| Elementary School: |
Graham and Parks |
| College: |
Harvard University
|
| Major: |
Social Studies |
| Career Aspiration: |
I know I want to do something related to public service, but I'm not sure exactly what. I've thought a lot about nonprofit management, public office, and education.
|
Extra Curricula
Soccer, Indoor Track (600m dash, 4x400), Outdoor Track (400m hurdles, 4x400), Club 4, Register Forum
Favorite Class at CRLS
Modern World History with Ms. Otty, Constitutional Law with Ms. Cesario, Economics with Mr. Kells, and World History with Ms. Berz.
These four history electives dramatically affected how I think about the world, improved my ability to interact with it as a citizen of the U.S. and the globe, and were just lit all around. I would highly recommend taking as many history electives as possible, since Rindge has a ton. Skipping 4th period to go to Sociology has also been fun.
Favorite Teacher
Mr. Prince and Mr. Cody have been my track coaches for four years. Mr. Cody taught me to love running and built a great track team Class of 2016 and Mr. Prince helped me jump literal and metaphorical hurdles and challenge myself to get better at something that I thought I would be terrible at. Ms. Otty, Ms. Read, Ms. Hughes, and Ms. Hart are also amazing teachers.
All four of the teachers I mentioned dramatically shifted my world view. Ms. Otty teaches Modern World in an open and honest way that makes it a valuable class for everyone regardless of their prior history class experiences. Ms. Hughes taught me to actually enjoy writing about literature, made me a feminist, and changed the way I think about literature and the world. TAing for Ms. Read let me work with a teacher who is universally accepted as amazing, and she taught me a lot about the promise and limitations of teaching high school. Ms. Hart is just one of the most kind and positive people on the planet, her documentary about Lebron is unreal, and everyone with any interest in film or life advice should visit her on the fifth floor.
What did you like most about CRLS? Why?
The size. There are at least 400 people in your graduating class, so you probably won't know all of them by graduation, but that means you'll keep meeting new people in all of your classes and activities for all four years if you are willing to start conversations. The school is also small enough that you can recognize most people at least by sight, and it still very much feels like a community.
What is something people unfamiliar with CRLS should know about the school? Why?
It's very easy to just go with the flow and do exactly what your guidance counselor, parents, teachers, and friends tell you to do. Don't do that.
Advice to Incoming Freshmen
In general, I would say that respect is the most maligned CRLS value, because we often just interpret it as tolerance when it actually means so much more. Over the next four years:
- Respect yourself and your own abilities by challenging yourself to try new activities (enough people will already bother you about taking demanding classes and I think the importance of that is overstated). At some point in high school, try out for a VPA performance or a CRLS sport.
- Respect the talents of other Rindge kids: set a goal right now of attending one competition for every sport and one performance for every VPA group before the end of high school. I never made it to a sailing regatta, golf match, or gymnastics meet, and I have few greater regrets. If you can't make it to physical competitions for some reason, at least read the Around School, Arts & Entertainment, and Sports sections of the Register Forum.
- Respect Cambridge: spend some time just wandering around the city and getting to know places outside of your neighborhood. Middle schools are somewhat based on where you live, but everyone in the city can go to Rindge, so you might as well get to know what the city is. Do some community service before the end of high school, and designate someone right now to punch you in the face if you ever start just referring to it as “hours” that you can use to get more things for yourself.
- Respect your teachers: Rindge has some of the most amazing, qualified, and professional teachers on the planet, especially in RSTA. If you need almost any sort of help or support, there is a Rindge teacher who can provide it. You just have to find them, and guidance counselors can be helpful with that.
- Respect the cafe: the food is lit and the chefs are awesome.
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