Class of 2025 Senior Project Interviews

Helen Mancini

Interviewer: Myles Vuong

Name: Helen Mancini

Age: 18

Gender: Female

Eye Color: Green/Blue

Hair Color: Brown

Favorite Subject(s): History

Favorite Book(s): The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera, Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut

Favorite Song(s): “Moon River” by Henry Mancini 

Personality Type: N/A

How would you describe yourself? You can use three adjectives and elaborate on them

Cat-loving, mercurial, and effervescent. My cat, Emerson, is named after Ralph Waldo Emerson, and I love him more than anything. Mercurial—y’know, I really go through phases in a day with how I feel about everything. But the extremes are where we feel, and that gives meaning to life! And then effervescent—I really couldn’t think of another adjective, and I just wanted one that sounded a little weird and annoying, so maybe weird and annoying are better adjectives. I wrote a lot of college applications this winter that asked me to describe myself, and it was honestly identity-crisis-inducing.

What is the most important thing in your life right now? 

My family and friends. My sisters, mom and dad, and my cat. I’m also very sad to leave my friends because they’re very important to me, and I hope to stay close to them.

What are some of your current goals? 

My current goals are to figure out an ethical career that aligns with my values and fulfills me but doesn’t harm anyone in the process, to get better at calisthenics, to learn American Sign Language, and to become fluent in Spanish, then move on to Arabic, and then some more classical languages. I also want to learn music—I might join a steel band in college. I want to become more of a hiker and get really in tune with nature. Wherever I go, I want to do more service and advocacy. We have to tend our own garden both within ourselves and our communities—what Voltaire said.

[After reading freshman year goals] How have your goals changed or stayed the same?

I think I met a lot of those goals. The sleep and grade anxiety got way worse before it got better, but now I am learning just to learn. In my senior spring classes, I’m having fun doing the work, and I have been sleeping more. Sometimes I just choose sleep over homework, and that’s a beautiful lesson to learn. I did get better at debate and have a great partner, Astrid. We’re actually going to nationals in a couple weeks, and I’m very excited. It’s going to be my last tournament. 

What do you want to be when you grow up and why?

Honestly, I don’t know. For a while I thought I would be a lawyer for the environment and human rights, and that would be equivocally good, but I think it’s more complicated than that. Everywhere you go and every field you choose, you have to carve a path that feels meaningful because those jobs can not feel that way sometimes. Still figuring it out, and I still think that some of the ideas I had when I was younger I want to try out. For a little bit, I wanted to be a journalist because I got very into Spec. Maybe I’ll go into politics as an organizer. We’ll see.

What was your favorite class at Stuy? 

AP European History with Mr. Hanna. The history classes that I’ve had since then—like AP US History, Jewish History, New York City History, and Spanish Civil War—I’ve loved so much, but Euro was the first time I fell in love with history so I have to give it credit. Everytime I walked into that room, I felt transported and so amazed, mainly because I had never learned history outside of organizers and worksheets. That class felt very real.

What was the most meaningful extracurricular activity you participated in at Stuy? How did it shape who you are today?

It’s really split between The Spectator and Debate. 

Debate I’ve done the longest. I made the closest friends through it, like my debate partner, Astrid, and it’s been a huge part of my life time-wise. Debate has also made me more politically aware. I’ve learned that anything can be debated from any side. I was pretty set in my ways before coming to high school. I also learned how to craft an argument and work with a partner.

Being a Spec editor was also very meaningful because it was a way for me to take a role in the Stuyvesant community by reporting on it and telling the stories of the people I met. One time, I interviewed my math table for a story. We hadn’t had things to talk about before then, but we became friends afterwards. Little things like that have made me so much more engaged at Stuy. Spec sparked my interest in storytelling and deepened my relationships, like with my grandmother; I realized how many stories she has that I want to tell or just know.

How much do you think about your mental health?

At this moment, I’m not thinking about it as much because I’m actually feeling pretty happy and enjoying myself more. There’s a lot of things going on in senior spring but, in general, I do think about my mental health a lot. I really struggled with it in junior year and earlier this year—in middle school, too. Both now and when I first did this interview, mental health struggles have been fresh in my memory. It’s definitely important and I’ve learned a lot of things about myself, like signs of when I’m going to fall into certain patterns of thinking and how to avoid it.

Typically, how much sleep would you get? 

Junior year and most of high school it was around four hours. For most of the time it was, well, mercurial, ricocheting from all-nighters to sleeping a lot. These days, it is sometimes still like that when I really have to grind something, but I’m definitely sleeping more. Sometimes six hours, sometimes eight.

What are you most proud of achieving in high school? 

I’m most proud of the relationships I’ve built in high school. My friends are the greatest people on Earth, and I’ve also had some really great relationships with my teachers. Also, I love my connections with people I’m not that close to who are just so awesome and I have a good vibe with. Stuy is filled with cool people.

Is there anything you regret from your Stuy experience? 

Yeah, I think I don’t act in a way that would insinuate that I care about what people think because I am so open with how I feel, and I don’t censor myself. But, at the same time, I really do care about what people think. I wish I had been more unapologetic about myself, and at the same time easier on myself that not everyone is going to think you’re cool, and there’s no reason to try and achieve that.

What do you hope to accomplish in the next four years?

