Issue 7, Vol. 1

THE

CHAR OT

SENIOR YEAR TIMELINE

THE COLLEGE LIST GRADUATING SENIORS MOVE ON TO HIGHER EDUCATION PAGE 3

TOP TEN EVENTS FOR THE CLASS OF 2016 PAGE 5

Troy High School

Troy, Mich.

Volume 1 Issue 7

May 26, 2016

2

The Chariot The Chariot

Rahee Patel, editor-in-chief AuJenee Hirsch, assistant editor Leah Graham, assistant editor Jenny Boudon, cartoonist Emily Hamilton, graphic editor Soumeeka Koneru, photo editor Bhavya Sukhavasi, web editor Snigdha Suvarna, public relations editor Brendan Battle, staff writer Kaitlyn Bogdanovich, staff writer Bianca Bucholtz, staff writer Christina Crane, staff writer Hailey Davison, staff writer Sara Dehaan, staff writer Deepthi Devireddy, staff writer Jarrod Fortner, staff writer Mina Fuqua, staff writer Silvia Hoxha, staff writer Sabina Ravindran, staff writer April Rice, staff writer Sarah Semon, staff writer Adam Sliwinski, staff writer Jayna Salk, adviser

The Chariot Staff Policy The Chariot is a student-produced news publication that publishes information relevant to the times as well as material that is essential to the overall well-being of its readers. It is The Chariot’s responsibility to cover school, city, state, national and international events and issues that affect the concerns of the campus, its students or its readers.

PHOTOS BY BHAVYA SUKHAVASI

The official student newspaper of Troy High School www.troychariot.org troynewspaper@gmail.com

DECA “DECA is an experience that is helpful for the future and it can teach you life lessons. It’s all about being able to prepare in a given amount of time and thinking on your feet in a role play.”

-Senior Babu Uppalapati

MIPA

“My entire day revolved around yearbook for the last three years, and I’m not quite sure what to do with myself now that it’s over. I’m ridiculously thankful to Ms. Salk and the 20152016 staff for this incredible year.”

-Senior Erin Mitchell

“Theater means so much to me because it’s really taught me how to love everything. If I didn’t have theater I would probably be a different person than I am today.”

-Senior Kristen Hansen

gRADUATION DECOR

Different honor cords require certain criteria in order for graduating seniors to earn them.

BY BHAVYA SUKHAVASI WEB EDITOR

The Chariot operates as a designated public forum for student expression. The Editorial Board consisting of student editors is the sole decision-making and policy-setting body of The Chariot and has final say over all content decisions. The adviser and administration have a non-review role and may offer advice on sensitive issues and will offer criticisms as warranted but the Editorial Board reserves all rights to determine what material shall be published.

Editorials represent the collective opinion of The Chariot staff. Opinions expressed by individuals and in letters to the editor represent those of the author. Letters to the editor should be typed, double-spaced and must include the author’s name, signature and class or position. Names of individuals may be withheld upon request, pending a vote of the Editorial Board. Letters may be submitted in hard copy to room 204 at Troy High School or via email at troynewspaper@gmail.com. All letters are subject to review by the Editorial Board. Letters will not be edited except to fix space limitations. Should the Editorial Board deem a letter to be potentially libelous or containing content inappropriate for publication it will return the letter to the author with an opportunity for corrections. The Editorial Board is solely responsible for these decisions. Letters need to be received one week prior to print publication dates to be included in print.

INTERNATIONAl ThESPIAN SOCIETy

gPA CORDS

Summa Cum Laude: above 3.85 Magna Cum Laude: 3.5 to 3.84 Cum Laude: 3.25 to 3.49 Honors: 3.0 to 3.24

NATIONAl hONOR SOCIETy “[NHS] helped prepare me to work with people who may not be the easiest to work with, like other students who weren’t very cooperative, or adults in charge of programs who yelled at us.”

-Senior Anna Osella COVER ILLUSTRATION BY ELIZABETH GRAHAM

“It feels really great to graduate Summa Cum Laude, because I have worked very hard to get to where I am. I would not want to end high school any other way.”

