Editor’s Note: This article was also published in the Benet Herald 2024 Graduation Edition.

How did you develop your strong work ethic?

I think that my work ethic mainly comes from my motivation from my big family and being the youngest of six. I have always wanted my siblings and parents to have something to be proud of regarding me. A big part of it as well is my own self-expectations. I believe that God gave me certain gifts for a reason, and I have never wanted to waste that.

As a result, I have very high standards for myself and don’t want to let anyone down, including myself.

Benet Academy is full of smart students. What did you do to set yourself apart?

I’m not super sure to be honest. I take classes with incredibly smart peers and I’m more in awe of them than myself. The only thing that I would say is that I treated every homework assignment, essay, quiz, and test like it was a final exam. I tried to see the importance of every class and did my work with that mindset.

What are your college plans? Where are you going, and what are you studying?

I’m going to UIUC studying Electrical Engineering!

What advice do you have for future Benet Academy students?

My biggest piece of advice, something that even I couldn’t follow and had to learn by experience, is to find a balance between your social and academic life.

You’ll go crazy trying to be perfect in one without having the other as an outlet. I would also say that it is important to remember that high school is when we are supposed to grow and make mistakes – not everyone is judging you!

If you could have a Benet Academy do over, what would you do differently?

Similar to what I said before, I would definitely prioritize my social life a little bit more. I think that there were times where I chose to stay home because I was tired or needed to study, but ended up missing out on key high school experiences. Overall, though, school is my passion, so I don’t have big regrets at all about my choices.

Who would you like to thank for influencing, motivating, or supporting you?

My sister Grace was a big big supporter for me. During my first three years of high school she was in college getting an engineering degree but still picked up every FaceTime call to help me with school. She always told me I was too hard on myself and to be confident, and more times than not she was right. My parents too, obviously, they had so much patience for me and my craziness when it came to school. Finally, two teachers in particular, Mr. Wash and Mr. Leszczynski, were key to my high school experience. They helped me not be embarrassed to love learning and never got mad for all my questions. I felt truly cared about when I was in their classes.

Who are your role models?

My sister Grace is my number one role model… inside and outside. She is kind and intelligent and the woman I want to be when I grow up. Also, any female engineer who paved the way for me is my role model. It’s incredibly scary majoring in something that has only 10% females. I admire any woman who chooses/chose a similar career path knowing that it would be an uphill battle.

What would you like the Benet Academy community to know about you?

I think it’s important to acknowledge all of my classmates this year…I didn’t get where I am today without my peers explaining confusing topics to me or helping me study. I lean very heavily on my people and that’s not a weakness, I truly think that’s a strength — that’s something a lot of people probably relate to but may feel insecure about.

What would surprise people about you? Any hidden talents or aspirations?

I’m not super sure what people would be surprised to know about me. The most interesting thing is my big family – I have 5 siblings and 75 first cousins. No hidden talents but I’d love to visit every continent in the future even though I’ve never been outside of the US thus far.

What is your favorite Benet Academy memory?

I think my favorite memory is probably my AP Physics C class. There are twelve kids in it and we are so unserious everyday while at the same time actually learning a pretty hard topic. It was one of the only classes where we were all ourselves, and it was amazing. The amount of inside jokes and laughs we had were so memorable.