I hope to find more good people and to feel like I really contribute to the community I’m in, whether that’s my city or my school. I hope to learn new skills like the goals I was talking about, especially creatively. I wish I had done more creative things in school. I feel like at Stuy people think you have to focus on professional things, but that’s so not true.

If you spoke to your freshman self, what would you say?

You are so cute and beautiful. I love you and don’t be so nervous. Grow out those bangs!

Do you have any advice for incoming freshmen? 

Everything works out. This is just one of many stages in life. It feels like it’s such a big deal when you’re in it, but it’s also such a cool one. Being young is really awesome—you are so creative and there’s so many things you can do. You are also in such a unique position to share what you think because people want to know what young people think. Get involved with the world. Be super weird, creative, and passionate. People will respect you for it if you are super earnest.

Looking back, are you glad that you chose Stuy?

Yes.

(After reading freshman answers) Do you have any takeaways from your freshman-year responses? 

Joke-y was an insane choice for an adjective. Pensive and overthinking mean the same thing! I would like to make it clear that I was very terrified while doing this interview as a freshman. Even though I knew what I was saying, I didn’t always articulate myself in the best way. I remember the interview very well, actually, and thinking afterwards “Oh no, I don’t want that to be in it.” My younger self would be happy to know I’m “crossing my interests” and majoring in environmental science and public policy, but I’ll warn her it might change. My responses to the questions are pretty similar four years later, and that makes me happy because I love my nerdy middle school self. 

Astrid Harrington 

Interviewer: Ada Gordon

Name: Astrid Harrington

Age: 17

Height: 5’7

Gender: Female

Eye Color: Blue

Hair Color: Red

Favorite Subject(s): Math

Favorite Book(s): Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Favorite Song(s): “Festive Minor” by Gerry Mulligan

Personality type: N/A

How would you describe yourself? You can use three adjectives and elaborate on them

Curious, friendly, and passionate. Curious in the sense that I love school. I also love just thinking about interesting things on my own time. I love to read. I love doing math problems on my own, which I know is pathetic, but it’s true and it’s really fun and people should do it more often! But I also like to share those things with people. So I love spending time with other people, talking about things I find interesting. And, if I like the people, also talking about things I don't find interesting!

What is the most important thing in your life right now? 

Right now, I think I am probably the most important thing. Which is unusual, because I think for a long time—when you’re growing up—your parents are probably the biggest influence on you. And then, throughout high school, the people that I spent time with were really important to me. But now it feels like I’m at a point where, all of a sudden, it’s like I’m leaving everyone behind. All my friends are going to different parts of the country, and I’m not gonna be with my parents as often. I’m not gonna see my sister or my dog. I’m just gonna be in this new place with all these new people. And the question then is “What is constant and what do I conserve?” And all that’s conserved is, you know, me and the memories that I’ve made, and the person that I am. 

What are some of your current goals? 

I think just to learn interesting things, especially things that will not be useful later in life, because this is the only opportunity I really get to do that. Once you get past college, you have to kind of specialize and focus on things that are useful. So I want to put my time and effort into just delving into the things I find interesting that I might not be able to study in the future.

[After reading freshman year goals] How have your goals changed or stayed the same?

I mean, I think a lot of those things are still true. Somehow I’m just less focused on the long term now than I was then. I still do want to do something good in the world, whatever that means. I still probably want to go to law school, but I’m just trying to think a little bit less about things that I can’t determine at the moment and more [about] the things that are under my control.

What do you want to be when you grow up and why?

I’ve always kind of thought that I would go to law school, and I think that that is probably what I’m going to do. The thing is, in high school, I’ve done a lot of math modeling and applied math, and it just feels like I’m drowning every single time. I just don’t know how to do it. I don’t have the skills. But if I get to college and find out that’s something I like that I’m good at, then I would definitely be interested in doing that. And I think that in terms of what I wanna do with my life, as a lawyer, how much can you really accomplish? I don’t know. Whereas as a mathematician, it feels more like you can create something to help people. Lawyers, on the other hand, just work within rules that have already been created.

What was your favorite class at Stuy? 

It’s hard for me to pick between Great Books and AP Calculus BC with Mr. Honner. 

Calc BC changed my whole understanding of mathematics and the world. Math went from being a set of unconnected, disparate theorems to a complete, unified discipline in which everything had a logical basis. It also helped me see math everywhere I looked: in the setting sun, in the shadows cast by window frames, in the reflections that appeared in darkened glass, and in the longitude lines on pumpkins. 

Great Books, on the other hand, is the most comfortable class I’ve taken at Stuy. It’s the best part of my day almost every day, and it gives me a sense of belonging. I love reading and talking about books with my friends (almost all of whom seem to be in the class), and I’m really proud of everything I’ve written. I guess if I had to choose, it would be BC, because what I learned will resonate with me for the rest of my life. But it’s hard to say.

What was the most meaningful extracurricular activity you participated in at Stuy? How did it shape who you are today?

It's hard to choose between debate and Math Team, because both were really important to me in different ways. Math Team, I think, made me more confident that I could do things that I thought were beyond my capacity. Like, I never thought I was going to be the kind of person to qualify for AP. Even though that's not, obviously, the most stellar accomplishment that you can get. It still felt special to be able to do it. And I feel like I think differently about the world because of all the math I’ve done. But debate has also really changed the way that I think about things. It’s important to always be questioning, to be always trying to formulate arguments, and never to just let anyone tell you something without thinking about it first. But both of those are connected in a way, right? It’s math and debate. They’re both questioning. They’re both logical. It’s the same mindset.

