Groton — Sofia Gonzalez is headed to the prestigious Brown University in Providence this fall. But she doesn’t necessarily want you to know that.

Gonzalez, 17, is a senior at Marine Science Magnet High School in Groton. She’s accomplished a lot in her high school years, albeit quietly.

“She won’t show off about herself,” her father, Jose Gonzalez, said. “We went to the allergist about a year ago and he was like, ‘Where you thinking of going?’ And she was like, ‘somewhere in Boston.’ ‘OK, what school?’ ‘Nothing in particular.’ Poor guy probably thinks she’s not going to do anything. Then I saw him and he was like, ‘Where’s she going?’ And I was like, ‘She’s going to Brown. And he goes, ‘What?’”

During an interview at Gonzalez’s home in Waterford, parents Jose and Kristin Gonzalez repeatedly admonished her not to be modest, and told her to own her successes. It took some prying, but Gonzalez did finally admit she’s involved in just about as many academic and after-school activities that a student can be involved in.

Over the summer, she works at Olive Garden and Camp Dash. Then there’s the Interact Club, youth leadership conferences, independent studies, college courses, being the vice president of her class, yearbook co-editor, a member of the racial equity action league, and debate, lacrosse, reading, writing, drawing — whatever it is, Gonzalez is eminently involved.

And her plans for the future aren’t any different.

“I plan on centering my next four years around collaboration and exploration. I find trying new things really interesting; that’s why I came to marine science for one thing,” Gonzalez said. “Brown is a unique school because it’s one of the happiest schools in the Ivy League. Part of that is the open curriculum. It’s an environment where people explore their interests rather than just do it for a grade or to get into a graduate program. You can pick whatever classes you want and there’s no core curriculum that’s required.”

Gonzalez said she needs “to figure out what I’m going to do for a career eventually.” But, she adds, “I have an interest in a lot of different things.”

“It’s so hard to pick and choose one passion,” Gonzalez said. She tried, nonetheless. “One thing is political participation. I think that kind of intersects with a lot of issues right now between the environment, which is a problem for everyone. I think that a lot of disadvantaged groups are not participating politically, so I think it’s important to exercise that right.”

Gonzalez said her independent study, which a teacher approached her about doing, was a sort of pilot for the Black, Puerto Rican and Latino studies required for Connecticut high schools as of last year.

“That’s going to become an actual class next year, but this year for me it was an independent study, which was an impressive and fun opportunity,” Gonzalez said. “I don’t think there’s ever enough teaching or learning, especially with issues like that.”

During her interview, she had a picture of Angela Davis, the iconic African American activist and academic, that she drew herself sitting next to her.

“It was for the Black History Month group, the Racial Equity Action League group did it,” Gonzalez said. “We had a digital content hub featuring writings and art from the school community. That was my submission.”

“I don’t know if I’m as much of an artist as I am an art appreciator,” she said, referring to some of her work as “sketches.”

Later, her mother walked in. “I’m not sure what she told you, but she’s an incredible artist,” she said of her daughter.

Jose Gonzalez said his daughter’s political acumen and capacity for the arts was on display at an early age. “She was always the more curious kind,” he said. “Anytime we’d go to museums, for example, she’d always be the last one in our group to stay behind and read everything.”

“It’s been all around her,” Kristin Gonzalez said. “Her sisters have been involved in everything, and with the social justice movement after George Floyd, that’s a big awakening, but we’ve always had that going on in our family. (Jose’s) an activist in the Latino community, and we’ve always talked about these things around the dinner table, even before George Floyd.”

Gonzalez has two older sisters and one younger brother. She credits the example of her sisters as well as her parents — Jose is an English professor at the Coast Guard Academy, Kristin teaches English as a second language for students at local elementary schools — for her desire to learn and her political awareness.

“I’m interested in the intersection in a lot of things sociological,” Gonzalez said.

She takes joy in the process of learning.

Her parents relayed a story exemplifying her work ethic: “She came home at like 9:30 from her homecoming on a Friday night,” Jose Gonzalez said. “When we asked her, she said it was because she had work to do. And then she did it. On Friday night. She still had Saturday, she still had Sunday, but she was like, ‘I’ve got to get to it.’ With no drama whatsoever. It wasn’t like, ‘I’m so stressed.’ It was just, ‘I have to do it.’”

s.spinella@theday.com