- Senior Anna Zheng

The Senior Issue

The College list 2016 *AS OF NOON ON MAY 23, 2016

Adrian College Luca Grodsky

Albion College Ashwin Umamaheswaran

Andrews University Bogdan Pintilie

Aveda Institute Nicole Setelia

Baker College Kayla Engelberts Lauryn-Taylor Johnson

Bard College Brian Lee

Bowling green State University Brendan Battle

Brigham young University-hawaii Jace Johansson

California Northstate University

The Marines

Eastern Michigan University

Marquette University

Ryan Zoltowski

Coleen Egan

Hailey Davison Jesse Landers

Megan Song

Ferris State University grand Valley State University Kaylin Bigelow Kyle Christie Bailey Clark Sara DeHaan Michael Douglas Jacob Horne Heather Jeffrey Mark Johnson Catherine Noonan Elizabeth Nutting Katherine Papatheodore Andrew Williams Emma Zentera

harvard University

Elizabeth Engle

Charles Douglas Emily Hamilton

Calvin College

hope College

Case Western Reserve University

henry Ford College

Emily Artzberger John Canny Melissa Ciarlone Kaitlyn Dubay Adrienne Harig Jordan Held Simone Hodges Olivia Hutchinson Eric Khurana Chase Linton Riley McAvoy Matthew Pawlik April Rice Adam Rissman Lawrence Rowe Carlie Sebastian Rachael Selzer Noelle Thomson

Clark Atlanta University Malon Bryant

Columbia University Xinchu Tian

Cornell University Soumeeka Koneru

Culinary Institute of America Samantha Wilson

Andriy Komarnitskyy Ryan Lenihan

Sai Sundar

Anusri Yanumula

Central Michigan

Seniors make their commitments to universities and colleges for the upcoming fall semester.

DePaul University

Eric Cheng

Puja Desai Joanne Tan Jessica Zhou

3

Antuanet Alvarez Mustafa Turaani

Indiana University Chelsea Jang

ITT Technical Institute Minwoo Lee

Johns hopkins University Michelle Wang

Kalamazoo College Shannon Carley

Kettering University Jason Chen Nicholas Louwaert

lake Superior State University Michael Best Shelby Mastrovito

lawrence Technological University Mark Alyass Johanna Lafayette

loyola University Chicago Isabelle Bester Sydney Koncagul Alyssa Majewski

Maryland Institute College of Art Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lucy Li Eva Lisowski

Miami University Cameron Barnett Philip Smith

Michigan Career and Technical Institute Spencer Siterlet

Michigan State University Saad Akhtar Marisa Alberts Devin Babi Jongin Baik Aneesh Bal Marisa Balamucki Amanda Battle Blake Best Olivia Boeberitz Steven Brennecke Allie Brydell Emily Burrell Kevin Carlson David Cho Sarah Clark Allison Clemons Jack Considine Christina Crane Roger Dean Nachiket Deshpande Michael Faber Madeline Falk Erica Friesen Gabriella Gohl Colby Green Kristen Hansen Muneer Hasso Heather Held Jordan Hendry William Hern Jeana Jeong Richard Jevarjian Ho Chul Jung Brendan Kelly Dylan Kelly Chanhee Kim Jaewon Lee Junhyuk Lee Kathie Lee YeEun Lee Maaria Lodhi Emma Loken Kristen Losey

Alina Mak Katherine Martin Kelsey McKaig Anna Middleton Artea Muharremi Anjali Munasinghe Hemanth Musunur Gillian Myers Eun Jeong Oh Brandon Orzame Anna Osella Joshua Pang Ryan Parker Harsh Patel Rahee Patel Jennifer Pruss Sabina Ravindran Hannah Rusgo Seung Yeon Ryu Kathryn Sabelhaus Jack Schroeder Kevin Seto Kate Shabet Georgia Shreve Adam Sliwinski Kierstin Smith Sara Smith Amanda Spillane Kyle Villamil Marissa Volek Victor Wang Daniel Webb Samantha Webb Daniel Webber Demi Yang Lifan Zeng Kris Zoto

Michigan Technological Institute Kaitlyn Beesley Benjamin Gregory

Motion Picture Institute Noah Ecklund

New york University Katherine Liebetrau Michael Wong

Northern Michigan University Haley Malinowski Liam McInerney

Northwestern University Emily Schram

Northwood University Christopher Bleich Isabelle Daoud Clare Keating

Oakland Community College Andi Arllaj Maeve Blake

Continued on Page 4

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Continued from Page 3

Oakland Community College Amani Bragg Jaime Calderon Ra’Mon Canty Enna Castro Carter DeLong Daniel Evans Elenore Friedsburg-Luft Troy Grappin Billy Huynh Christopher Johnson Phillip Kapas Austin Lavoie Christian Leiva Austin Levering Katie Lewandowski Kamil Maciag Samuel Mazei Kristen Mazurek Quinn O’Neill Deborah Ojo Sabrin Poles Isabel Salazar Cruz Amanda Scully Tyler Smith Spencer Strefling Trevor Sutton Hailee Tester Kelsey Vinson Alexandra Watz Basil Wyrick Patrick Wyrick Aamira Zara Brianna Zora