How much do you think about your mental health?

Not often, because I don’t think I need to. 

Typically, how much sleep would you get? 

I usually go to sleep around, like, 10:00 p.m. or 10:30 p.m.; wake up at 6:40 a.m.-ish. So that’d be eight or nine hours. I think as a freshman, I went to sleep around 9:30 p.m. or 10 p.m., so maybe half an hour to an hour earlier, but it hasn't changed that much.

What are you most proud of achieving in high school? 

I think I’m most proud of, well, not of any one thing, but of the way that I’ve adapted to Stuy. Because coming into Stuy, well, I was coming from Booker T. Washington—you could call it a feeder, but I didn't feel like I knew a lot of people. I didn't feel like I had a lot of friends. And now I do. I feel like I have very solid people that I can depend on and talk to and who are interested in the same things as me. It's going to be painful to leave. And knowing that makes me feel that I've done something worthwhile. 

Is there anything you regret from your Stuy experience? 

I regret not signing up for more things as a freshman. I kind of just signed up for debate, Math Team, and Spec, and that was it. I didn’t explore any of the silly clubs, I didn’t try to do anything athletic. I never tried Flow. I never tried SING!. I never acted. I joined Caliper as a senior, but I would have loved to do that all four years because I like writing poems. So I didn’t take advantage of everything that I had access to, and I wish I’d done that.

What do you hope to accomplish in the next four years?

I mean, realistically, I don’t think I’m going to change the world or anything. But I’m going to college at a weird time, and I hope that I can put some time into—for example—campaigning for politicians that I care about, and I hope that I can use my voice in a way that’s productive. And I hope that, in the meantime, I can become a real person, you know? Someone worth having in your life. I just have a lot left to learn and become. 

If you spoke to your freshman self, what would you say?

I probably wouldn’t say anything, because if I said something, then something might change, and I don’t want that to happen. Well, maybe [I’d] just tell her that she’s doing a good job and that she’ll keep going.

Do you have any advice for incoming freshmen? 

Maybe what I said about what I regret. But also, I think that there’s something that I heard at the beginning of my Stuyvesant experience, which is this quote that you can get two out of three things at Stuyvesant: good sleep, good grades, or a social life. And those three things, it turns out, are not contradictory. So I’d say disregard that. Get good sleep and study and spend time with people during your free periods or on the weekends or after school or whatever. Those things are compatible. Also, you can branch out, try things that are outside of your comfort zone, because freshman year is definitely the best year to do that.

Looking back, are you glad that you chose Stuy?

Oh yeah. 

Do you have any takeaways from your freshman-year responses? 

I think I’m too hard on my freshman self! Those are kind of sweet, and not a lot has changed in those respects!

Do you still think you want to be Obama?

If I could be Obama, I would, but the thing is, Obama is Obama, you know?

Niamh Werner 

Interviewer: Joanne Hwang 

Age: 17 

Gender: Female

Eye Color: Brown

Hair Color: Brown, I think 

Favorite Subject(s): History

Favorite Book(s): Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg 

Favorite Song(s): “How?” by Badly Drawn Boy, “For Reasons Unknown” by The Killers, “Walk” by Foo Fighters

Favorite Movie: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 

Personality Type: INFJ-T 

How would you describe yourself? You can use three adjectives and elaborate on them

I would say disciplined. I like having a really good, strong routine, all the time, and I’d like to think I’m very good at getting things done. Outgoing. I’m definitely more outgoing than I was freshman year. I feel like I’ve really expanded who I talked to and being confident when I talk to people. I would say rational. I think very rationally and I like to do things very methodically. 

What is the most important thing in your life right now? 

Probably where I’m going to live in the future. Senior year has been a lot of that. 

What are some of your current goals? 

To be happy. I think that’s always a really important one. I want to do more activities and build more hobbies because I feel like Stuy has made me cement into certain things, but I want to branch out and try stuff. There’s this one kid in my English class who’s always knitting, and I thought maybe I would be a really good knitter. I don’t think so, but maybe. And then, being in the moment and having a fun summer before getting into college. 

What do you want to be when you grow up and why?

I’ve gone through so many phases in my life. Right now, I probably want to work in the UN or one of the policy think tanks. I think it would be really cool. 

What was your favorite class at Stuy? 

I feel like there have been so many interesting classes. In terms of people and conversations I’ve had out of it, Great Books has been so interesting. That is genuinely the most interesting and engaging English class I’ve ever had, and it’s just been so cool to see everyone’s passon. In terms of actual learning, honestly, Jewish History was so eye opening just because it’s not anything I’ve ever learned about. I’ve taken Jewish History and now I’m taking Islamic History; I think it’s been so interesting to see the two histories from different perspectives.

What was the most meaningful extracurricular activity you participated in at Stuy? How did it shape who you are today?

That’s really hard. I need to pull out my Common App; I don’t know what I’ve done in the last four years. I remember I worked for a youth political group and they had big discussions over the summer. I thought that was just so eye-opening, and I’m going to college to study political science, and that’s what pushed me towards it. The discussions in combination with working with the Board of Elections and experiencing all the student government drama, of which there is a lot, for me, made me really interested in electioneering and political science as a concept.

