The relationship between students and faculty makes Thayer unique. Every Thayer teacher goes above and beyond to create engaging classroom environments and provide ample opportunity for extra help. However, what truly stands out is how much all of my teachers care about me as a person. I don’t take for granted how lucky I am to have had teachers who genuinely care about me, how I played in my baseball game the other day, how opening night of the fall musical went, or simply what I’m looking forward to doing on the weekend.

I’ll study business operations and analytics at Georgetown University. I’ve always been interested in sports analytics, especially in baseball. Then, when I started high school, I got my first job at Alfredo Aiello’s (a prominent Italian foods company), which included working some days at the factory. This experience gave me a firsthand look at what business operations looks like, so this major seems like the perfect blend of my interests and experiences.

Mr. Cedrone and his AP Computer Science and Data Structures courses. Firstly, these two courses are so different from any other course offered at Thayer in that they challenge you to find different ways to complete coursework or review for tests. However, I found that these two courses challenged me the most socially. Mr. Cedrone places a strong emphasis on each student’s ability to not only do the work but also effectively present and communicate that work. This often meant giving short presentations on multiple choice questions or coding solutions. While at first I shied away from these moments, they proved opportunities that forced me to step out of my comfort zone and grow as a student and communicator.

One of my favorite activities is snorkeling. My family and I take every opportunity to go snorkeling when we go on vacation, and I can’t think of anything more enjoyable than diving under water to take pictures of various corals, fish, and sea turtles, many of which get used in my dad’s 6th grade science class. So far, some of the best animals I've seen are a manta ray, a moray eel, an octopus, and sand sharks.

Beyond the excellent education that it’s provided me, Thayer has shown me the value of taking part in a wide range of activities. Through Thayer’s expansive range of extracurricular offerings, I was able to be involved with baseball, theater, and computer science; I even started my own sports analytics club. These involvements not only helped me to develop a wider range of skills but also to be a part of many communities on campus. The relationships I’ve formed have proven to me the value of staying active in the community, and I hope to continue that level of engagement in college.

Moneyball.

The weekend before my AP Chemistry exam, Mr. Donovan held a review session for all AP Chemistry classes. He ordered pizza for all the students and spent all afternoon reviewing free-response questions with us. It was a really fun way to end the year and have that final push before the exam.

Mrs. Woods was awesome throughout the entire process, but for me, it was always really difficult to just solidify a list of schools I wanted to attend. I remember being very stressed my junior year and the summer before senior year because I had no idea what I wanted in a college and no sense of what was a reasonable goal. Mrs. Woods was amazing in helping me explore all my options, weighing the pros and cons of each school, and making sure that my energy was focused on the most valuable places.

My grandfather. Although I only knew him for a few years, the stories I hear about his personality and his impact inspire me every day. There have been countless times in which people I’ve never met will come up to me and my mom and talk about the connection they had with my grandfather. The social impact and connections that my grandfather formed inspires me to try and have a similar influence in my communities.

“Highway 61 Revisited” by Bob Dylan

I will definitely miss all the traditions of Tech Week. Whether that be the full cast Duke of York chant or the power-posing routine I had with Oliver Massey, each little ritual that I formed in that community will forever have a place in my heart. I also have to give a shoutout to Boys JV Soccer. I spent four years playing with that team and can’t remember a day I wasn’t looking forward to playing soccer with my friends.