David Douriez, junior, is the epitome of what many children strive to be. Speculated to be the salutatorian for the class of 2008, Douriez is excellent at everything he does.

A member of the French Honors Society, this cultured young man is trilingual. His family originates in the North of France and he visits every summer. His family also owns real estate in the southern part of the country, and he is, too, familiar with this locale. Douriez has traveled all over Europe; he has gone to England by tunnel, rode horses in Belgium, and taken a road trip through Italy and Switzerland. He also lived in the United Arab Emigrates for a year because of his father’s occupation. Douriez is also familiar with Holland and Canada.

At the annual awards ceremony on April 17th, Douriez received the book award for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was also received the Scholar Award for the class of 2008.

Douriez is an athlete. As a competitive swimmer and water polo player, Douriez was one of the captains for the Boys’ Water Polo team for the 2007 season. He has an aggressive playing style, and holds the position of Defensive Hole (Hole-D).

His other hobbies include working at the Sony Ericsson Open tennis tournaments as a ball boy. His other community service activities include volunteering at Miami Children’s hospital in Coral Gables.

Still, this ambitious kid knows how to have fun.

“I like skiing, snowboarding, and water skiing. I go down to the Keys a lot, because my friend has a house there. We go lobstering during the season,” Douriez said.

Hanging out with friends on the weekends is his primary concern.

“We met in elementary school. I had him in my first grade class. We also used to spend every Halloween together. His choices of costumes were always hilarious. We were both the obese kids in our little nerd clique, so naturally I befriended him the best,” Pola Bunster, junior, said.

Douriez hopes to attend Brown University for the Program in Liberal Medical Education (P.L.M.E.) in the fall of 2008. He is also seriously considering Princeton University for undergraduate studies. He eventually aspires to be an oncologist.

“He is very smart, and he helps me with my homework and others, too,” Bunster said.

Douriez is a one of the 12 BC Calculus juniors at Gables. He is a focused and enthusiastic mathematician.

Douriez has a close-knit family. His sister, Carole Douriez, is a medical student at the University of Miami. She is a Gables Alumnus as well. His mother is Cuban, and his father is French.

“He's my brother. We even look alike,” Bunster said.