Scholarship recipient is ready for his next challenge

Eric Picanco had done his homework, that was certain, but his boldness on the buzzer was his superpower. Representing the Purple Panthers of Nashua High School South in the championship round of Granite State Challenge, Eric racked up points across categories, making a strong showing in history and geography and straight-up dominating music:

Blondie. The Power of Love. West Side Story. Sugar Hill Gang. Elton John. Hank Williams. Igor Stravinsky.  

In the end, the Purple Panthers clinched the championship match of the NH PBS quiz show, with the opposing team’s coach noting that he’d never seen such a high score in a game.  

Challenges aren’t new for Eric. Growing up with autism, he had to push his limits from a young age. In high school, he joined the track team and found himself facing literal hurdles.

“I never thought I’d be good at hurdles, and then I was good at hurdles,” Eric said. “And it made me think that taking risks is a good thing to do, and you should do that a lot.”  

Eric’s next challenge is college. This month he starts his first year at Plymouth State University, where he’ll major in education. A Granite Edvance Scholarship will help with his expenses.  

Eric hopes to teach high school history, sharing a passion he developed partly from competing in trivia. “I feel like spreading my knowledge could be very helpful [and] I feel like history’s very important and more people should be knowledgeable about it,” he said.  

There’s another reason Eric wants to teach, too. After exiting his IEP (Individualized Education Program) in high school, he joined the Unified Basketball team so he could help other students who faced challenges. In the same way, he wants to support students who may need extra help in the classroom.  

“My journey has taught me that pushing through and self-advocacy can open doors,” he wrote in his application essay for the Granite Edvance Scholarship. “As a teacher, I will dedicate myself to opening those doors for every student who walks into my classroom.” 

Be forewarned though, future students: You may just find yourself on a trivia team.