Seven LHS alumni returned to Lynbrook for the annual Junior Year Alumni Meeting on Jan. 3. This event is organized by the Chairperson of School Counseling for grades six through 12, Sue Moller. The seven schools that were represented in the panel were Villanova University, DeSales University, Penn State University, University of Rhode Island, Georgia Institute of Technology, Sophie Davis College of Biomedical Sciences (CUNY BS/MD program), and the University of Pittsburgh. The alumni present were enrolled in a variety of majors and shared their diverse interests, which helped current juniors get an idea of what college life is like.
When asked about the importance of events such as this, Moller explained, “Opportunities like this enable our students to hear from different perspectives and different experiences.” Additionally, she stressed the importance of it being LHS alumni who are closer in age to the current juniors to aid in their message being received in the best way possible. “By alumni presenting, it also creates a connectedness between the alumni and students rather than just hearing about colleges from their School Counselor or Admissions Officers—[they] are fellow ‘LHS Owls’ who speak honestly about their experiences thus far!” she added.
The alumni had advice about various aspects of high school and college. One of the most notable pieces amongst them all was the importance of studying hard for AP exams and working through burnout that comes toward the end of each school year. Many of them were able to test out of certain classes in college with their AP scores, and this is something they strongly encouraged.
Not only did they provide much insight, but their variety of majors appealed to many juniors who went to the meeting. Junior Liam Gallagher, who plans on majoring in business in college, said, “I’m glad that they talked about pursuing business in college and the different types of programs that are offered because it will help me to narrow down the school I want to go to.”
Zuhair Khan, who is currently attending the City University of New York’s BS/MD program, Sophie Davis, served as an example of a student who knows that he wants to become a doctor. He said Sophie Davis was an amazing option for him because it is an accelerated program and he will not have to take the MCAT to get into medical school.
Amah Agwu, a current freshman at the University of Pittsburgh and also a wide receiver on their football team, noted that he loves the large campus that Pitt offers and the opportunities he is given to meet new people every single day.
Katie Sharkey, a current freshman at DeSales University who plays on the softball team, loves that DeSales is a smaller school with its own designated campus instead of being in a big city. She felt that that fit her personality more, and she will be pursuing a major in education throughout her time in college.
Junior Addison Cooper attended the meeting and thought that the difference in Agwu’s and Sharkey’s preferences were helpful. “I have always wanted to go to a big school, so this meeting helped to solidify it for me because hearing about their two experiences helped me know that I see myself at a bigger school and maybe in a city,” said Cooper.
This presentation was valuable for juniors because they were able to evaluate their own preferences and learn more from current college students. Many of the presenters had different interests in high school (ranging from theater to science research to sports), so juniors were able to get a gauge of how alumni were carrying over their high school interests into college and what opportunities they were taking advantage of to fulfill their hobbies.
One of the major roles of the guidance department is to help guide seniors through their college application process. This process actually begins junior year in order to make it a smooth and prepared transition for all. On of Moller’s goals is that she “want[s] our students to be prepared, informed and guided in the process.” This panel was designed to help to do just that.