Oakland University Nicholas Abbott Norr Al-Sharabi Kyle Anderson Morgan Arthur Ellen Barker Allison Bartoy Chase Beausoleil-Cromwell Victoria Bennet Garrett Berger Frencheska Brikho Maria Brune Nicholas Bubar Jerod Buchta Brooke Butris Kelly Castanon James Chang Najeeb Chowdhury Kayla Clowney Emma Cochran Lindsey Cross Elizabeth Dierker Jarrod Fortner Diana Friedrich Brendan Fry Mina Fuqua Rachelle Galan Anjitha Gigi Jahnavi Gudi Justin Hamama Mitchell Hella AuJenee Hirsch

Mena Ibrahim Jennifer Kafarski Anshita Khare Sammy Khraishi July Kim Jung Hoon Kim Jacob Kimball Pandush Kote Steven Lampos James Lee Yoshiki Matsui John Mayernik Matthew McCabe Anthony Munoz Justin Przeslawski Luis Ramirez Costilla Patrick Roach Joseph Salib Sherin Shaji Paul Shammas Nicholas Sirhan Austin Sonnenberg Heidi Tingstad Andrew William Sofia Zertuche Orozco

Occidental College Snigdha Suvarna

Ohio State University Jerry Gao Ramya Maramraju Nithyashree Ramadurai

Ohio University Michael Cifliku

Princeton University Jennie Yang

Purdue University Sai Gorle Jack Hartig Aaron Lai Chanhee Lee

Radford University Christopher Scott

Ringling College of Art and Design Calista Loh

Rochester College Jona’e Bidden Blake Lucas

Stanford University Ingrid Fan Dhruv Medarametla David Wu Justin Xu

Stony Brook University Zeyue Lin

Syracuse University Emily Davis

University of Alabama Kathleen Regan Kyla Zaleski

University of California, Berkeley Amy Li Alexander Liu Sarah Nam

University of Detroit Mercy Logan Shamblin

University of Illinois Hyun Woo Lee David Robinson Dong Jae Sagong

University of Illinois Urbana Vaidehi Ambardekar Jackyoung Kim

University of Illinois Chicago Rahul Raju

University of Miami Dalton Shoan

University of Michigan Youstina Abdallah Nathan Amann Sujai Arakali Benjamin Balas Anurag Bolneni Safal Bora Alex Chen Angela Chen Cindy Chu Chaitanya Dandu Marena Dangremond Deepthi Devireddy Kevin Fietsam John Gearig Michelle Gu Mirette Habib Layla Hak Kevin He Tabitha Hendren Bhaghyasree Jambunathan Yixian Jia Whitney Kemp Peter Ko Robert Kohring Michael Kolakowski Erin Leney Rosanna Li Sherry Li Shruthi Mahesh Michael Manceor James McAuliffe Leo McManus Julia Meng Erin Mitchell Soohyung Nam Rishane Oak Sarah Oh Stephen Olson Skanda Palani Neil Patel Matthew Pienta Pooja Polamarasetti Krystal Qin Asavari Rajpurkar Ananya Ravi Mariana Renke Meghan Romig Jennifer Schlafhauser Neil Shah

The Chariot

Jenny Shang Esther Simon Madeline Simone Bhavya Sukhavasi Jonathan Sun Ciara Timban Achyuth Venkatesh Andrew Vernier Pranav Vijay Amanda Vogel Nicholas Watson Alan Wu Yin Wu Julia Xu Alex Yaldoo Kelly Yang Andrew Yuan Alex Zhang Ashley Zhang Winston Zhang Anna Zheng Kelly Zhu

