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Bryan Derballa
Santiago Muñoz, 14, seen here waiting to transfer to the 4 train in Manhattan in January, had one of the world's longest commutes -- until last week.
Think you have a lousy commute? Don't complain to Santiago Munoz.
The New York City 14-year-old spent five hours a day on subways and buses to get to his elite high school, earning him recognition in a United Nations exhibition about the world's longest school commutes.
His days of waking up at 5 a.m. are over, though. Last week, the freshman moved to a new public-housing complex that's closer to the prestigious Bronx High School of Science, and now it only takes him an hour and 10 minutes to get to class.
"I used to take two buses and two trains," Munoz said Tuesday. "It was two and a half hours each way."
He said "some people thought I was crazy" to make the long journey from the Far Rockaway section of Queens to the Bronx when he could have gone to a high school closer to home, but he put education over convenience.
"Bronx Science is a great school and has a great reputation and I just wanted to push myself forward," said Munoz, who hopes to become a doctor.
Munoz's daily odyssey was featured in a United Nations exhibit that also highlighted a Kenyan girl who walked two hours to school, Brazilian children who ride mules, and a Thai girl who walks 40 minutes to board a crowded rickshaw.
The math whiz said that after housing officials saw a New York Post story about his plight, they offered his family a transfer.
A spokeswoman for the New York City Housing Authority said that since his previous apartment was affected by superstorm Sandy, Munoz was eligible for a move.
Now that he's in north Brooklyn, he said, "I'm getting more sleep and I'm more productive."
A member of the math team, he hopes he can play some sports and hang out with friends more with all that extra time on his hand.
While he's thrilled to be traveling less, he said he would have continued to endure the longer trek for the chance to graduate from a school that counts eight Nobel Prize winners among its alumni.
"You don't get anything free in life," he said.
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I love this Kid !
Usually it's the parents that sacrifice by paying their school taxes and private school tution and driving their kids to and from school risking their jobs. Many go bankrupt trying to get their kid the better education.
It's not often a young man has the desire to obtain a better that he made an incredible personal sacrifice of time to get there.
Well done young man! Well done!
It's because of kids like that that I have not nor will I give up on todays youth.
his parents deserve a freaking medal for raising such a great kid!!
He's got a brain of his own, and he's using it. Give him some credit of his own for that. It doesn't all belong to the parents.
lol. maybe we should send all of our children on a 5 hour commute everyday. they would get bored and do their homework...he seems to be doing well
A serious young man with a goal and the will and dedication to achieve it. What an inspiration!
When we read daily about the incredibly crappy things teens do nowadays (like the sorry-a$$ teens who shot and killed a baby in a stroller), it is just so heartwarming and uplifting to see a teen with his head on straight.
Santiago, you make us ALL proud. Good luck with your pursuits. If anyone can do it, YOU CAN!
muy orgullosa de t.....isiga recto en su vida.....dios de bendiga
You will go a long way young man! With drive and determination like that it will be awesome to see what you achieve! Congratulation on your goals!
Wish there were more kids like this in America...we wouldn't have half the problems we do!!!
Good luck Santiago.
I'm going to ease out on a limb and say if EVERY kid in America had this attitude, our violence problem would virtually disappear.
Let's go further on the limb and wish that every ADULT were like this too.
True, Natalie. But if the kids were all like this, it is likely they would remain so when becoming adults. Not trying to be argumentative (I voted you up!!), just emphasizing that they should be trained from toddler up. Obviously, this young fellow had some proper upbringing somewhere along the way. I believe his parents deserve some recognition.
We need more students like this. Keep up the good work and you will succeed.
SOMEBODY'S parents should be proud!
What a wonderful young man - climb high, Santiago!
Wish I were wealthy - I would buy a home near this school for this kid and his family.
I am sure his parents are very proud of him, and I hope those who often make snarky remarks about Hispanics note this young man's name.
I love that he didn't let his living conditions hold him back. We need more stories like this!
