Day Student
Westford, MA
What do you like best about CA?
I love the atmosphere that CA creates. In a school based around common trust, you are given a lot of free time, but expected to turn that free time into productive studying. CA is centered on the love of learning students have for their classes. Teachers and mentors create an environment that is welcoming to students who are eager to learn.
Which courses at CA have most inspired you?
Trigonometry with Howie Bloom and Spanish 1 with Steve Cambria. I enjoyed trig because I enjoy learning math and its different principles. Howie’s easygoing teaching style really helped me have fun in the class while learning. I came into CA not really loving the Spanish language, but from the minute I stepped into Steve’s classroom, something changed. Through Steve’s incredible teaching techniques, my knowledge of the Spanish language boomed.
Please describe a particularly interesting academic assignment.
In biology, we were studying the diffusion of oxygen into the bloodstream and its effect on the heart rate. Our teacher had us record our pulse, then run around the quad as fast as we could and record it again. This was an extremely hands-on way of understanding the diffusion of oxygen into the bloodstream, as our heart rate was much higher after the run.
What do you like most about baseball?
I love standing in the field on a clear spring afternoon. I love how it feels to make a great catch or get a big hit. There is nothing better than hearing the wooden bat perfectly strike the ball. If I find myself in a relatively difficult class, I always know that in a few short hours I will be out on the baseball diamond, playing the game I love.
Can you describe a particularly memorable moment from a game?
In our final game against Landmark, I was batting lead-off, the first batter. The pitcher we were facing had pitched a perfect game in his previous outing against us. Needless to say, our team did not want that to happen again. I got up to bat and cracked a double down the first base line. I felt very accomplished, sure that another perfect game would not be thrown.
What have you learned about yourself through athletics?
I have been able to push myself and see what I am truly capable of. I have had to deal with defeat, and it is not easy, but it is in those times that I get to see who I really am. I build on a loss in order to achieve the next victory.
You play guitar and piano. What you like most about each?
I find the beautiful sound that a piano can produce extremely soothing, and I love to just sit down and listen to the sounds my fingers somehow create. I like the piano in large part because of Jim Brickman, a concert pianist, whom I have seen in concert three times. My favorite piano piece is Brickman’s “If You Believe.” I learned this song, in easy form, in seventh grade, and over the years have brought it to the level where I am today. Whenever I play it, my mind gets lost in the pure beauty of the notes. I also have returned to the guitar these past couple of years. I love the guitar because it is so portable. I can take it to the beach to sing songs around the campfire, or I can sit on my bed and learn a new tune.
What else do you do in your spare time?
Being a CA student , I rarely find free time during the weekdays, but when I have some time on my hands, I create recordings using my electric keyboard and my computer. I love shooting hoops outside when the weather permits, and I enjoy reading. But if I have a choice, I spend time with friends. I try to hang out with my friends as much as possible.
Where does your passion for Notre Dame football come from?
I love Notre Dame football, period. I was born and raised a Fighting Irish fan because my parents went to college there. My older sister [Carly ’08] currently goes there, and I have been to many football games in South Bend, Indiana. Irish football games are a big deal in my household on Saturdays in the fall. I love having a passion for something that not that many people in this part of the country do.
Interests and activities
Basketball, baseball, piano, guitar, a cappella, Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots, Notre Dame football and basketball, water and alpine skiing, wakeboarding