University of Missouri Cianna Demings

University of North Alabama Savannah Cavender-LeMieux

University of Pennsylvania Hareena Kaur Lena Leszinsky

University of Pittsburgh Nathan Farrar

University of South Carolina Hana Anderson

University of Southern California Jennifer Cui

University of Tennessee James Hegedus

University of Texas at Austin Sathvik Byreddy

University of Texas at Dallas Matthew Kunjummen

University of Toledo Aarifah Asifee Ambika Sood

Virginia Commonwealth University Leena Penumalee

Washington University in St. Louis Arjun Puri

Wayne State University Syed Ali Monica Alluri Adeel Asghar

The Senior Issue

Nabeel Asghar Amanda Azar Samantha Barron Yatharth Bansal Matthew Battle Katherine Bazzo Shweta Bhavsar Chandana Channasiddeswaraiah Prakhya Chilukuri Kaitlyn Corr Alexis Cortes Navkiran Deol Kirti Gedela Reanna John Maliha Khan Gina Kim Isabella Kosteniuk Gauri Kulkarni Ali Malhi Stefanie Mihoc Sefilda Neziri Aneriben Patel Mehul Pise Ajay Pradhan Muhammad Qureshi Huda Rabbani KM Rahman Bashaar Shah Saurav Singh Justin Thomas Urvashi Thongam Puja Trivedi Conner Trogden Takuto Tsuchiya Babu Uppalapati Shaunak Vaghasia Michaela White

Wellesley College Naomi Kim Kaylee Lee

West Point

5

Senior Year’s Top Ten Things To Look Forward To

The Class of 2016 talks about the ten most anticipated events that upcoming seniors should be excited for next year.

by rahee patel and deepthi devireddy editor-in-chief and staff writer A student’s last year in high school is filled with a plethora of events for the senior class to enjoy. From the day they step inside the building to take their last identification card picture to the day they get their diplomas, seniors ride a roller coaster filled with ups and down to finish off their high school careers.

These are 10 of the most significant events the Class of 2016 has enjoyed.

ID CARD PICTURE: “I started out high

school kind of quieter, but senior year I took an initiative to be more out of the box,” senior Katie Liebetrau said. “I did a triple chin type-picture, I just tried to see how many chins I could possibly make in the picture.

You just have to laugh about things sometimes.”

FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: “Going

into senior year you always know about the Friday Football Games and the tailgates, and you’re with your friends having fun,” senior Michael Cifliku said. “As a senior I was really excited for all the football games. To be honest it wasn’t even that I wanted to be on TC Line, I was just chosen. I got to continue the tradition.”

SPRING BREAK: “I decided to go on the

cruise because my friends were going, and they decided to go because a lot of the moms got together and decided a cruise would be a safe and fun adventure for all of us,” senior Arjun Puri said. “I would definitely go again.

I think it is a great way to spend spring break.”

PROMPOSALS: “I went overkill with [my

promposal]. I did a quarter-city scavenger hunt. I wanted to make it fun because all of the other promposals were just like posters and stuff,” senior Benjamin Xu said.

WATER WARS: “Water Wars is a pretty big deal senior year because everyone wants to win money. It gets really intense and a little dramatic, but we try to avoid that and keep it fun. It's such a cool thing to be a part of,” senior Ally Majewski said. Majewski is one of the three judges of the competition.

GIMMEES: “We started out making the

nomination sheets, and at lunch people would nominate other people for those categories,” senior Nick Sirhan said. “We revealed the winners a couple days before prom. It was hectic; making sure that videos were working and were on screen, that the nominees were there, that all the plaques and awards were ready and that all the speakers were ready to go.”

PROM: “I didn’t do much besides get a date, buy a dress and find a group, but I was excited to actually get ready on prom day with my friends and do my hair and makeup,” senior Ciara Timban said. “I'll always see prom as one of the highlights of the high school experience and one of those nights that you'll always look back on.”

Benjamin Xu

Western Michigan University Brian Ball Logan Bischoff Joshua Desmon Connor Donnellon Melelani Dunn Nicholas Eighmey Joseph Gwisdalla Trent House Ian Larson Nicole Rubino Ian Short Jesse Taconelli Jacob Yingling

Working

Joseph Andrews Matthew Ostrowski Logan Paxton

Xavier University Marina Nakayasu

Yale University Christopher Chen Claudia Macri

The graduating class of 2016 poses for their senior class photo.

GRADUATION: “I think the graduation ceremony is special because it is very bittersweet,” senior Madeline Simone said. “You have the whole senior class together under one roof for the last time celebrating our accomplishment of completing high school.

The time leading up to the graduation is kind of weird because you start realizing certain things that you are doing for the last time.”

ALL-NIGHT PARTY: “It’s like a lock-in, and more importantly, it’s the last time we will all be together before we leave for college,” senior Meghan Romig said. “I look forward to getting to hang out with everyone before parting our separate ways.”

GRADUATION PARTIES: “I had to figure out a date that works for me and other people, making sure my closer friends don’t plan theirs on the same day,” senior Frencheska Brikho said. “My next step was to invite people and plan what I wanted to have happen at the party as well as how much I want to spend. It’s a lot of work to prepare.”

