The RISE Postsecondary Success team partners with CT high schools to ensure all students graduate on time and complete milestones for their identified postsecondary plans. In the coming weeks, we will celebrate the accomplishments of graduating seniors in our Core Network schools. Their dedication, hard work, and resilience have led them to this important goal. Congratulations to the Class of 2024!
(From left to right: Sadia Hashimi, Alexia Villanueva, Gianna Sumwaru, and Ernest Mulunda)
What is your plan, after you graduate high school?
Sadia: I am going to study Computer science at UCONN, Hartford, and I plan to work part-time during college. Eventually, I want to work as a computer designer.
Alexia: I plan on attending Trinity College for Biomedical Engineering. I want to work as a lab technician and to be able to take full advantage of the degree that I earn.
Gianna: I am attending UCONN, Storrs, and plan to study Industrial System Engineering. Eventually, I want to work at Pratt & Whitney. I plan to do a co-op there while I am in college. I plan to also minor in Business, to have the best of both worlds.
Ernest: I am going to Central CT State University to study Sociology and Criminology. I will also be playing soccer on their D1 team. I plan to be a social worker and eventually, I want to get a law degree. I also want to transfer to UCONN and try to do their BS/JD in five years instead of eight.
Rey: I am attending Eastern CT State University, where I will play baseball. I want to study Accounting and Marketing to gain knowledge for business, as eventually, I’d like to own my own business. I also plan to work while in college.
What support did you receive to help you form your postsecondary plan?
Sadia: Ms. Crittenden, the College and Career Specialist, was really helpful. It was my first year in the U.S., so having someone to help support me throughout the process was super helpful.
Alexia: Ms. Crittenden was able to support me with setting up a Google classroom with all of the information we needed. Over the summer I also attended a meeting with Common App to get started. I also worked with Mr. Rosario, an English teacher, to support me in writing my college essay and reviewing my draft. In the fall, I also worked with Ms. Crittenden on the Common Application. I was able to borrow a computer from the school for the summer, which helped to get everything done.
Gianna: Ms. Crittenden helped to connect me with an English teacher to work with me on my college essay over the summer. I was also able to work on the Common App over the summer through workshops. I asked a lot of questions and got help throughout the FAFSA process. Ms. Crittenden was always here to help through the year, and I just attended senior signing day.
Ernest: Mrs. Crittenden and Ms. Allison, my social studies teacher, helped to review my college essays and helped me with scholarships as well (there were some that required four essays!) The counselors were also helpful with recommendations and supporting that process. Finally, I got support through the HPS Library. Through the program I attended, I got a $1,000 scholarship and a Macbook, and I continue to go there once a week to get support through this program.
Rey: Mrs. Crittenden helped with the common application process, as well as the FAFSA.
What advice would you give to a rising senior?
Sadia: Practice good time management and don’t take extra classes; just take the classes that you need. This year I took four extra classes and it added a lot to my workload.
Alexia: Don’t be scared to ask for help; everything is new in the application process. You will need the help and support of your teachers in getting letters of recommendation, reviewing your college essay, etc. Working with a teacher who spoke Spanish was also really helpful in reviewing my essay.
Gianna: Take advantage of scholarships; some applications are due before senior year, so look into those now. You can also write one essay and use it to apply for different scholarships. Be brave; you will have moments where you need to ask questions (you may need to call Common App, colleges, FAFSA, etc. to ask questions) and when you are brave, you will be successful.
Ernest: Advocate for yourself; you can’t expect your counselors to do everything for you. For example, I wasn’t sure whether I was eligible to do the Harford Promise Scholarship but I kept calling to advocate for myself. Also, you might think that applying for scholarships is too much work, but it’s worth it.
Rey: Try to do everything early, instead of starting in your senior year. Try to do it earlier so you don’t forget to do anything and miss a deadline. If you are a junior, keep working on your grades. There were scholarships I was interested in but missed the deadlines, so stay on top of it.
What are you most proud of, as you look back on your high school experience?
Sadia: I am proud of everything I have accomplished so far. High school was different for me as I missed two years of school and had to leave my homeland to come here. When I arrived, based on my transcript, I was told I should go to college but I wanted to go to high school and finish my education first. I am now able to go to UCONN for free and I am proud of it all.
Alexia: Being able to finish the year off strong. Senior year isn’t easy but I was able to finish the year and have a strong GPA.
Gianna: I am proud of my determination, particularly in taking AP calculus this year. It’s been a rough journey and the class had me stressed out, but I know it’s critical to my future major. I have been balancing college applications and completing the assignments for all my classes. It was hard to manage all of this and to keep up motivation, so I am really proud of that.
Ernest: Over my high school experience, I moved from PA to NH to CT. I did 16 classes in a row, many AP classes, and ECE (early college experience) classes to get on track to graduate. I am also proud of my soccer experience. I played for a UCR club and I just started playing for Hartford High, and now I have an offer to play D1 soccer at CCSU.
Rey: I am proud of my academics and my good GPA. I am also proud of being able to play baseball in college. I wasn’t playing in the U.S. on a team for long before I was playing in the Dominican Republic, and when I started playing here, I got recruited to play in college. I am also proud to have a lot of friends in the school community.
What are you most looking forward to, as you look ahead to the future?
Sadia: I would love to give back to my family. They left everything behind and I want to be able to fulfill their wish by being successful.
Alexia: I’m looking forward to living the college experience, and balancing fun and studies. I would love to get a job right after I graduate. Even though I am not from Hartford, I’d love to eventually give back to the Hartford community.
Gianna: I’m looking forward to pursuing college life and living up the college vibe! I want to graduate with a degree that I can apply knowledge to in the future. I want to have a family and aid with taking care of family. Everything I do now is for my family. As of right now, I am the Valedictorian of the class and I want to continue to do great things.
Ernest: Being part of the community, using my abilities; I already speak six languages. I am also a very energetic person and want to be able to help people, like my mom who works for the U.N. I’d love to follow in her footsteps. I also want to enjoy the college experience. I am a first-generation college student, so I don’t know what to expect but I want to enjoy it.
Rey: I am looking forward to making a lot of friends in college, getting a degree, trying to do good in baseball, and trying to get drafted. I also want to do some sort of side hustle in college and continue to be all about my future business.
Follow along with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, as we continue to celebrate our amazing seniors!