How much do you think about your mental health?

I think a lot, especially because senioritis has come upon me in the past two weeks or so, and it is an active battle to make myself get the work that needs to get done. I still have a lot of work. I’m taking all my APs, and somehow final projects in most of my classes if not all of them. I had three APs this week. 

Typically, how much sleep would you get? 

I think I’ve been pretty good about this. On a good night it’s like seven to eight hours. On a bad night it’s six to seven hours. Normally I’m in bed by 10:00 p.m.-10:30 p.m., and then I’m up by 6:00 a.m.-6:30 a.m.-ish. It’s not bad. 

What are you most proud of achieving in high school? 

I think just coming into my own, if that makes sense. It’s kind of intangible, but I entered Stuy thinking that you had to do one thing. I think it’s a part of high school, but it’s also a big part of Stuy. You can sleep, you can have good grades, or you can have friends. I think that ideology still definitely exists. But I feel like learning to balance all of that is something that I really valued. I enjoy being busy and so I think learning to balance everything isn’t necessarily an accomplishment but a lesson I am proud to have learned. 

Is there anything you regret from your Stuy experience? 

Not doing more things. That sounds weird, but not trying new activities. I came in freshman year and I was worried I was going to overload myself too much, and then I sort of restricted myself in certain things. There are so many interesting clubs that I would’ve loved to be a part of, but I was like, I don’t have the time to do that. And I probably didn’t have the time to do them, but it still would’ve been interesting to go to and just see what they had to offer. 

What do you hope to accomplish in the next four years?

I am really excited to travel and go abroad and see the world. It’s something that I always really wanted to do and I’m excited to have the opportunity to do so. I think also being able to work internationally would be really cool, going back to the idea of policy making. I think it would be fun to see everything and work as a part of something. 

If you spoke to your freshman self, what would you say?

Probably that I ended up accomplishing things that I wanted to accomplish, even if it wasn’t as much as everybody else. I think I spent a lot, especially junior year, thinking that I hadn’t done enough, and I’m happy with where I am today so it doesn’t really matter what everyone else is doing. 

Do you have any advice for incoming freshmen? 

Just trust that things are going to change and that it’s okay for things to change from somebody who hates change. I can’t even explain it to you, I physically can’t handle it, but accepting growth and change has made things sometimes worse, sometimes better, but it's necessary. It’ll happen a lot at Stuy where things change pretty much on the daily. 

Looking back, are you glad that you chose Stuy?

I am. I thought about this a lot because my sister has just gone through the high school process and isn’t coming here because she really hates it. But for all the long hours and work that I had to put in, I don’t think I would’ve had it any other way. I love being busy, I love the work, the teachers are genuinely so amazing, and there are some who aren’t, but I can’t imagine not knowing the people that I do today at this school. 

Reading Freshmen Year Answers: 

→ Follow Up: Is Christianity still a key part of your happiness?

I’m writing about this for my senior portrait. There was a full year where I genuinely was like, “I should go into a nunnery.” No one in my family is Christian, but there was a good year where I was like, “I have to be the best Christian I can.” We’re reading the Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce and I was like, “damn, I’m the same person because what was I doing for a full year of my life?” I remember my parents were like, “Niamh, why do you have six Bibles around you?” I felt like I had to study them all. I don’t know what happened to me. 

→ Follow Up: Do you still think Stuy was a good community?

I definitely do. I like that Stuy is a very big school. I think that I went to schools that didn’t really challenge me. I know a lot of people went to G&T schools before they came to Stuy, but there weren’t any in my neighborhood and my parents didn’t want me commuting, so I didn’t get to go somewhere that was academically stimulating. Though, I think Stuy can be much too stimulating. 

→ Follow Up: You got eight hours of sleep then, and you still get eight hours of sleep now. How? 

I genuinely do. It’s less of a “I get eight hours because I don’t have very much work” and more of “If I don’t get eight hours, I genuinely look dead.” I remember every time I would get six hours, I would go into the deli to get food and I would say, “Hey, can I get an egg and cheese,” and they would be like, “You want coffee?” Do I really look like I need coffee that badly? 

(After reading freshman answers) Do you have any takeaways from your freshman-year responses? 

I would say, I’m definitely half the same person and definitely not the same person at all. Because opening with “I’m going to be a neurologist” is crazy. But I would also say I still love playing sports and I am still glad that I went to Stuy. I am glad that it hasn’t changed, and I still have the same favorite books and favorite songs, so maybe that’s a sign I need to open up my Spotify more. 

Andy Xian

Interviewer: Stella Krajka

Name: Andy Xian

Age: 18

Height: 6’1

Gender: Male

Eye Color: Brown

Hair Color: Black

Favorite Subject(s): Spanish

Favorite Book(s): Born to Fly by Michael Ferrari

Favorite Song(s): “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz

Personality Type: N/A

How would you describe yourself? You can use three adjectives and elaborate on them.