Senior year is without a doubt a rollercoaster filled with stress, but also many fun activities for students. Although many students would say these four years were difficult at times, these last months make it worth it.

For underclassmen anxiously awaiting senior year, don’t worry; the end is near. photo coUtesy of prestiGe

6

The Chariot

All Over the Map

After graduation, members of the Class of 2017 will head off to various colleges and universities around the state and the country.

BY LEAH GRAHAM AND KATIE BOGDANOVICH EDITOR AND STAFF WRITER

MOST POPULAR UNIVERSITIES FOR THE CLASS OF 2016

82 71 56 40

number of students attending Michigan State University.

number of students attending the University of Michigan.

number of students attending Oakland University.

number of students attending Wayne State University.

MOST SELECTIVE UNIVERSITIES

5.1 6.0 6.3

percent of applicants accepted at Stanford University.

percent of applicants accepted at Harvard University.

percent of applicants accepted at Yale University.

CLOSEST COLLEGE

5 miles

from Troy High to Oakland Community College

FARTHEST COLLEGE

4,458 miles from Troy High to Brigham Young University-Hawaii

“[I wanted to go out of state because] I guess just being away from home and testing my independence and starting anew appealed to me, mainly. The main incentive for me is totally starting new- not cutting all ties but just putting myself out there. I am most excited for seeing what I can do by starting with a blank slate.”

“They have a good nursing program and it’s not to far from home- well it kind of is, but it’s fine-and it’s just a fresh start. I get to meet new people. I’m looking forward to a new environment and more independence.”

-SENIOR COLEEN EGAN, MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY

-SENIOR AMY LI, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY

“U of T Dallas is basically giving me a full ride so going to college for free is always a good deal. I am really excited for being so close to a big city. They have busses into and out of the city, and the college itself is in a suburb so I will be able to take a bus right into the city and visit and see all the attractions.”

-SENIOR MATTHEW KUNJUMMEN, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS

“Applying if I got in I an option. with my de a Facebo other stude Northwe exciting to going to be really unique lot of really m

-SENIOR NORTHW

The Senior Issue

7 IN-STATE VS. OUT OF STATE 17 percent of seniors are attending college in a different state 83 percent of the graduating class is staying in Michigan

early decision I knew wouldn’t really have . I’m definitely happy ecision though. I’m on ook page with all the ents who are attending estern and it’s really see all the people I’m e with. Everyone seems e and different. I see a good opportunities for myself there.”

R EMILY SCHRAM, WESTERN UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE PREPARATION CHECKLIST What to do after you have chosen your college.

BY BRENDAN BATTLE STAFF WRITER

“I decided to go to Alabama because they are giving me a big academic scholarship, so it would be less expensive to go out of state than somewhere in state. I also visited the campus and fell in love. I am going into international business but that might change.

I am excited for the football, meeting new people and warm weather.”

-SENIOR KATHLEEN REGAN, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA

Read as much about the college and your intended major as you can Apply for financial aid Apply for housing as early as possible Choose a dorm and find out everything about it, like whether they have computers and how far away it is from classes Select a roommate: try to find someone with similar interests to you Attend freshman orientation Schedule your classes Work with your roommate to determine who will bring shared items like a computer or a microwave oven Arrive at the school early, so you can set up before the rush and get the lay of the land before classes start

8

the Chariot

Student Athlete Signs with Northwood University Senior Clare Keating receives opportunity to play collegiate volleyball and get an education at a higher level after graduating in June.

BY SARAH SEMON STAFF WRITER It is a dream so many student athletes share and strive for but that very few actually achieve: playing their high school sport on a collegiate level. As an incoming college freshman, the atmosphere can appear overwhelming as if it were a student’s first time away from home; not only is there the frontier of meeting new people and creating a life for themselves, but being a student athlete means making time for work, practice and play. Senior Clare Keating is not only ready to graduate, but ready to excel on and off the court as a Northwood Timber Wolf.

Just like her classmates, Keating is excited for her college experience but she is the most excited to start her collegiate volleyball season.

“I have met a lot of my teammates already and I am rooming with some of them so it is going to be like I automatically have a family as soon as I get to campus,” Keating said.

The task of balancing school and practice can be a tricky thing to get a feel for. Keating, however, has been a yearround athlete for all four years of high school, as well as participating in extracurriculars like DECA and Peer Mediation. Does this new phase of being a student athlete scare

her? Not even close.

