The faculty is what really makes Thayer unique. It’s unbelievable how much teachers care about their students — not only in terms of their academic journeys but also in terms of their journeys as people. I’ve had so many teachers during my Thayer career who’ve inspired and impacted me in huge ways. 

I’ll be attending Yale University next year, and I’m planning to double major in theater and English with a concentration in creative writing. 

AP BC Calculus with Ms. Siegel challenged me the most. We had to learn a significant amount of difficult material for that course, and math is definitely not my strongest subject; I found it pretty challenging, especially the tests. Ms. Siegel was really understanding, though, and she made sure I got the help I needed to keep up. I went to see her for extra help probably about once a week for most of the year, and she was always very patient and enthusiastic in going over the material with me. 

I actually used to do martial arts and earned a junior black belt in taekwondo when I was younger. I also trained in krav maga for a couple of years.  

My time at Thayer definitely taught me time management skills, and it also made me much more confident in talking to my teachers. I learned how to make connections with faculty and, more specifically, how to be comfortable asking for help when I need it. That’s a skill I’m very thankful to have as I head to college! 

Ms. Hines, my advisor and theater teacher, and Ms. Sheiber, my dance teacher at Thayer, are both such incredible women, and I am constantly inspired by their strength, kindness, wisdom, and ability to find joy and light in difficult situations. On a broader scale, I’m just inspired by every person out there who is faced with adversity and still chooses to wake up each morning and greet the world with love. 

I would say Ms. Hayman, my junior year English teacher, really went the extra mile for me. She met with me outside of class to give me feedback on my writing assignments, especially during the personal essay unit of her class. This year, she actually ended up being my advisor for my senior project, which was an independent creative nonfiction writing project. She helped me talk through the pieces I was working on and gave me lots of good writing to read, and she continues to be an important mentor for me as a writer, even as I’m leaving Thayer. 

Ms. Woods, my college counselor, really helped in both my application and decision-making processes. Going into the application process, I didn’t have a very specific idea of what I wanted in a school, so she helped me put together a list of schools that might be good fits based on what I was interested in studying. Throughout the process, she answered plenty of questions for me and gave me great feedback on all of my essays. This spring, I was fortunate enough to be admitted to all of my top choices, and even though we couldn’t meet in person, Ms. Woods still helped me navigate the difficult decision — whether it was setting up Zoom meetings with college representatives or weighing financial aid packages — via email and Zoom. 

It’s definitely a tie between the shepherd's pie and the Mongolian beef with white rice. 

I think finishing senior year on Zoom taught me how to stay in touch with people despite a physical distance, which is really useful since I’ll be moving away from many of my friends for college soon. And, as it was for many others, this spring also reminded me to appreciate time with friends and teachers while you can and take nothing for granted. 

My favorite Thayer memories are of the theater productions during my junior year, especially the fall musical, Beauty and the Beast. There was a special magic to that whole production, especially with it being the tenth anniversary of the CFA’s opening as well as the tenth anniversary of the first production performed in it, which was also Beauty and the Beast. For me, it was also the first principal role I had been given to play, and I was surrounded by many of my close friends, so it was just a wonderful experience. 

Showing up for each other. I really love the way the Thayer community shows up to support one another and the way people are celebrated for their talents, whether it be sprinting, singing, or playing the saxophone. One little tradition I’ve always liked is how students shout their friends’ names as those friends get ready onstage during the annual music concerts.