Graduation and Some College App Advice

Yesterday, I graduated.

Don’t tell anyone, but when I got the award for Artistic Achievement my dad cried a little bit. I did too. I had no idea that was coming. I also got the St. Scholastica award, which is given to the student who best represents the school’s mission and belief statements…And all I wanted throughout high school was to be the definition of a Benedictine Bee. Looks like I accomplished what I set out to do, and I couldn’t be more grateful or happy 🙂

I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how I feel. I didn’t cry from sadness or anything. I was just so happy the whole time – I was making jokes and laughing and taking pictures and hugging people and it was amazing! The dinner my mom hosted after really topped it off. My favorite people were there, my families from different areas of life – school and home and theater. When everyone collided…it was so surreal. My guidance counselor was talking to my adopted sister, my Social Justice Mentor was talking to my Theater Mentor, my English teacher to my mother and I with her husband! I can’t believe how well everyone meshed. And I got all these gifts that I WAS NOT AT ALL expecting! I got everyone else gifts because it was a dinner for THEM. I was so surprised and thankful :’) My heart melts just thinking about the whole day. I. Am. Blessed.

My 16 year old brother even got some college application advice from my guidance counselor! My brother’s a real brainiac, but he’s also on the Varsity Rifling team at school, is super involved with service, and plays electric guitar as well as he plays video games and sketches. He’s good at a lot of other stuff too, but those are just a few =) He wants to be an engineer, and his reach school is MIT (which happens to have a varsity rifling team and where the most popular minor is music, etc.) Sure, MIT is the top engineering school in the country (I think), but the point is that it’s a MATCH. We visited when we went up to Boston to check out BU and Northeastern, and he really loved it. He also likes Northeastern, which I believe is his second choice ^^ He felt really comfortable in Boston.

My guidance counselor gave him advice about recommendation letters. She said that it would be a good idea to really talk to the person who’s writing them for him to make sure that they capture all of his awesomeness and how he would fit the school. Makes sense, right? (because sometimes people write recommendations and say general things that could really be about anyone! Like, that the student is dedicated and hard-working and all that.) Don’t be just anyone – make sure the writer captures YOU.

Today I drove to my youngest brother’s school with my mom to pick him up and I spotted my friend Cheila in her car, waiting to pick up her sister. I went over there to hug her and thank her for the gift that she gave me on graduation – it was a frame with a picture of her and me! And she wrote this beautiful letter…I was so touched. High school really is a crazy time. I expect college to be a crazy time too xD I mean, I spent the last four years ‘finding’ myself, and now I’ve got four more to ‘explore’ and ‘create’ and train! To take care of myself! The growing process never ends, but these are cool chapters to live.

Education is one of my favorite parts of life. My other favorite parts include good people and good weather 🙂

Ariana

Hi! My name is Ariana and I am so psyched to be a part of the MyMajors team for another year! I love the usual things - reading, writing, books, movies - travel, people, community service (Compassionate Action)! High School was a blast, and my senior year held the kind of Gold I never imagined (the self-fullfilling kind, the family kind, the National kind - you name it). I'm going to Tisch, School of the Arts at NYU this fall; my major is BFA Acting and my studio is Experimental Theater - but my interests run the gamut, so I'm sure I'll be exploring other fields of study as well! Sharing 17 with you was great - let's see what 18 has to offer - the City is calling ;)

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4 thoughts on “Graduation and Some College App Advice

  1. Congratulations Ariana! It’s awesome everyone could be there with you to celebrate all your hard work.

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