Freshman renaissance man leaves his mark on Homewood - Collard keeps adding to a laundry list of achievements

Every day, freshman Max Collard leaves Wolman to go to class in style. The Sacramento native's curly white-blonde hair and pale skin provide a stark contrast to his black fedora, sweater vest, tie and sunglasses. As the biomedical engineering major walks to class, people he doesn't even know greet him warmly.

"Everyone remembers who I am," Collard said. "So many people come past me and say, 'Hey Max!' and I'm like, 'I don't know who you are!' I don't know, I guess I'm memorable."

Since being diagnosed with oculocutaneous albinism as a child, Collard is used to the attention. In fact, he sort of likes it.

"I went to a small private school for K-7, and there were 30 people in my class for 8 years," Collard said. "I was the only albino, and I was the really smart person in the class. I was set apart from everyone else, and it gave me an incentive to milk it and be as different as possible."

Collard's differences go way beyond his looks, though. A quick read-through of his resumé is enough to make any typical college student green with envy.

He scored 800s on his Math II and Molecular Biology SAT Subjects Tests and his college essay won first place in Sacramento's News & Review's 2011 College Essay Contest.

In third grade, Collard was introduced to the world of computer programming courtesy of his father, a computer consultant.

"My dad told me, 'You will learn how to program,'" Collard said. "I was nine years old."

Throughout elementary and middle school, Collard taught himself coding and began to develop his own prototypes of computer programs. When iPhones started becoming popular, Collard decided to try his hand at iPhone apps. Freshman year, he spent a few hours a day designing a simple application.

"I had just been writing little brain farts," Collard said. "I just did it out of curiosity."

The application he created became known as "Billy the Ragdoll." The app includes a two-dimensional figure named Billy who can be picked up and moved around. Collard calls it the ultimate time-waster.

When he was 16, he published the app. Collard didn't expect the 99 cent app to make more than 50 bucks.

Today, Billy the Ragdoll has amassed over $20,000.

"I had a friend who didn't even know I wrote this app and he came to me and was like ' Look at this," and I was like, ' I wrote this app.'" Collard said. "He was shocked."

Collard laughed. "I think the app is terrible now. I'm a real perfectionist."

Collard has published two other iPhone applications, and has almost 20 other prototypes that aren't finished. He's also created several Xbox games.

"I was sort of the IT expert in high school," Collard said. "I did a computer independent study all four years. I redesigned my school's website. I created the programs for graduation and the senior award certificates."

The principal of his high school even wanted to name the school's computer lab after Collard.

"I said no," Collard said. "That would've been embarrassing."

Collard's talents extend beyond his technological acumen. In high school, he was a member of the Sacramento Youth Orchestra, playing the double bass. He first auditioned for the orchestra as a freshman. His audition was a little shaky because Collard can't sight read with his impaired vision, a side effect of his albinism.

"The guy who I auditioned for was nice," Collard said. "He gave me a few minutes to look over the music. In two minutes, I had it memorized and I played it perfectly."

Collard was admitted to the highest-level ensemble after his first audition.

"It was unheard of at that time," Collard said.

After his initial success, however, Collard had to work hard to keep up with the orchestra.

"Everything I had to play, I memorized," he said. "I memorized Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and Brahms' Requiem, which is 70 minutes long."

Collard also plays the saxophone, which he intends on continuing in the Hopkins Pep Band.

"For me, music has been a way of overcoming challenges," Collard said. "Both my parents are musicians and so I've been one forever."

When Collard speaks of challenges, he's referring to his struggle with albinism. In elementary school, he was teased because of his different looks.

"Those years really sucked," Collard said. "It was pretty painful."

His sight has also made it difficult for Collard to live a normal teenage life. Even with glasses, his eyes have 20/70 vision and he does not have depth perception.

"My ophthalmologist won't let me drive," he said. "That was sort of lame in high school. I had to take the bus. But there are plenty of cities with good public transit. I know I'll have to deal with it."

Unlike elementary and middle school, Collard's high school years were much less turbulent. He went to a selective public school where people let him do his own thing.

"I had a really weird status at this school," Collard said. "I was known by everyone. Every single student, teacher and administrator knew who I was. It was a good validation that you can completely stand out in every single possible way and have it be a good thing."

Now at Hopkins, Collard already feels at home. He applied early decision last fall into the biomedical engineering program and was awarded the Bloomberg Scholarship, which will cover his tuition for the next four years.

"The BME program is second to none," Collard said. "For that aspect alone, Hopkins was a fantastic choice. It's one of the top schools, but it's not elite--and I like that. It just it what it is, and people are who they are. There are not many normal people here."

Besides Pep Band, Collard is also looking forward to participating in Engineers Without Borders and wants to get involved in community service.

"In high school, I was the guy who helped everyone," Collard said. "That's kind of been the story of my life."

But for now, Collard's college goal list mainly consists of surviving the notoriously intense BME program.

"I just want to get out alive," Collard joked. "But in my four years here, I want to leave a mark, be it something menial or something cool like being part of a lab. I want to do something to be proud of as part of my legacy."