What makes Thayer unique is the amount of detail that’s personalized to you when you receive feedback from teachers or on your report cards. Teachers provide direct and extensive feedback for you so that you know exactly what you’re doing right as well as what you can improve on. Each time I received a progress report card it was always different from the previous one and felt very accurate.

I’m currently enrolled in the Northeastern Explore program (for undeclared students).

Mr. McKiernan’s AP Statistics class challenged me the most. AP Stats is not your typical math class and it’s a lot more than just equations and calculations. The class was challenging because I wasn’t used to thinking of the meaning behind my answers in a much larger way than just one on a sheet of paper. I would spend a lot more time preparing for tests in this class than my other classes and even more so as we got closer to the AP exam in May. Mr. McKiernan was very good about pushing me to solve problems by myself before we went over it as a class. AP Stats allowed me to understand how to interpret data and numbers and apply it to the real world more than ever.

Something that most people don’t know about me is that I’ve been to over 25 different countries, including the demilitarized zone on the North Korean side!

Thayer has prepared me for success by allowing me to pursue my various interests whether through clubs, sports teams, affinity groups, or classes. Thayer has allowed me to pursue my interest in culinary arts through the cooking club and my interest in playing football and ice hockey, two sports that weren’t offered at my old school in the Philippines. Thayer has provided me the space to share common experiences with other Asian students. Having all these opportunities to follow my interests allows me to stay true to myself, which will contribute to success.

Tog Gun: Maverick

Mr. Maloney went the extra mile when it came to my studies. I was fortunate enough to have Mr. Maloney for both of my two years at Thayer. He would always make sure that everyone understood the math problem and would even put it in a context to help us conceptualize the problem. When we had a final exam for PreCalculus, we started studying for it far in advance, and there wasn’t one topic on the test that didn’t look familiar to me. Every time I needed extra help for either class, he was always willing to help. He was the fastest replier to emails and was very good about scheduling times to meet for the extra help.

My dad inspires me because of his constant hard work while living overseas in the Philippines to provide for me and to support me with my studies in the United States. Living abroad and being separated from your family is very challenging as we don’t get to see each other as often, but it doesn't stop my dad from being determined for success and I appreciate the sacrifices he has made for me.

My favorite memory from my time at Thayer was being able to play both football and ice hockey for the school. As someone who lived overseas, both of these sports weren’t offered in the Philippines. I constantly followed the NFL and NHL and always thought how cool it would be to play those sports. As soon as I got here as a junior, I tried out for the teams. I ended up being the starting center for the varsity football team as well as playing on the JV ice hockey team. Being able to compete for my school in the Independent School League is something I wouldn't trade for anything.

“Whatever It Takes” by Imagine Dragons.

My friends have supported me in reaching my goals by acknowledging my success. Once I got into college, many friends and classmates congratulated me and were so happy for me. My teachers have supported me because they all made it clear what it takes to get a grade that I’m happy with. The college counselors made applying to college very stress-free and explained everything in great detail; they always had answers to my various questions. They helped me choose the best school for me and provided critical feedback on my college essays and supplements so I could always improve on them. My coaches have supported me by giving me a chance to try out and play for them and knowing that they can trust me on the playing fields.

My favorite Thayer tradition would be the OMEGA potluck. OMEGA is Thayer Academy's diversity club and stands for the Organization for Minorities through Education, Growth, and Advancement. During the potluck, every club, like the Asian Student Association, came together to embrace our differences and discuss what it took to contribute to the common good. Aside from that, the food was so good! It ranged from Indian chicken tikka masala to Spanish croquetas. Having food from all over the world at once is a great way to learn about other cultures and can unite us all as one.