I would say I am adaptive, inquisitive, and self-revising. I think over the past four years I’ve adapted to situations such as academic pressure, balancing extracurriculars, and I think I’ve been able to take on unexpected shifts throughout my high school journey. I think that speaks to my adaptability. And then going on to me being inquisitive— I’m a very curious person because I'm always exploring new passions and interests. And I think there's always this fear of taking up something new. But then, my philosophy is, it’s never too late to try something new. And self-revising: I’ve thought about this a bit. I think it just speaks to how my idea of identity has changed throughout the years. I used to think that identity was something to be found, and that it was something very distinct. I recall being a freshman and thinking that Stuyvesant was a place where I would be able to find my identity. But now, I realize that identity is more dynamic; it’s being constantly rebuilt. And I think by making mistakes, and being able to step out of my comfort zone, and align myself to change, I’m able to do that. 

What is the most important thing in your life right now? 

I think it’s about living in the present moment. I think, with the amount of time I still have left, I need to be able to stay connected—to cherish remembrance. My family, my heritage, my roots, all the friends I’ve made along the way. I think it’s very easy to get lost with ambition, you know? So, I want to make sure that I focus on the present going out to college as my future self. 

What are some of your current goals? 

I think it’s just to make the most of the time I have left here at Stuyvesant. One month and a half is not a lot. I think spending time with my family, my friends, exploring the city, you know, taking any opportunity I get to be able to explore this area— and when I head out to college, you know, it’s another city to explore. Ultimately, though, I just want to be a high school student for the time I have left. 

[After reading freshman year goals] How have your goals changed or stayed the same?

Fencing I did continue throughout my four years, something I’m very grateful for. I also continued student politics; I was the Freshman and Sophomore Caucus co-president. However, I didn’t run again my junior and senior year, and I think that speaks to the fact that a lot of things changed. I wouldn’t even say that it’s unfortunate, because I think that it opened new doors for me. Student government has [always] been an aspect of my identity since fifth grade and elementary school, and obviously, moving away from it was hard. It was hard to move on, but one door closed. I think that’s two more doors being opened. I think that’s okay, because I’m always exploring new things, new passions. And it’s okay to leave certain things. 

What do you want to be when you grow up and why?

I think that’s something I want to explore during my college career. I am interested in studying intersections of economics, sociology, and public policy. I think that is where my interest lies, and I want to explore that in a more tangible way in college. And I hope that will help me explore my career interests. 

What was your favorite class at Stuy? 

I love Spanish, not just for the fact that it opened my eyes to taking in a new perspective of language and culture. I was a Spanish tutor for my teacher, Ms. Canal. She’s an amazing teacher, very supportive, and I just love being able to learn and then bring that forward by being a tutor for her younger students. I think I made a lot of new friends along the way because of this class, and I’ve learned a lot about Spanish. 

What was the most meaningful extracurricular activity you participated in at Stuy? How did it shape who you are today?

I would say fencing. I think in terms of competitiveness, it definitely helped shape my mental fortitude in a sense because of the pressure. I think I made a lot of super close friends through fencing, which taught me a lot about working as a team, to see each other as teammates, yes, but also as friends, as something beyond that, almost as family. And it’s certainly taught me a lot. I was the captain this year.  There've been a lot of beautiful memories I want to carry on down the line.

How much do you think about your mental health?

Now I think about my mental health in a more intentional manner. When I first started Stuy, it definitely did teach me a lot about mental health, and has helped push me to my limits, but it's also taught me how important it is to set limits. And that it’s okay to take a break. It’s very hard for students, especially Stuyvesant students. To me, to recognize that we have limits, and we have weaknesses— we all do—is very important. And it’s okay to take a step back when things get too difficult to take care of yourself.

Typically, how much sleep would you get? 

I think it varies, especially depending on the time of the year, as well as the year itself. I think it’s gotten better throughout the years— surprisingly, honestly, because junior year was kind of bad. I definitely value sleep way more than I used to. I’ve been trying to get back into getting seven to eight hours consistently. 

What are you most proud of achieving in high school? 

I think it's the memories I’ve made, and the friends made along the way. Unlike grades, those are something I can hold onto for an infinite amount of time. Stuyvesant gave me access to amazing teachers and mentors as well, despite all the academic stress in this setting. So frankly, I would say I’m most proud of creating friendships and connections. I think also, looking back, it wasn't about finding a set identity, but about accepting that I do change, and I’m proud that I've changed and developed as a person.Very proud of the fact that I made it out alive! I think that Stuyvesant has done a fair job in preparing me for college and beyond.

Is there anything you regret from your Stuy experience? 

Not spending nearly as much time with friends as I wanted, especially during the earlier years. I think if I had an opportunity to start again, I definitely would’ve gone the extra mile to spend more time with friends. To hang out, to have fun! I think it’s a huge aspect of being a high schooler, so I’m trying to get back into that now. 

What do you hope to accomplish in the next four years?

So, in college in the next four years, I just want to continue to be able to grow as a person and add more aspects to my identity and explore a career that I am passionate about, and know that I want to give myself up to be a part of this passion. Find my community—friends that I would love and cherish—and just be able to continue to dedicate myself in my college community and beyond. 

If you spoke to your freshman self, what would you say?

To me personally: I’m proud of what you did, and I'm proud of your open mindedness and drive. Looking back on my responses, I see that I was definitely motivated. I had a lot of goals in mind. I wouldn’t look down on myself. I still want to embody that drive, that motivation, that everlasting hope to continue to seek my identity in college.

Do you have any advice for incoming freshmen? 

