Can you share some details on your plans for after graduation? For example, the name of the college you will be attending or where you will be working.

I’m going to be attending Harvard University and going down the pre-med track there; I’m going to nerd out for a little bit, but there’s this concentration called Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology, which looks at how the human body develops and changes from fertilization all the way to old age, and I think that’s pretty cool and I’m excited to explore that.

What are you most looking forward to with these plans?

I’m looking forward to learning new things, both in terms of human anatomy but also things in general across so many topics, and also meeting new people and getting to know folks. Another thing I’m looking forward to (even if it’s quite a bit down the road) is going on to medical school in hopes of being a doctor someday.

What are your most memorable moments from your time at South High? Who are these memories with?

There’s so many memorable moments that if I listed them out, this article probably wouldn’t end! That aside, there’s definitely some really notable ones: extracurricular activities, like the Science Olympiad Competitions or the Cross Country Meets; projects, experiments, or activities in class that were cool or impactful; time spent with friends, in classes, in the halls, at lunch, after school, so on. 

Picking out a few from just senior year alone, a few pop up in mind. There was the Cross Country League Championship, which was at Old Sturbridge Village. Unfortunately for us, it was pouring rain that day, so after futile efforts to stay dry, we ended up embracing the rain and did our warm-ups in the downpour. (Unfortunately, the rain cleared up right when the race started.) Then came the incident where 6 of our runners along with 10 other runners from other schools got lost in the woods for a few hours, which was a relief and certainly something to remember through the years. Another really notable memory was opening up that Questbridge National College Match results in AP Biology on December 1st, which was definitely an extremely special moment. 

What is something that you have learned at South High that you will take with you after graduation?

I got to know a lot more people and a lot better than before, and I’ve definitely learned that there are so many different experiences out there, so many different perspectives or worldviews, so many stories of where people have come from and where they are going; it’s important to keep in mind that sometimes– oftentimes, rather– people will have different views from you. Learning about how others view the world and understanding their story is a crucial part in connecting with others and helping each other, but also in refining your own perspectives on things also.

Do you have any advice you would share with rising seniors or with underclassmen?

Explore your interests, try new things and see if you like them or not; who knows, maybe that might be something you really enjoy or are really talented at. For example, I tried distance running (and sports as a whole) for the first time in sophomore year, and I’ve enjoyed my time both in the act of running and in a community of other runners; I intend to keep running in the future (even if it’s not on a competitive team per se). Running, for me, was something that I started doing only in high school, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to stick around in my life for a long time. This could apply to extracurriculars but also to classes, because I tried a lot of classes that I ended up enjoying a lot more than I thought I would have, or learning a lot more about topics I wasn’t expecting.

For those of you who are trying to go for a more prestigious college, my advice remains: high school is a great time to start exploring your interests but also try out new things. Additionally, it’s a great time to really dive into the things you’re passionate about and engage with them in a deeper way. I know sometimes folks sign up for certain classes or do certain extracurriculars simply because it “looks good on a college application”, but speaking from advice from others and from my own personal experience, it’s much better to engage the things that you’re really passionate about or really enjoy doing, not just for college applications. I think nearly all the classes I took or the extracurriculars I did were things that I simply liked learning or doing, and colleges can definitely see whether you’re doing it just for the resume filler or for the love of the game. 

Also, as a procrastinator, please don’t procrastinate. It’s not a great experience, I can promise you that, and while it might be hard to break a habit, it’s so much better than the alternative of procrastinating.

Throwing this out there too, but for juniors and seniors who are from lower-income families, Questbridge is a scholarship opportunity that helps students prepare for and apply for colleges with extremely great financial aid (College Prep Scholars for Juniors in March, and National College Match in September). I applied to both, and ended up getting matched with Harvard on a full-ride scholarship through the National College Match. I’m really grateful that I heard about this opportunity, and I wanted to spread the word about this too.

Do you have a favorite class that you’d recommend other people take?

I think that’s a tough question, as there’s so many great classes of many different types. Of course, certain classes might appeal to certain folks more, but personally AP Physics I, Applied Music Production, and AP Microeconomics (Econ) are great classes. Econ I would say are on the easier side of APs, and the concepts in both are everywhere in our daily lives and are easier to visualize and understand, not to mention that Ms. Vaidya & Mr. Cormier were really great teachers for Physics and Econ respectively. Applied Music Production is also very beginner-friendly even if you haven’t had much experience with music, and you get to explore digital music-making and audio-editing. That being said, there are a lot more classes I had that I really enjoyed, and many more that I’ve heard about that sound really interesting (that I unfortunately didn’t have an opportunity to take).