Wow, how awesome! Keep up the good work Santiago!
This story is really extra special, an inspiration to us all that life does not owe us however we must do our best each every day no matter what hurtles come our way.
It is good to finally see some good news in the media. Don't normally get good news that is worth reading about. I don't care about celebrities and what they are doing because the vast majority of celebrities don't live in reality anyway.
This is such a great story of a High School Kid who wants a better life and willing to make that sacrifice to have that better life in this crappy world we live in. May the LORD bless that kid more and bless his soul.
Way to go kid. I'm so glad someone helped you.
Way to go! We need to bottle his determination and perseverance. You can bet he won't be spending his newly found time smoking weed, playing video games, texting, and watching TV. He has something few kids (and adults) have...goals.
I am also happy for this fine young man and hope he is able to succeed with his goal of becoming a doctor. The one thing in the story that made me flinch just a bit was his statement that "You don't get anything free in life." He's living in government housing. Not his fault for sure, but that's as close to having free housing as you can get. His parents obviously have pushed him in the right direction, inspite of the conditions that put them in government housing and that's very commendable.
Libra2u2 - Why do you think that if one lives in "government" housing that you are living free? In NYC your rent is now charged @ 30% of your income/salary (gross).
NotThePest Lanikai Ron must be a republican because he thinks anyone that gets any type of government aid is in it for all the free stuff.
...or just because he's got black cloud hanging over his head. Take a nice uplifting story and make a comment like that. Some of us see these programs as "mooching", others as perhaps an investment in our youth -- this story points to the latter. But they're a glass half empty sort, some of those those repubs.
NTP, The reading comprehension of the left has always been hampered by their beliefs as opposed to what is said. I said that government housing was the closest thing to free housing there is.
Smitty, I voted for Obama in 08'. Does that sound like a Republican to you? I now admit it was the dumbest vote of my life. I was a Kennedy Democrat. You know, the kind that asked what I could do for my country instead of asking what my country could do for me? And I know plenty of people that are getting government assistance for the free stuff. I know some families who do this generation after generation.
I think he's right even if his parents get free or subsidized housing. He means that everything has a cost. That cost doesn't have to mean money. If you live in subsidized housing, the cost might be you don't get to choose your neighbors, you don't get to choose your neighborhood, the cost might be your pride or the fact that people stereo-type you, or the fact that you live 5 hours from the school you attend. He means that he will do whatever it takes (whatever it costs) to get the education he values. To use this young man's words to point out that his parents receive free or subsidized housing is not only tacky but a failure in reading comprehension.
After I left the Air Force, to be able to improve myself, I worked 3-13 hour days, and then had 4 days-5
hours of night courses to get my degree. When you start work at 3:00 am, it took some imaginative thinking to get this done. Afer two years of this. I was able to graduate with honors. Within eight years, I was the plant manager ( not family). So when I see a young individual show me that kind of dedication, just as this young person has, they go straight to the top of my hiring list! When they get married or have a child , sometimes I have to force some to just go home. Along side military service and not giving up on yourself, this is how you make the American dream come true for you!!! Keep it going Santiago!!!
No excuse for not doing his homework...had plenty of time to do it... before school and after school.
Put Amish children in this..they get up at 4AM..to WORK 4 hours..then by 9am school..then back to work for 2 hours more and asleep by 7PM.
I was about to post that I finally found an article on the Vine that did not have a single obnoxious comment... until I read mike227's post. What do Amish kids have to do with this teen's motivation to succeed? So what if Amish kids plow the fields until 9am? Does that minimize what this kid does?
Its seems Lloyd your comment is the obnoxious one!
I stated "Put Amish children in this" which is for recognition in a United Nations exhibition about the world's longest school commutes.
Yes waking up at 4 AM to plow the fields to go too school would be part of the commute to go to school!
Sorry mike but household chores, farmwork, or any other kind of work is not part of the commute.
"Verb
Travel some distance between one's home and place of work on a regular basis.
