Thayer’s community definitely makes it unique. There’s an unmatched sense of collaboration, support, and friendliness that makes you never want to leave. At Thayer, you not only form bonds with peers but also with faculty. The best part is that we have a community that pushes its members to step outside their comfort zones and be multifaceted students, athletes, or artists.

I’ll attend Yale and major in Computer Science and Economics.

While BC Calculus and AP Chemistry are definitely up there in terms of a challenge, Precalculus Honors with Mr. Forrest takes the cake. Mr. Forrest knows how to push his students. Mixing trigonometry, limits, and a sprinkle of group theory, he teaches you the basics, but just enough, so that on tests you have to form all these crazy connections on your own. This class has led me to become a more independent and creative problem-solver.

I don’t wear sunscreen.

The sheer number of opportunities at Thayer allowed me to fully pursue my interests. Through Mr. Donovan and ISR (Independent Science Research), I had opportunities to research neurodegenerative disease using computer science in labs. Through my positions as a class officer, peer advisor, and teaching assistant for a programming class, I’ve gained important communication and leadership skills. As a result, I’ve learned to balance a heavy workload and busy schedule.

Mr. Cedrone: he’s the perfect blend of sarcasm, wit, kindness, and charisma — everyone just loves him. 

For my senior project, I planned to do something related to computer science or biology. However, due to the pandemic, many internships were cancelled. My computer science teacher, Mr. Cedrone, offered to teach my Data Structures class a new language, Perl, for bioinformatics as our project because it would help us to prepare for college-level computer science. Here’s the kicker: he did this while simultaneously teaching three other AP courses.

My college counselor, Ms. Brennan Hall, was absolutely the best. She helped me with legit everything — brainstorming ideas, application strategies, letters of recommendation, where and when to apply, essay revisions, etc. I think there was even one point where I visited her every day for two weeks straight (sorry, Ms. Brennan Hall). 

I mean, I’ll eat practically anything from Chef Doug, but I guess my favorite is the salmon, or the stuffed mushrooms if I’m feeling healthy.

Improvise, adapt, and overcome — the ability to be flexible is something I’ve learned this past year, whether it be navigating Zoom, online school, modified schedules, or cancelled plans. Life will throw lemons at you; we just need to find a way to make the lemonade. 

I have two. One is my New Englands swim meet during my sophomore year. It was an overnight trip filled with lip sync battles, crazy bus rides, PRs, and unforgettable memories. My second is playing Spikeball on the Teardrop in the spring. The warm weather, the slight breeze, everyone running around and talking on the grass — the vibes were amazing.

Holding the door for each other. It’s an unspoken tradition I have grown to appreciate over my years at Thayer and one that is far less common beyond campus. Even when a person is 20-feet away and has to awkwardly speed walk to the door, these moments strengthen the culture of camaraderie and support within our tight-knit community.