Academy Takeaways

Introduction:

The fact that I'm even in the Academy was a relative stroke of luck. I saw the presentation and was intrigued, but I lacked the thoughtfulness and decisiveness to really do anything about it. When I picked my electives for freshman year, it was a ragtag collection of classes my friends had chosen and that I thought seemed somewhat interesting. My mother was friends with my guidance counselor, and she thought the Academy seemed like a great option for me. So I did it, and that may have been one of the more impactful decisions I've made in my life.

Going into high school, I was a smart kid, but I was ragged, socially unaware, relatively directionless (no more so than most freshman, but still), and deathly shy and awkward. Now, the Academy has by no means been the sole cause of my growth over the past years, but it has definitely been a huge part of turning me into the person I am today, for three main reasons.

Firstly, and perhaps the most tangible, "The Academy has immensely improved my communication skills in ways essential to my future."

As I touched on, I've always been very shy. When I was very young I had a definite form of selective mutism--I literally did not say a word to my kindergarten teacher throughout the year. Even up to high school, presenting in school was a nightmare and carrying on conversations with people I didn't know well was I'm sure a similar nightmare for the person I was trying to talk to. However, I've grown immensely in that regard--I have a 95 in public speaking and spent hours successfully pitching the SafeVest to people of all sorts this past weekend. This growth specifically is in part due to my leadership positions in athletics, but also due to the many opportunities I've had due to the Academy--presenting sophomore and junior year, the IBM conference, various field trips and presentations, and an environment that allowed me to slowly come out of that shell.

For the future this is incredibly important, as I will be studying business administration and I have strong entrepreneurial aspirations. Communication and similar soft skills are essential in these fields, so I'm very grateful for the strides I've made

Secondly, "the Academy has unveiled various passions and molded my future goals in the areas of technology and business."

I've had various career aspirations throughout the years, as have most. But none of them were really very defined or anything until around my junior year. I was debating between going pre-med and going into the business field. I could tell my mother was leaning towards med, and I shared a lot of her feelings. There was a certain stigma in our minds about those who went to business school--it was all about the money, constant number crunching, and a soulless/selfish/single focus on profitability. It was the Academy and the Expo however, that let me realize and experience just how wrong that was. Each time we competed at the Expo we were creating a product, managing a team, and pitching that idea. These things that I was so excited about in school were things that I could try to do for years to come in some form or another. There are also many areas of business, and the classes I've taken, as well as the technology/sustainability lenses of the Academy has opened up passions in those areas. So now, heading to Northeastern next year, I will indeed be studying business administration. My main concentration however, is "entrepreneurship and innovation" (sound familiar?) I know that even if my primary goals of owning and growing my own company doesn't work out right away, having these skills from this school gives me the opportunities to get involved with a company that I'm truly passionate about, not just something that I think would be interesting, a company that is doing something good for the world. And as my coaches, parents, and some teachers can attest to, when I'm passionate about what I'm doing the sky's the limit.

Lastly, "The Academy has given me the confidence in myself and my abilities to take risks for my future and to persevere through anything that I may face in the coming years."

One of the roots of all my problems in middle school and through the early stages of high school was confidence. However, over the past couple years that has changed dramatically. The skills I've gained from the Academy have obviously given me confidence in those areas, and the incredible support system here is something that I'm incredibly grateful for. Being trusted to present, and then succeeding, being trusted to be a captain, and succeeding, are just two examples of the many successes I've had. (Not that I've never failed at specific things, but that's less the point of this assertion.) Each and every success makes me more and more excited for what I can do in the future. Seeing as many of those successes has come through Academy experiences, they get quite a bit of the credit.

This confidence allows me to take risks as well, which I see as very important for me. Choosing to go to Northeastern and choosing to take on the challenge of SafeVest are just two examples of those. It's cliche, but I also believe that the program has greatly developed my perseverance and determination. There's been a big focus on problem solving which helps, and to me perseverance is pretty closely linked to confidence.

As I start the next chapter of my life, it is sure to be full of even more ups and downs than the last chapter. But I feel confident with the skills, smarts, and experiences that the Academy has helped to give me. I feel confident with and grateful for the many changes I've gone through. And I'm not sure I could say the same had I taken the normal path through high school.