, friends, and coaches who supported him throughout his journey. “My mom and dad were unbelievably supportive throughout the entire process and through the ups and downs.” He also explained how his friends, Sal Plano, Cameron LaCroix, Connor Czaplicki, Anthony Arcangelo, and Angel Orozco, were extremely supportive throughout his journey.

Aedan is actively involved in several extracurricular activities that showcase his leadership and commitment to both athletics and education. He is a National Team Member and the Captain of the Bulldogs Swim team. He also became a six-time recipient of the Connecticut Swimming top sixteen award. Alongside athletics, Aedan is the CFO and Chapter Founder of Students of STEM, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating students in STEM fields. He manages the finances for the organization and organizes local sessions at the Hagaman Library aimed at inspiring East Haven residents to show interest in STEM fields and combat low math and science test scores. Additionally, Aedan runs the peer tutoring and Teacher’s Assistant program at EHHS alongside his future Yale classmate, Anthony Arcangelo, further demonstrating his commitment to supporting his peers in their academic journeys. 

On a personal level, Aedan looks up to his brother, Brendan Conners, for influence and support. He admires the hard work and commitment Brendan put into his career, starting at the age of thirteen in both swimming and academics. Brenden committed to Alabama, the top fifteen program in the nation for Division One swimming. “Just seeing what he did to get to where he is in swimming, I took inspiration from that and tried to incorporate that into my academics.”