America is the great melting pot. It’s a colorful tapestry of ethnicity and heritage that is blended together, ideally, in perfect harmony. But that doesn’t signal the loss of cultural identity in the process, even if you are a first-generation Cuban American, born and raised in Kansas, who has never visited the land of his father’s birth. There’s an old Cuban saying: “Cubanos, no importa el sitio donde vivan” (Cubans, regardless of the place they live). This is the story of one such Cuban American.

Hispanic Outlook (HO) readers might remember the name Braxton Moral, a blond-haired, blue-eyed 17-year-old who made national headlines when he achieved a singular accomplishment that no one had done before and will, because of rule changes, never do again. Within the same month this year, he graduated with his high school degree and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard – yes, that Harvard. His story was told on “Good Morning America” (GMA), CBS News and NBC’s Today Show. Articles about him were featured in The Associated Press, The New York Times and the Boston Globe. Yet, not one word was written or said about this Kansas native’s Cuban heritage.

Braxton saw this as a missed opportunity to tell people about his ethnicity. “He really wanted to let people know about his heritage,” his father Carlos told HO.  “He has blond hair and blue eyes, so people don’t make the connection, but he feels a keen interest in the Cuban culture. He’s half Cuban, and he’s very proud of that. But they never mentioned that, so he was disappointed.”

Braxton comes from a supportive family, which is not unlike how he perceives Cuban society to be. Braxton says while other countries’ populations are spread out and can be impersonal and isolated, Cubans are a close-knit people, in terms of family, neighborhood and society.  Braxton feels fierce loyalty to his family and his heritage. As Braxton’s dad Carlos explains, the closeness of their family, which includes Carlos; Braxton’s mother, Julie; his twin sisters, Brittney and Brandi (age 28); and his brother, Bryce (age 26), helped recognize Braxton’s potential and steer him to a path of success. Despite the fact that Braxton was born 10 years after his brother and 12 years after his sisters, the age difference has not dimmed their closeness to or affection for each other.  From the time he was very young, it was clear that Braxton was very different from his siblings. He wasn’t much of an athlete; they were. But he was a superstar in the classroom.

As Carlos explains, “We took him to kindergarten to sign him up, and they said we may need to put him in primary grades. But we wanted him to go to kindergarten. We just wanted him to know the work intellectually and academically.” The family knew he was bright, but as time went on, they realized it was more than just being tops in his class. “One day we got a call from the school. They wanted to talk to us about Braxton. They said he was way different than the rest of the class. It scared us. We said ‘what do you mean different?’ It turns out they gave him an IQ test, and he scored very high.”

Carlos and Julie tried to make Braxton’s schooling and life as normal as possible, Braxton was exhibiting signs of great intellect that was frightening to them. Carlos explains, “He started asking these really deep questions like ‘why am I here’ and ‘what is God’ and we didn’t understand it. We feared he was mentally ill, but we took him to a specialist.” The family was relieved to know that Braxton wasn’t mentally ill, he was just expressing his brilliance.

Things really began to crystalize for Braxton in the third grade when his school told Carlos and Julie that he was “not just gifted, but really, really gifted.” While still in middle school, he was taking some high school courses. Then, Braxton was accepted into the Harvard Extension School, which is designed for adults who work and can’t attend classes on campus full time. While Braxton was not an adult, he was allowed to continue to attend his hometown high school in Ulysses, Kansas, while taking Harvard Extension School courses.  He was only 12 years old when he started this academic plan. All through the planning process Braxton’s family stepped up to make sure he would not be adversely affected by decisions made on Braxton’s behalf.

Carlos and Julie were determined to make Braxton’s life as normal as any other high schooler. To them, developing socialization skills were very important for him. Carefully, they made up a four-year plan to create that important balance between academics and social experiences during this critical period. Special care has always been taken to make sure Braxton doesn’t become over extended or depressed, lest this special gift he has become a curse.

Braxton’s family’s loving instincts were correct. Braxton Moral graduated from Harvard with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree, with a major in government and a minor in English. Equally impressive is the young man Braxton has turned out to be.

“I’m proud of him,” his father Carlos told “GMA.” “Not only is he smart, but he’s a kind kid. With this kind of education comes a lot of responsibility, and he needs to do something positive with it.” Braxton feels the weight of this responsibility and welcomes it.

“I’m relieved to have a little bit of a head start,” Braxton told “GMA” on May 21. “I thought it really broadened my horizons. It helped me understand new things and what I want to do.”  He also offered this advice to “GMA” viewers who were just starting their academic or professional life, “Visualize your goals, make sure you know what they are and the steps you need to go through to achieve them.”

Braxton is already visualizing those goals for himself, while reflecting on his deep appreciation for the support of his family. Part of that appreciation is directed toward the rich culture that is part of his heritage. “I love visiting Miami where my father grew up because it shows the Cuban side of my heritage.”

Braxton’s pride in his Cuban ancestry springs from a love of history, which he says fascinates him. And although he is currently in law school, his passion might lie elsewhere. Even though he’s still too young to vote, he admits, “To be perfectly honest, I enjoy politics more so than law. It gives me a chance to make an impact and feel that I can accomplish something.” He freely admits he wants to use his gift to change the world for the better.

He speaks with pride about his father’s family having to give up everything to come to America and start over. This grittiness and entrepreneurial spirit have impacted Braxton’s life. “I believe that some of those qualities I see in myself comes from my Cuban heritage and my family’s experiences in this country. It’s part of what makes me who I am.”  •