Boarder
Bloomfield, CT
Which courses at CA have most challenged or inspired you?
Friend and Lovers with Parkman Howe has been my most challenging English course so far. I had never analyzed literature in such depth. Mr. Howe taught me how to successfully structure and formulate my essays, which was hard at first, but in the long run made me a better writer. The in-class experience was full of laughs and enlightenment. Basically, you could feel and see Mr. Howe’s passion for the material, which inspired me to give 110 percent, just as he was.
What's it like to be a boarding student at CA?
I absolutely love being a boarder; it's almost like a giant sleepover every night. It's impossible not to make memories with your friends, who are either a short walk away or right down the hall. At times, I do miss being home in Connecticut, but the boarding community never fails to step in and become my home away from home.
How do your friends here help you grow?
I've become friends with people from so many different cultures, who have different perspectives. Being exposed to views different than my own has allowed to me to see the world through a wider lens. As far as growing as a student, my friends are always there to motivate me to do my best and to support me when things don't go the way I want. I've even picked up some of their studying techniques.
What do you like about volleyball?
My favorite thing about volleyball is serving. Every day during practice, I could feel myself getting better and better, thanks to the coaches and the more experienced players. That's probably the greatest thing about sports at CA—everyone's more than willing to help teammates improve. Volleyball is simply fun, whether it's a game, practice, or with friends on the weekends.
What lessons have you learned through volleyball?
Volleyball has taught me the importance of perseverance and patience. I hadn't been much of a patient person, and being unable to quickly get the hang of the sport didn't help much at first. However, my coach continued to be supportive and give advice. Before I knew it, my serves were making it well over the net with great force and speed, and my volleyball skills as a whole improved.
Tell us about your Advanced Bio project.
For my expert project in Advanced Bio, I chose to research depression and antidepressants because it really interested me and because it's closely linked to psychology, which I plan to pursue in college. Going beyond the common facts about depression has been fascinating.
What has CA's environment allowed you to do that you might not have done elsewhere?
To really push myself in a way that neither subtracts from my confidence nor stresses me out. I have friends on both ends of the education spectrum, public and private, and through conversations with them I feel that CA's environment is much more relaxed, allowing me to learn on a more engaging level.
What does common trust mean to you?
Common trust at CA is a model of a somewhat utopian society, where people respect each other, and no one has to worry about theft, bullying, or dishonesty. It feels great to be able to leave something, of value or not, and know it will be there when you come back. Or knowing you can just be yourself and that people won't treat you any differently. For most people, a community like this is a completely foreign concept, but to me, it's an example of what our world has to the potential to be.
Interests and activities
Photography, singing, volleyball, reading classic literature, psychology, lacrosse