Hi, I'm Emerson Chontos.
Welcome to my website.
I am 17 years old and a member of the graduating Class of 2026 at Palos Verdes High School in Los Angeles, California. I intend to major in English in college to prepare for a career as a lawyer.
I have two brothers, and I am a twin, but not identical. People constantly argue that my older brother (by one minute) and I are identical because we "look alike." Except that's not how any of that works.
I am an avid reader, and especially enjoy non-fiction and fiction about the Tudor period, which fascinates me.
I write both fiction and poetry, with a concentration on fiction. For the last two summers, I participated in highly selective, prestigious writing programs administered through Yale University and the University of Iowa, both concentrating on Fiction. I was selected based on writing samples, strong teacher recommendations, and my official high school transcript.
This is my second year on the PVHS Yearbook Staff, where I was recently honored with a Certificate of Excellence for a profile I wrote.
FORMER COMPETITIVE
FIGURE SKATER
Fun Fact: For 4 years, my brothers and I trained with figure-skating Olympians and world champions as our coaches. Starting at 5 years old, I performed in ice shows and competed in CT, MA, NY, NJ, and PA, including at Lake Placid. I've met American figure skating legends such as Sarah Hughes, Mirai Nagasu, Gracie Gold, Adam Rippon, Jason Brown, Ashley Wagner, Starr Andrews, and the Shibutanis. We were most excited when Nathan Chen used our mom's phone to take selfies with us.
FAMILY MATTERS
One of the things I appreciate most about my life is the closeness we share within my family. I have an older brother, Jackson, and a twin brother, Dayton. Some of our best times are spent just being silly and laughing with each other, watching Star Wars movies or "Stranger Things," for the umpteenth time, and playing Uno as a family.
We have inside jokes known only to the 3 of us, mostly about our early childhood growing up in Old Lyme, Connecticut, before we moved to California 7 years ago for our Dad's job.
When Dayton and I came along Jackson was 3 1/2 years old. Although he was still practically a baby himself, he was never jealous of us as younger siblings who attracted extra attention because we were twins. Instead, for as long as I can remember, he was always happy to include us in whatever exciting adventures he was planning. From the beginning, he treated us as equal partners and co-conspirators in kid shenanigans in which we were happy to participate.
Only recently, we revealed to our parents that when Dayton and I were around 5 and Jackson was 8 1/2, the three of us used to regularly have secret "Night Parties" Jackson (then 8 1//2) planned on the weekends. Our standard nightly routine was that Dad would recite Dr. Seuss books and "Good Night, Moon" to us (he knew our favorites by heart). He then would tuck us all into bunk beds in Jackson's bedroom that we preferred to our own, settling us for what he thought was the rest of the night.
But what our parents didn't know is that we were way ahead of them, and that Jackson had already put a plan in motion.
He would set an alarm for midnight, just low enough that our parents wouldn't hear it, yet loud enough to wake him up under his pillow. As previously agreed, he would shake us awake. The three of us were never so quiet or unafraid of the dark as when we were creeping down the hallway and sneaking upstairs to our family room in the attic.
There, as soon as we'd closed the door softly behind us, the rumpus would really begin. Upstairs, in our Minions, Sponge Bob, and Spiderman pajamas, we really lived the high life, binging on Noggin, "Bear In the Big Blue House," "Corduroy," and scarfing down Goldfish, squeezable apple sauce, and juice boxes while laughing about Tutter and singing the "Goodbye" song with Luna.
At 17, 17, and 20 now, we still reminisce about those good times. One time, we scripted a spy series, where I named myself "Agent Camarelle" (which I couldn't even spell at the time, but it sounded good). I was a double agent who refused to break under intense questioning by Dayton and Jackson. I don't remember all the details, other than that the big reveal was that the actor Jerry Lewis was the ringleader of the secret spy criminal network.
Jackson is now a Junior in college in Washington state, and Dayton and I are planning for high school graduation and college. The years have gone by very quickly, although at the time, it felt to us like it would take a long time for us to grow up.
I'm grateful that no matter where life takes us, we will always have the gifts of love and support from our parents and special family memories that will last us forever. Through sharing an amazing childhood, we have built a strong family bond. Wherever we wind up in life, I feel loved and secure in knowing that whatever happens, we can always find home in our parents and each other.
