High school, for me, was a great chance to grow into the foundation of the person I have become. I started out a shy, dedicated student, and ended as an adult who had met lifelong friends and developed hobbies and passions I wouldn’t leave behind. I took all the opportunities in high school to participate in the plays Mrs. Young directed (many of which have become movies that I only watch out of nostalgia) and ran cross country (not as the fastest runner, but dedicated enough to run a marathon in 2013!).
Beyond the extra curriculars though, Summerville gave me the opportunity to learn that I love low stakes trivia thanks to Bear Bowl during lunch and Academic Decathlon (Mr.DeGennaro maybe regretted encouraging public speaking and debate sometimes), and allowed me to see that even small steps to help the environment can feel meaningful thanks to Eco Club and Mr. Hahn giving me opportunities to clean up the campus and organize recycling activities which I have continued by starting a native bee garden. Miss Buzzard allowed me to discover my ability to lead under direction by giving my twin Sydney and me a chance to be drum majors at the Motherlode Roundup Parade.
Of course the academic side compelled me to take every honors class and AP class which gave me a step up when I attended University of Texas at Austin after graduation and I continued to pursue education with a master’s from University of Illinois in Chicago where I still live. Moving away from Tuolumne County, I have found that there is so much of the world to explore, and I try to do that as much as I can starting with walking from San Francisco to New York City in 2015 and as a flight attendant now.
I wouldn’t be who I am today without Summerville and all the teachers and administrators there to help guide my early years, and I’m honored to be a part of the Hall of Fame now.