Noun
A regular journey of some distance to and from one's place of work."
Some common sense maybe ?
mike277, who said anything about not having time for his homework? From the looks of this article, he's getting that done, and then some.
Mike, your attempt at an equivocation fallacy has failed.
This kid on his worse day is better than any Amish idiot. Who brought up the Amish and had to get me started?!
Why is the US so infatuated with the Amish? They are a scourge. They contribute nothing except pies, Mongoloid children, and tourist attractions for people like my elderly parents who think if they drive more than 50 miles it's an excursion to some foreign land. They pay zero tax, but believe me they make a ransom at flea markets.
What decent, modern civilization would be against things like zippers, buttons, mirrors and modern heath care because an imaginary figure told them so? Fools, that's who!
Wait... how did this get on the Amish? Yes, I hate them. Old Dutch charlatans!
Good for this kid, I hope he develops an Amish pox vaccine.
You can do anything if you're committed.. for awhile.
True warren.20 years ago had sex with my wife three times a day..now its once a month.
Who pissed in your Cheerios warren?
Mike, you should be Amish.
Kudos to this hard-working boy who has figured out.............................
"Nothing in life is free."
I wish him all the best, and safe travels always.
I hope that you make good use of your spare time and not be corrupted now that people are or will be all over you. Remember your core principle and stick to it. Best of luck! And most of all strive.
Great kid!!! This should be inspiration for all those in the struggle. There is a great reward for all your hard work and determination!!
Hard working will get pay off, you are very brave young man!
Sorry I can not feel for this kid. He lives in public housing, then go to public schools close to your home. If you can afford to go to and elite school why public housing........
There are no shortage of idiots in this world. The "elite school" he is going to in the Bronx is a public school also - just a damn good one.
The Bronx High School of Science is a specialized New York City public high school often considered the premier science magnet school in the United States. Founded in 1938, it is now located in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx.
I don't think the kid gives a crap what you or anyone else thinks. He is clearly making decisions on his own here. Decisions to sacrifice and better himself. You might want to take a page from this young man's book.
No one asked you to feel for this kid, especially not the kid himself.
Go back to pissing in your own Cheerios, please.
It's an academic qualification school, genius, one you wouldn't be qualified for. It's public school, but it only admits those that are academically qualified to attend. Kids sacrificing of himself to give himself the best chance at a better life.
J. Paris, did you think that maybe he might have gotten a scholarship to the more elite school?
This is a kid that is trying to make something of himself, and not fall through the cracks. I commend this young man and wish him the best in everything he does.
The Bronx High School of Science is a public school.
JJ, all the more commendable.
Umm hello, kids in Hawaii spend just as much time or more to get to our local university, much less an elite school. And they also work. Some have families of their own. And all by bus. One of the longest daily commutes? Big deal. Talk about people being out of touch with the real world.
University? This kid is 14!
LMedina - It must suck to be you!
LMedina,
Does it hurt you to give this child a compliment on his dedication? He is demonstrating that his education is of the utmost importance.
There is a world of difference between an adult going to a university by bus in sunny and warm Hawaii, and a child getting up at the crack of dawn to take two buses and two trains to get to school in New York (during all kinds of weather). I mean look at the photo, he has on a winter coat. He must pass by at least 20 schools before he gets to his school. How many kids/teens would be that committed to their education? Don't diminish his achievement by comparing it to others.Why did you even bother to post?
LMedina,
If I was on ice like the rest of Hawaii, and lived there as well, I would probably not be worried about school. Or a university. Or my well being, volcanoes, earthquakes, pineapples, etc.
Dog the Bounty Hunter is like the Pope there. That should tell you something.
When I see shows on Hawaii, I'm usually embarrassed to be an American. Then I think about the rest of America and Hawaii is my least concern.
Mr.Munoz has tenacity and is taking responsibility for his education.I am wishing him all the best that the world has to offer.His dedication to receiving the best education that he can get is going to help shape him into an excellent doctor.