Thayer is more than a community. Thayer is a family. The relationships among students, teachers, and faculty are why Thayer feels that way.

I will major in communications at Boston College with concentrations in finance and marketing. I’m also interested in a possible minor in mathematics.

AP Calculus AB with Mr. Cedrone was the most challenging course I took at Thayer Academy. I entered this class as a student who memorizes algorithms and problems without understanding “the why” behind the calculus. However, with Mr.Cedrone's help and guidance, I grew as a consequential math student who really understands the material and thinks through the processes of calculus.

Huge shoutout to Mr. Cedrone for the daily extra help; he helped me to develop into a stronger math student, but, more importantly, he helped me become a person who creates meaning, purpose, and impact wherever I go. Although this course was challenging, Mr. Cedrone was the best teacher I’ve ever had, and I am proud to call AP Calculus AB the best class I ever had at Thayer.

Most people do not know that I am a HUGE horror movie fanatic. I love any scary movie and spend most of my free time watching them in movie theaters and with my family.

Thayer taught me that in order to achieve success, I need to bring purpose, impact, and meaning to everything I do. Thayer introduced me to a passion of serving others through community service. My definition of success is not putting community service organizations on my résumé; my idea of success is when I get high fives from Special Olympics athletes, hugs from the fourth grade students involved with SALSA, and personal relationships with the students of the Cardinal Cushing School. To me, creating meaningful relationships and lasting impacts make me feel that my work is successful.

My favorite movie of all time is Home Alone 2. Although it’s meant to be a holiday movie, I watch it probably every other month because thinking about Christmas makes me happy.

During my junior year, I took Precalculus Advanced with Mr. Keough. Nearly every day, I would go for extra help with Mr. Keough. These sessions would be once, twice, and sometimes even three times in one given day. Even though these sessions were extremely frequent, Mr. Keough was always ready to help with a smile every single time. We even nicknamed these sessions our “World Tours.”

I even remember one time Mr. Keough stayed after school during a snowstorm to help me and a few other students prepare for an upcoming test. This is just one example of Mr. Keough’s dedication and selflessness to his students. They are truly special and unique qualities of Mr. Keough. He has truly gone “that extra mile” for me, and I know that we’ll stay in touch as I head off to college and beyond.

My biggest inspiration is my family. Living in a six-member family my entire life, each one of them inspires me to be a better version of myself. My biggest inspiration from my Dad is the love of his family. Nothing is more important to him than being home from work every night and having dinner with my family. My Mom inspires me to be kind and selfless. Her ability to make others feel valued and appreciated is so special to me, and I try to be the bright, luminous person she is wherever I go. My oldest brother, Jefferson, inspires me to always work hard. To him, there are no excuses in life, and the best way to achieve something is to be resilient and embrace the challenge. Luke inspires me to be humorous and appreciate the little moments in life. I look up to him to bring light into my days and reach out to others to make them feel the same way. My youngest brother Dillon inspires me to always look at life with a broad perspective. His ability to get through hard moments is something truly amazing, and his quiet kindness is something I try to emulate every day.

It would have to be anything by Pitbull. His songs always get me hyped up.

Throughout these seven years, I’ve had endless support and guidance from my classmates, teachers, and the entire faculty and staff of Thayer Academy. I believe that it’s the people of Thayer who truly make it special. The quality of the individuals around me motivates me to be a better version of myself and to live a life of service, empathy, integrity, and impact.

My favorite Thayer tradition has to be the opening night of the fall musical. The audience always has contagious and luminous energy that motivates the cast to give their best performances. I will never forget the feeling when the curtain first opens and you get that rush of adrenaline and excitement; it’s truly such a memorable moment every year.