At Thayer, students can be part of everything they enjoy and not have to sacrifice any of their interests. Student-athletes can play sports competitively and also work hard in school and earn good grades. Actors and actresses can go from their sports practices to their auditions and still have enough time to get their homework done. Thayer has something for everyone and overlapping interests are the norm.

I intend to study computer science and finance at Boston College.

AP Calculus AB challenged me the most. Throughout high school, I was always good at memorizing formulas and equations before tests, but this class was different. Every single formula and every single equation that we learned was used throughout the entire year, so I was forced to truly understand how they worked and why.

Most people don’t know that I didn’t even consider applying to Boston College until late spring of my junior year when my mom made me take a tour.

Thayer has prepared me for success by forcing me to balance all aspects of my life. Thayer requires us to play two sports (to fulfill an athletics requirement) while also completing school work and making time for family and friends. I believe that my time management skills are 100 times better now than they were before I came to Thayer. I also believe that Thayer making students play sports is the best way for students to learn time management.

I could watch, and have watched, Spiderman 3 with Tobey Maguire over and over again.

I have had Mr. Cedrone in AP Computer Science, Data Structures, and AP Calculus; he has gone that extra mile in every single class. No matter the topic, if someone in his class doesn’t understand a piece of the material he’s teaching, he makes time right away and clears things up every time. A specific memory that I have is of taking AP Calculus this past year. We were studying for the AP exam and I just couldn’t wrap my head around a certain formula. He paused the entire class for around five minutes in order to help me understand. And it worked. I have never seen a teacher do so much for his students and create a more deep, personal connection with each student that he teaches.

My parents and grandparents inspire me. I have never seen people work so hard and for so long to provide awesome lives for their kids and for themselves. I personally believe that my sister and I live such fortunate and happy lives as a result of the hard work of my parents and their parents. The reason why my parents are such hard workers is because of what my grandparents instilled in them and the same messages are being instilled in me and my sister. I can only hope that I’m able to provide the same for my children and grandchildren one day.

My favorite memory from my time at Thayer was the Valicenti Cup hockey game during my senior year. Each year, the hockey team plays St. Sebastian's in the Valicenti Cup. Sebs is our biggest rival in all sports, and this year, the game happened to be the final game of my hockey career. We had already lost once to Sebs earlier in the season and they were ranked much higher than we were in the standings. The rink was filled with people, including all of my friends. It was emotional just seeing everyone there to watch us play. We ended up winning 6-1 and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my career.

“Too Much" by Drake

My friends and family have supported me in reaching my goals by not pressuring me into anything. My family has never said, “You need to get good grades.” I think never hearing that allowed me to push myself and not feel as if my family were pushing me instead. I never came home from school worried that my parents wouldn’t love me the same if I didn’t get an A on a test. The only pressure they’ve put on me is to be a good kid. My friends always understand when I cannot hang out and never force me to put my goals aside and hang out with them instead. I love hanging with my friends, but I’m a very busy person and sometimes need to get work done on the weekends. Of course, I’ll get the occasional laughs from my friends when I do homework on Friday nights, but they have never let my decisions affect our friendships.

My favorite Thayer tradition is Homecoming. There’s always a home football game on Homecoming and the sidelines are packed with spectators. This game is always when I’m most nervous and most excited to play. The last two years, so many people have come to watch us play and I’ve had two of my best performances in front of all of my friends. I will certainly miss playing sports in front of such huge crowds.