Hang out with your friends. Make the most of what it means to be a high school student. I think we all get lost in academics, in academic stress and pressure that Stuyvesant gives. It's very easy to lose track of our values, and what it really means to us, our family, our friends. It's so important to stick with our values, and to be able to look back knowing we enjoyed our time here.

Looking back, are you glad that you chose Stuy?

I think Stuyvesant was the right environment for driving me intellectually. I appreciate Stuyvesant for giving me access to these teachers, these mentors, and these amazing people along the way who I was able to become friends with. So yes, given those aspects I do.

(After reading freshman answers) Do you have any takeaways from your freshman-year responses? 

It's kind of funny. Looking back on my freshman year responses, obviously, it’s hard not to laugh, But I'm just glad that I'm able to take this, like a time machine, back in time to witness what my perspective was as a freshman and see how much I've changed.

Rachel Alvarez

Interviewer: Hifza Kaleem

Name: Rachel Alvarez

Age: 17

Height: 4’11

Gender: Female 

Eye Color: Brown

Hair Color: Black 

Favorite Subject(s): Statistics 

Favorite Book(s): Normal People by Sally Rooney 

Favorite Song(s): “Don’t You Think It’s Strange?” by Wallows 

Personality Type: ENFP

How would you describe yourself? You can use three adjectives and elaborate on them

Lively, open, and driven. For open, I would say I’ve definitely changed the way that I do social interaction, because I used to be someone who was super scared and didn’t really want to interact, but now, going into college, you’re kind of in the mindset of meeting new people, and I think that is something that I’ve definitely grown to expand over these past two years, I think. I think driven would be because I feel like I’ve established my passion—kind of what I want to do in life, and so sticking to that, and that having fueled a lot of my actions and a lot of the choices that I made this year. 

What is the most important thing in your life right now? 

The most important thing in my life right now… is it too cliche to say my friends? I think the whole framework of not being here for school this time next year, and knowing this might be the last time that I’ll see my friends all together in this space and in this context of high school, senior year. I've been really appreciating their presence and their company these past few months. 

What are some of your current goals? 

I would say the biggest, super objective/goal, for me, is to be a performer—hopefully a Broadway performer. I’ll be studying theater in college, and so I want to work twice as hard to really get there, because there’s a lot of… I wouldn’t say sacrifices—I think that’s a big word—but there are a lot of things that I’m giving up to try and pursue this big, lofty dream, and I hope to make it a reality. That would be one of my goals. I would also say to travel more. I definitely want to travel to a bunch of countries, especially in Europe and South America, and just be more worldly-wise, if that makes sense.

[After reading their freshman year goals] 

What do you want to be when you grow up and why?

A Broadway performer in my biggest, wildest dreams. It’s just something that I can see myself being excited by for a really long time. And I think also the nature of the profession being so in tune with your body, and putting yourself on stage, singing from your voice, and moving with your body. That's something that is a very personal endeavor. Broadway is just such a great community that I would love to be a part of in any way that I can. 

Do you have a dream role? 

If I could be in a production of Into the Woods, I could be Cinderella, you know, I wouldn’t be complaining. Also Hadestown—I would love to be one of the Fates, because that would be a really fun role, with all the harmonies and everything. 

What was your favorite class at Stuy? 

Dr. Kim’s junior year AP English class. That is probably why I am the person I am today. I know that’s a really big thing to say, but the way that his assignments were structured—they were all essays, and a lot of them were introspective and connected with the personal. I feel like, in that class, we learned so many new ideas and literary devices that made me interested in, not only the literature we were reading, but the perspectives that I was having in my own life. And it was just the first, I think, rigorous academic writing that I’ve had to do because he held a high standard for us, and I was only hoping to achieve those with the essays that I wrote. And even now, I look back on those essays in English, and for my college applications, I would copy-paste, like, a personal essay that I wrote for his class about culture. And, for example, we were reading “The Namesake.” A lot of that has to do with like, “Where do you come from?” Like, “Who are you? What’s your identity?” And so I wrote about being Filipino, and the cultural identity that I have, and that was like, copy-paste, like, all the community essays that I had to write. So yeah, that class has had such a lasting impact on me. 

What was the most meaningful extracurricular activity you participated in at Stuy? How did it shape who you are today?

Well, I’m gonna start off with STC and SING!. I’m gonna group those together just because of their performance aspects. It has just been a way for me to pursue theater in the capacity that is available at Stuy. And we were just talking about this in our English class, about how Stuyvesant Theater Community is all student-run as opposed to a lot of other schools where it’s by teacher administration. At first I was kind of wary of that, because it’s like, okay, this is fake. This community isn’t real and whatever. But I also think it’s been such a benefit to explore all the different roles that you can have in theater like directing, assistant directing, or lights and sound and stage and tech. A lot of my friends ran that too, and so being able to be a part of all these aspects of theater has really given me a more complete perspective on what a career in theater can be, even at the high school level. And I’ve gotten to play some of my favorite roles like Seymour in Little Shop and Shirley Temple in SING!. It’s just such a great way to be in the Stuy community and also be in the theater community. I would say another extracurricular that I didn’t expect to be super impactful on me was cheer. I was only on it for a year, but it was super suburban. It’s like, “Why am I cheering?” Cheering is something that I associate with college where you’re cheering for your football team. It’s not cities, right by the West Side Highway. This is suburban in an urban area, but I don’t know. It’s super community-oriented and school-spirit-oriented, and it felt really fun to do. So I’m just grateful to have had some of that Americana high school experience.