“I have always played sports during school. I played tennis and volleyball, and even club volleyball on the side, so I have been able to learn to manage my time well so I feel like I will be able to handle it,” Keating said.

Meeting a coach for the first time is intimidating; especialpHOTO BY AuJENEE HIRSCH

Senior Clare Keating sits with Coach Tom Vigilant as she signs her letter of intent to play at Northwood.

ly if this man or woman is someone who an athlete wants to play under. Sometimes, breaking the ice and having a conversation is the only way to know if the coaching is the right fit.

“The coach called me and I actually met up with him a week earlier then I was supposed to; we sat in his office for three hours. He told me, ‘Give me a month until I figure out what I want to offer you,’ and instead he called back in three days saying he wanted to offer me this and he was so excited for me to come,” Keating said.

Students who want to play in college have a lot to do in order to prepare. These students spend years honing their skills, getting footage of them in action to compile a recruiting tape, and hopefully somewhere along the way gaining confidence in themselves and their skills.

“Don’t underestimate yourself. If you have a good heart and you are passionate about what you are doing a coach will see that. My coach saw that I had a passion and love for the game. He recruited [not only talent but] character and the coaches who do that are people you want to play under,” Keating said.

Senior Plans to Attend Colleges Around the World

Senior Jennifer Cui is enrolled in a program at the University of Southern California in which she will study in several different countries around the globe.

BY SOuMEEkA kONERu pHOTO EdITOR College is commonly viewed as a time for exploration and excitement. It is known as a time to step out of the comfort zone and venture into adulthood and the future. Senior Jennifer Cui will spend her undergraduate years exploring not one but three universities.

Cui will be in the World Bachelor of Business program in the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California next year. She is one of 45 students selected for the cohort. As a member of the WBB program, Cui has the opportunity to study in LA, Hong Kong and Milan. “[I] spend [my] first year in LA at USC. Then [the] second year, the cohort studies abroad at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, mainly focusing on the financial and international trade aspects of business. [The third year we] study at Universita Commerciale Luigi Bocconi in Milan, Italy, and the focus there is economics, finance and marketing management,” Cui said.

After spending the first three years of her undergraduate experience at three different universities, Cui will choose one of the three universities at which she will spend her fourth year and finish her studies. When she graduates, Cui will receive three bachelor degrees in Business Administration- one from each university.

Although Cui says she is now passionate about the WBB program that she will be a part of, she actually discovered the program by accident.

“I was pretty lost in what I wanted to study, but I was able to narrow it down to kinesiology (the study of the mechanics of body movements), psychology and business. I also wanted to be in California and I was looking at schools there and Google pulled up USC,” Cui said. “I could not find an undergraduate kinesiology program so I looked into their business school and discovered WBB.”

Cui is interested in the kind of experience that she will receive as a part of the World Bachelor of Business program and credits it as a major factor in her college decision process.

“Sure, you can study abroad at any college or university, but to actually immerse yourself in the culture for the entire school year and learn the ins and outs about how that country lives through a business perspective is phenomenal,” Cui said. “This program gives you such a unique advantage over everyone else because there is no doubt that you have experienced international business, and that is a highly sought after skill in any industry thanks to globalization.”

Cui also learned that the University of Southern California does have an undergraduate kinesiology program, and she is thinking about potentially minoring or double majoring. As a part of both the WBB program as well as USC’s kinesiology program Cui will be able to study both. Her ultimate goal is to open her own vegan cafe and eventually start a quick-serve vegan chain restaurant.

“My mission with [the restaurant] is to make nutritious and delicious cruelty-free food that is sustainable and available to the blue-collar workers of America at an affordable price to really fight the issue of obesity and malnutrition leading to preventable deaths,” Cui said.

Next year Cui will exploring new things while learning more about herself away from home.

“I am following my heart [by going to USC] and finally doing something for myself, and taking the risk of everything going south, of failing so far away from home and the comfort of my family and friends here, so that I can grow and learn more about myself,” Cui said. “Unless you know who you are, you will always be vulnerable to what people say.”

pHOTO BY SOuMEEkA kONERu

Jennifer Cui wearing the apparel of her future college, the University of Southern California.

The Senior Issue

Leaving Michigan for MIT

BY HAILEY dAVISON STAFF WRITER

“I was surprised, I did not think I was actually going to get in,” senior Eva Lisowski said after finding out she was accepted into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a private technology research university in Cambridge, Mass.

In 2015 only eight percent of the students that applied were accepted into MIT, with Lisowski being one of those students.

