I sit down at senior hall and see the loud freshmen gathering into groups to enter Ms. Berg’s room – walking by Mr. Becker’s class I notice that the lights are off except for a couple flames: green, red, blue and purple. Whenever I notice these things, I can’t help but think about my own time at Harley and how much it has helped me become who I am. Although there are many things I can write about, there is one thing in particular that I don’t think I can ever forget it.

In the first couple weeks of coming to my new school, the class of 2021 went to Camp Stella Maris on a field trip. The night we arrived, our guides built a fire and Wyatt brought out his ukulele to play some music. Sitting near the fire in the dark and singing along with my coevals was not only a great experience, but it was the best way that I could have been welcomed into the Harley school.

As I write this now, a senior in high school, I think about going off to college and what I’d like to do with my life. Given that on my own time I find myself constantly researching how different chemical compounds react with the human body, that’s what I think I’ll be doing in college. By looking at reactions in the body, I hope to develop new medications to combat illnesses. However, I have noticed that in many instances organic compounds are prone to preventing illnesses, and chemical compounds are excellent for treating illnesses. Since I love the outdoors and believe that the organisms around us are very important, I hope to put much of my effort into researching these organic compounds and to modify them if needed; all to offer a new wave of medicines.