I don’t think I can overstate the emphasis Thayer puts on building a complete person. More than anywhere else I’ve seen, the students and faculty alike at Thayer are multidimensional, which creates strong relationships and a high standard of living. Having national-level athletes diving into the arts and having bookworms on the basketball court gives kids the skills needed to thrive in and out of their comfort zones.

Right now, I plan on double majoring in economics and computer science with a minor in government while participating in Naval ROTC. I’d like to keep my options open, though, as I’m interested in a lot of disciplines.

Mr. Forrest’s Precalculus Honors class was my most challenging class and my most rewarding class. In only one year, we covered so much mathematics that my view of the subject did a complete 180. To me, math went from solving for x to the language of the universe. However, sporadic pop quizzes forced you to keep on top of the material, which was probably a blessing in disguise.

I haven’t seen most movies. Like, it’s criminally bad how many classics I’ve missed out on — Good Will Hunting, the Godfather, even Cinderella. I tell myself I’ll get around to them. Maybe college is the time for them?

I think Thayer, more than any other experience that I’ve had, has pushed me to be curious about everything. Be it societal systems or spoken rhetoric, my teachers have continuously encouraged me to analyze every side of a problem, even those that aren’t visible at first glance. That thought process has translated well into my other ventures and I anticipate that it will do the same for me in college.

Any of the Harry Potter movies … mainly because I have. I hardly pay attention to them anymore and they serve as white noise for whatever I’m doing. Bar those, I’d say The Departed. Everyone has a movie where, if it's on TV, you drop everything and finish it; that’s mine.

It’s not just one teacher, but I think the Computer Science department’s entire system was an amazing experience. In the two and a half years that I took computer science at Thayer, I was constantly surrounded by programmers who were eager to learn about computer science and who formed an important community throughout my time at Thayer.

Donald Glover, known to some by his stage name of Childish Gambino. He’s an actor, comedian, singer, rapper, producer, director, and writer. Best of all, he does all those things well. Being able to just create what you want and work how you want is something that people don’t do as much anymore, so his modern take on the polymath lifestyle really inspires me to pursue as many of my interests as possible.

On the first great-weather day of my senior year, just as we were getting ready to leave, the whole school gathered on the Teardrop for some outdoor games, music, and fun. I think between the bittersweet sentiments and the break from a long winter, everyone was happy to be together and enjoying the outdoors. Though recency bias may be playing a role, that’s the day that will stick with me longest.

Conor McGregor once had an awesome mashup of the Chieftains’ and Sinead O’Connor’s “Foggy Dew” and the Notorious B.I.G’s “Hypnotize” that he used as his walk-up song for UFC 246. Growing up, that was the walk-up song for me and my friends when playing trampoline WWE. I think it’s a great mix of two of my favorite genres: traditional Irish and hip-hop.

I’ve been involved in a lot of commitments throughout my time in high school that have required me to miss a day or two here and there. As Max Hughes put it, “Conor Mannion comes to school when the moon is in waning gibbous.” Despite that, the people at Thayer understood that I wasn’t playing hooky and were more than supportive of what I had to do, even if it meant missing their class or practice.

My favorite Thayer tradition has to be the open mic assemblies. Allowing students to get up and express themselves in front of the community has not only been entertaining, but it’s also been a great pause in between pushing ourselves intellectually, artistically, and athletically. Also, who doesn’t want to see Alec Borges' lightsaber duel?