Thayer’s small class sizes allow for deep student-teacher relationships which add to the learning experience.

I’ll attend Cornell University where I plan to study computer science and economics.

AP Calculus with Mr. Cedrone was a challenging yet rewarding experience. Although math was never my favorite subject, the rigor of the class — paired with Mr. Cedrone’s engaging spirit — made it a very memorable course. If you get the chance, you have to take it.

Through my Independent Science Research (ISR) elective junior year, I interned for Beneath the Waves, an NGO founded by Thayer alum Austin Gallgher, Ph.D., Class of 2004. Our work focused on an interagency research program to understand the blue carbon habitat throughout New England. Collaborating with partners at the EPA, MIT, and NOAA’s Sea Grant program, we studied vanishing seagrass in Duxbury Bay through drone mapping, sediment core processing, and environmental DNA. The ability to have such a rich research experience before college was incredibly valuable. 

Finding Nemo. 

I had a great experience with Thayer’s college counseling office. Ms. Woods, my counselor, helped me to apply early, and when I heard back in December, there was a huge weight off of my shoulders. As a result, I was really able to enjoy my senior year.

Mike Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City, inspires me. Born into a middle-class family in Massachusetts, Bloomberg attended Johns Hopkins University by taking out loans and working as a parking lot attendant. Years later, he was fired from an entry-level job on Wall street. However, Bloomberg had a vision: a tech company that would provide transparency and efficiency to the buying and selling of financial securities. In 1981, he launched his own small startup. Today, we know Bloomberg LP as a global company that employees 15,000 people in 73 countries across the globe. 

What I value most about Bloomberg is his commitment to the common good, including his contribution to education. During his tenure as mayor of New York City, he fixed a broken public school system and launched an applied sciences competition. In 2011, Cornell University won the competition and received land on Roosevelt Island and $100 million in city capital to build a $2 billion, 2-million-square-foot tech campus.
 

My junior year, during the pandemic, I took AP Language and Composition in the fall. When it was time for me to study for the exam in the spring, my teacher, Ms. Hayman, held a series of optional review sessions. Those sessions helped me to receive a score I can use next year to fulfill an English requirement.

“Headlines” by Drake.

Chicken & Rice. Classic.

Camp Bournedale, the freshman orientation experience, is a trademark of Thayer and my favorite Thayer memory. Being able to return to Camp Bournedale as a peer advisor with my group of eight freshmen was a full-circle moment for me.