Class of 2012
What have you done since you graduated?: “After I graduated high school I went to the University of Connecticut. I studied Psychology there for four years. I graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. Afterward, I decided that I wanted to move abroad. I found a job in Madrid teaching at a bilingual school. I taught English there for about a year. Then I decided that I wanted to continue my education and become a school counselor.
I moved back to the United States and I got my Masters Degree in Counseling from Boston University.”
What do you do now?: “I work at Cohasset High School in Cohasset, Massachusetts as a school counselor. It's very similar to Gilbert and a very small school. I like it because it is a good fit for me."
What do you remember from your time at Gilbert?: “Some of my favorite memories are really about the school spirit aspect of Gilbert. I loved playing on the volleyball team for four years. Some of the friends that I made on that team are my closest friends today, and that is very important to me. The school spirit weeks were always so much fun. When we designed the school spirit wall and had pep rallies, those are some of my favorite memories.”
One of my favorite courses that I took was a cross-disciplinary course that was taught by Debra Lewis and Wendy Sultaire. It was an American history and literature crossover class. We got to learn the history alongside the literature and how art was influenced by what was going on at the time and how everything was connected to current events. It was a very cross-disciplinary course and I liked that broad perspective. It was an innovative course and I remember it being very collaborative and creative. It made an impact on the kind of student that I became. I would connect ideas from different classes to get the bigger picture."
What lessons from Gilbert have you applied to the real world?: "The value of community. It's something that I found at Gilbert and I try my best to emulate out in the community. At the smaller school that I am at now, one of my efforts has been to find and develop opportunities for students to build friendships, and build school community through volunteering, sports teams, or things like that. That is something that I think is effective for kids. That is what Gilbert did well for me. I am part of a community where I can contribute in meaningful ways.”
What advice would you give current students?: “Work hard on your academics. Ask your teachers lots of questions. They have so much knowledge and experience. Take electives that you find interesting and important. The best classes sometimes end up being the classes that you are interested in. Take advantage of all of the opportunities in the clubs and sports that the school has to offer."