How much do you think about your mental health?

I would say not that often. It’s something that I recognize is kind of an important thing. I can say mental health is important, but I feel like when I look at my mental health, I don’t really pay attention to it. 

Typically, how much sleep would you get? 

It’s not great. As in, I’m sleeping too much and not doing my work because I’m a second semester senior. That’s what I tell myself to cope, but my grades speak otherwise. So recently, for this week, I’ve been getting around 10 hours. But I would say, as an estimate for the whole, around five.

What are you most proud of achieving in high school? 

I would say the involvement that I’ve had with the Stuy community is something I’m really proud of, and it’s something that I didn’t really expect to have coming into Stuy. I thought I’d just go through the motions, be a high school student, and get the grades that I needed to, but veering off of that, being a Big Sib and Big Sib Chair, doing SING! and all these things, I’ve really gotten to see the people that I go to school with. I’m so impressed by what everybody’s done, so to be a part of that as a leader in some aspects has been really meaningful to me.

Is there anything you regret from your Stuy experience? 

Not joining [Model United Nations] (MUN). I think that would have been so fun. Also, not joining Speech and Debate and Robotics. I could have been that well-rounded STEM queen, but it’s okay. I mean, I wanted, the reason that I wanted to join those things is because, like, they go to, like Harvard [or] Yale and like, for these competitions. And I was like, “Wait, that could be so fun,” like spending the night in a hotel room with your friends, and like going through this competition together, because I have a lot of friends who are in MUN, and they seem to have a really tight knit community. And it’s not like I haven’t had that, but I wish I had gotten to experience an aspect of that in the way that one does.

What do you hope to accomplish in the next four years?

I hope to make all that debt worth it. Financial aid is no joke, but I hope to be really happy with the courses that I’m taking and the path that I choose to pursue. 

If you spoke to your freshman self, what would you say?

I would say you did good. You did. You had a really fun time. You got the honors grades you wanted. You got the Ivy League you wanted, but at the end, you found a passion that you wanted to and you committed a lot to that. I’m very proud of her for doing that. I would just tell her it’s okay. It all turns out okay. I honestly don’t think I would’ve changed a thing about my Stuy experience. She’s on the right track.

Do you have any advice for incoming freshmen? 

Oh my gosh, we just got done with interviews. I ask this question all the time for incoming freshmen. I think my answer is, and always has been, try everything. Freshman year is the year to explore what you want to do in college. Yeah, it’s there, but it’s not going to be your most important goal. So don’t be thinking about Harvard and Yale like I was. It really isn’t that serious, at least in your freshman year. So yeah, just try everything. Go to all the clubs you want to go to, and the worst thing that happens is you don’t have anyone to talk to. Talk to everybody that you want to. If you don’t talk again, at least you tried. So I would just say go for it. There’s nothing to fear. There’s nothing to be ashamed of because everybody’s in the same position, and I’m so sure they also want to be talking with you and making that social connection. So yeah, I would just say lay all your cards on the table and see what happens.

Looking back, are you glad that you chose Stuy?

This has been a question that I have struggled with for a long time, because I don’t know if I said this in my freshman year interview, but when I was applying to high school, I got accepted into LaGuardia for drama and Stuyvesant. It’s been like, going through my Stuyvesant experience has outweighed everything that I feel like I would have had at LaGuardia. But honestly, I do think I’m glad that I went to Stuy because I’ve had such a great, well-rounded experience. And even though theater wasn’t the thing that I was studying, I’ve still gotten to have a really fulfilling experience in that field. And, yeah, I got to meet so many people in so many facets, and this community has definitely been a part of who I am and will be in the future. So I am glad that I [chose] Stuy.

(After reading freshman answers) Do you have any takeaways from your freshman-year responses? 

She had no idea what was going on, and she [didn’t] know what’s coming. And I think it’s really fun. I think in freshman year, I knew what I wanted to do, which was theater, but I was just too scared to say anything. And that really comes out when I say, Well, I don’t know yet. Like, I don’t really know what I want to do, but wow, that’s it’s crazy to see, like, my perspective on Harvard and Yale and theater versus now. So, yeah. Also, I think I’m proud, most proud that I’m two inches taller than she was.

Flint Mueller 

Interviewer: Myles Vuong

Name: Flint Mueller

Age: 17

Height: 6’2

Gender: Male

Eye Color: Hazel

Hair Color: Blonde/Brown

Favorite Subject(s): Systems/Computer Science

Favorite Book(s): Jack Blank (series) by Matt Myklusch

Favorite Song(s): “MY EYES” by Travis Scott

Personality Type: ESTJ

How would you describe yourself? You can use three adjectives and elaborate on them

I’m funny, hopefully. I like laughing. I’m outgoing. I’m not the person to take hold of the conversation first, but if I see no one else is, I’ll definitely say hi. Also honest, I guess you could say. If I ever come close to lying, I can feel it.

Do you have a tell?

 Yeah, definitely. My family and I are playing this game called “Out of the Loop” where somebody doesn’t know what the word is and whenever I don’t it’s terrible.

What is the most important thing in your life right now? 

My future career and what I want to do. I’m really interested in computer science, and I definitely want to pursue that, but for now it’s just going to college and seeing what I want to do and focusing on that.