“I did not expect to even get in,” Lisowski said. “I just applied, [thinking], ‘Oh might as well try.’”

Students apply to different colleges for different reasons, ranging from the majors the school offers, the community in school or the extracurricular activities the school offers.

“I applied to MIT specifically because they have Nuclear Engineering, and it is an uncommon major even among elite schools, so I thought it would be a good place to get a degree,” Lisowski said.

Many elite schools that seniors apply to have a comparatively rigorous application process.

A lot of colleges have a long essay you must complete, but MIT has a bunch of short essays, which made it more stressful because you had to think about different responses for each one,” Lisowski said.

Lisowski is ready for her journey in life and the responsibilities that come with college.

“I’m definitely most excited to leave Michigan, seeing new places and being on [my] own,” Lisowski said.

Getting accepted into any elite college took a lot of work on Lisowski’s part.

“I worked really hard at a few activities instead of joining a large number of clubs. And with those few activities, I tried hard to really make a difference or improvement in those clubs. I also worked really hard in all my classes. It’s really important to keep your grades up and not settle for a lower grade,” Lisowski said.

Throughout Lisowski’s high school career she has prepared to attend an elite university so with college approaching, Lisowski is ready for her freshman year.

9

Senior Eva Lisowski decides to atttend the Massaschusetts Institue of Technology in the fall semester.

pHOTO COuRTESY OF EVA LISOWSkI

Lisowski poses in front of MIT during her tour of the campus.

A Choice Between the East Coast and the West Coast Senior Dhruv Medarametla choses to attend Standford University over the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on decision day, May 1, 2016.

BY AuJENEE HIRSCH EdITOR As college decisions are sent out, seniors are forced to come to terms with the fact that they are entering the next chapter of their lives. Some seniors only get into one of the colleges they applied to, others get into multiple colleges and a few select seniors get into several Ivy League colleges.

Senior Dhruv Medarametla applied to six colleges and got into four of them: University of Michigan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and Yale University.

In order to decide which college he wanted to attended, Medarametla visited each campus and stayed in their dorms for a few days.

“I tried to get a feeling for student culture and the environment at the colleges and tried to talk to as many students as possible about their experiences at college,” Medarametla said. “After the visits, I was still really stuck between two colleges- Stanford and MIT. So I ended up procrastinating on the decision and deciding on the last possible day.”

For Medarametla, choosing between Stanford and MIT was difficult because he couldn’t tell which school was a “better fit” for him.

“The decision was really hard because the schools I was seriously deciding between [are] both phenomenal, so I couldn’t really make a wrong choice,” Medarametla said.

“However, because of this, there were so many similarities between the two colleges that I couldn’t really tell the differences and tell which one was a better fit for me. I never really felt that one college was objectively better than the other.”

After taking some time to think about which college he wanted to go to, Medarametla decided to attend Stanford University this fall.

“My final decision was basically a gut feeling. I felt that I could grow and develop as a person more at Stanford than at MIT, so I ended up picking Stanford. In the end, it didn’t really come down to which college had better academics or better extracurricular activities or whatever. I just picked the place where I felt more at home,” Medarametla said.

He says he is most looking forward to the different social

pHOTO BY BIANCA BuCHOLTZ

Dhruv Medarametla had to choose between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University.

and environmental atmospheres that Stanford offers.

“I really love Stanford because the culture is really laidback and calm, which is a nice change from Troy High. The people I’ve met are down-to-earth and chill,” Medarametla said. “When I was there, I felt like I could strike up a conversation with anyone about anything, and that they’d have something interesting to say. Also, the weather, and the fact that it’s California doesn’t hurt.”

Medarametla plans on majoring in mathematics or com-

puter science. He says he looks forward to getting know other students at Stanford.

“I’m going to a place where I barely know anyone, so I’ll be forced to make new friends and meet new people, which will be really fun,” Medarametla said. “College should be a time for me to meet new people and figure out what I’m going to do for the rest of my life, and I think that Stanford will help me in both of those areas.”

10

The Chariot

Students Share Their Legacies Several graduating seniors open up and share their personal dreams and aspirations for the future and what they want their legacy to be at Troy High and in the world.

BY BIANCA BUCHOLTZ STAFF WRITER Approaching the end of the 2015-2016 school year, the graduating class has participated in many community events such as Dodging Cancer for Karen and Friends for Flint. In addition to these events, the Class of 2016 won Homecoming spirit week for four years in a row and marked the occasion with a #4peat. These are some fundraisers that many students in

the 67th graduating class claim to be the highlights of their senior year. These charity drives are part of the legacy these students will leave behind when they walk across the stage at graduatuion in June. These are some seniors who want to share their dreams and aspirations as well as the legacies they hope to leave in the world and at Troy High.