What are some of your current goals? 

I want to have a successful college experience. I’m going to Stony Brook University, and I don’t know how I’m feeling about that because it’s kind of a commuter campus so I don’t know if I will have the best social life there. 

Could you define a successful college experience?

I want to be set up for a career that makes me happy and is sustainable, so as long as I’m happy and can make a living off it.

[After reading freshman year goals] How have your goals changed or stayed the same?

I think not joining Robotics was definitely a mistake. I did end up going every single day and putting every single hour that the lab was open. I’m pretty happy about that. I think something to take away with that was that I wasn’t willing to put in my all because it was new. I should’ve just gone in, so [I’m] doing that for more things.

What do you want to be when you grow up and why?

I mean, anything computer science has been interesting to me. Just not a web developer. I’m hoping to go to college to figure out what type of computer science I want to do. 

What was your favorite class at Stuy? 

It has to be tied between geometry and Systems. 

Why geometry?

I really love the logic and proof-based process while you started off with foundational building blocks and you made everything from that. There were no jumps. We were never just told something was true. It was all proven, even the Pythagorean Theorem. The math doesn’t just come from somewhere, we proved all of it.

What was the most meaningful extracurricular activity you participated in at Stuy? How did it shape who you are today?

It’s definitely Robotics. During COVID, I made a few video games and did a bunch of research myself. Maybe when I first realized this was my thing was when I joined Robotics in my sophomore year, and I didn’t actually do any coding then, but the person who did taught me a lot. When I did it during my junior and senior years, it was really amazing. I’ve spent so many hours in the Robotics Lab doing stuff and also having fun, which is probably what I’ve taken the most away from. It’s working in a team and also having the ability to be friends with everybody and enjoying that. It never felt like a chore for me or wasn’t something my parents wanted me to do or something where I was like, “Oh, I need to do this to get into college.” I liked doing it. We would play basketball after school sometimes or go to team dinners. 

How much do you think about your mental health?

I really haven’t thought about it that much. Definitely not school-related. It’s been a pretty smooth ride and sometimes you have rough tests or grades. “Do better on the next one.” That’s kinda been my mindset.

Typically, how much sleep would you get? 

I think in freshman year I went to bed at 10:00 p.m. every night. And then sophomore year was 11:00 p.m. and junior year at 12:00 a.m. I think junior year I had the worst sleep, and now that I don’t have much to do I try to go to bed around 10:30 p.m. I wake up at 6:00 a.m.-7:00 a.m. On average, probably seven to eight hours of sleep.

What are you most proud of achieving in high school? 

I think I have to go back to Robotics. Last year, our Robotics team made it to the World Championships for the first time in 10 years. It’s not Stuy Pulse, who makes it, like, every year. We’re on a different team. For us, it was the first time in a long time, so it was really cool to be a part of that on the team that made it there. The same exact day I also won this individual award for Robotics that I went through an interview process [for]. I didn’t think I was going to win it, so it was kinda shocking to me. It was like a pat on the back.  

Is there anything you regret from your Stuy experience? 

I feel like if I had worked more on my grades and maybe my essays, I could’ve gone to a better school. Not to say that Stony Brook is a bad school, but I did want to go to an Ivy League or top school, so it was a little bit disappointing. So, I think [I should have] focused a little bit on my grades more in my freshman and sophomore years and really taken my junior-to-senior year summer to work on my essays.

What do you hope to accomplish in the next four years?

Just staying positive throughout college. I also have a bunch of personal projects, mostly computer-science-related, so I want to complete some of those.

If you spoke to your freshman self, what would you say?

Join Robotics freshman year! Actually, you could put that as a regret. I wish I had that extra year to develop with my team. Also, just work and study for the tests. Put more effort into sophomore year. I was taking Honors Algebra II and AP Chemistry—honestly, my hardest classes, and I took them both sophomore year—so I think if I had done better in those classes it would have helped me.

Do you have any advice for incoming freshmen? 

I feel like a lot of people told me this, but it didn’t really stick in my head. Coming out of middle school, I was, like, the best kid in my school, so it took me a while to realize that not studying for tests or not putting in any effort isn’t going to get you anywhere, especially at Stuyvesant. If you are ambitious like I was, and still am, you have to put in the work and not let your skills take you there.

Looking back, are you glad that you chose Stuy?

Definitely. I don’t have anything to compare to, but I love all the people I’ve met here. It feels really cool to be around so many people who care about the classes that they’re taking. Especially in the electives, everyone who’s there wants to be there. For example, in my poetry class, I think a lot of people pick poetry because it’s an “easy” elective, but it was really cool to see what people wrote. I also chose it because people told me it would be easy, but I really enjoyed that class because I saw people work so hard for something they didn’t realize they would really enjoy.

(After reading freshman answers) Do you have any takeaways from your freshman-year responses? 

I feel like the core of my personality is pretty similar. I think it’s just how I apply myself like with joining Robotics. The way I developed through middle school was kinda similar in a way. As you grow older and become more senior, you feel more comfortable in your environment, and it’s a great thing. You get to know these awesome people and seeing everyone develop together is inspiring. 

Are you afraid of losing some of these connections?

Everybody I’ve met. I still have a few friends from middle school, so I’m sure I’ll keep some. There’s definitely a lot of people I want to keep in touch with.