Senior Patrick Roach

Senior Justin Xu

Senior Josh Pang

Senior Maddie Falk

What college are you planning on attending?

What college are you planning on attending?

What college are you attending?

What will you be majoring in?

What is your idea of success and happiness?

PHOTOS BY BIANCA BUCHOLTZ

What college are you planning on attending?

Oakland University. I’ll be studying mechanical engineering and hope to minor in philosophy.

What is your dream job?

I honestly don’t know. I just know that I want a job where I can give back and help other people, affecting them positively.

What is your idea of success and happiness?

Success is setting out to achieve what you want to in life, not the things others think you should or want you to do. Success is setting goals and then reaching them, and I feel like happiness goes right along with that.

You determine your success and happiness with every choice that you make.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years and what are your dreams?

Happy. Hopefully living in a big city and being well along in my career, whatever that may be. A happy family life, solid friendships and a job that I love that also pays well.

What advice do you have for underclassmen?

Branch out. Try new things. Be inclusive.

You affect everyone around you, and you have the ability to have that be in a meaningful, positive, life-changing way.

What legacy do you want to leave at Troy High?

I want to leave a legacy of inclusiveness, compassion and empathy for other people.

What legacy do you want to leave in the world?

I hope to leave my mark on the world so that it is better because I was here.

Stanford University. I’m planning to study math and computer science.

What do you plan on doing in the future?

My dream job is probably being a leader of a new successful software company. I probably see myself in 10 years either in graduate school or trying to climb up in some company.

What are your dreams for the future?

To make a lasting impact on society either through an invention or organizational leadership in order to feel self- fulfillment.

What advice do you have for underclassmen?

My advice to underclassmen is to get started early with anything you want to do and try to work hard now so that you can take a little bit of a break later. Try to make the most of your time because it’ll go by quickly.

What legacy do you want to leave at Troy High?

I want to leave an example that people will want to strive above.

What legacy do you want to leave in the world?

I want to be someone who did something meaningful.

What past events in your life helped you get here?

A combination of everything in my past got me to where I am now, but I’d say that semi-competitive yet encouraging friends and a good support staff from my teachers and parents helped make me who I am.

Michigan State University.

I will be studying actuarial science.

What is your dream job?

My dream job is to be a professional soccer player.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Hopefully I will be settled with a steady job and family.

What are your dreams or goals in the future?

To travel the world.

What is your idea of success and happiness?

My idea of success is to be happy and to live comfortably.

What will you miss about high school?

My underclassman friends and senior friends going elsewhere.

What advice do you have for underclassmen?

Try new things, you never know what you may have a passion for.

What legacy do you want to leave at Troy High?

A legacy of success and fun.

What legacy do you want to leave in the world?

I want to make a positive impact on the world. As Horace Mann said, “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.”

What past events helped get you here?

All of the events I’ve experienced make me who I am.

Michigan State University. I’m majoring in nursing and I’m extremely excited.

My idea of success and happiness is doing something that you are passionate about and working hard to become good at it. People should focus on getting jobs that make them happy rather than ones that simply pay well.

What will you miss about Troy High?

I will miss all of my friends, Stugo, cross country, track, my teachers, Mr. Roncone, Funny Fridays, the plays and musicals, the Friday night football games and all of the exciting sporting events.

What legacy do you want to leave at Troy High?

I want to leave behind that I was a positive individual who always strived to be kind to others and make others happy. I want people to remember me as a hard working, positive role model.

What legacy do you want to leave in the world?

I want people to think of me as bubbly, confident and extremely positive and upbeat.

I want to make a difference in the lives of others who need kindness spread their way.

What past events in your life helped you get here?

My hard work throughout my education, the support of my friends and parents and my driven, upbeat personality. I have also encountered many struggles and failures where I had to get back up on my feet and work hard to succeed.

The Senior Issue

11

Junioritis: It’s Real And It Hurts

Well into their third year of high school, juniors suffer from an epidemic of lazy behavior, no motivation and sadness as they watch the seniors go on and depart for college.

BY SARA SEmON ANd KATIE BOgdANvICH STAFF WRITERS This whole “one more year” thing just isn’t going to happen.

Sure, the seniors going to college and they’re excited. But here’s the thing: seniors got us all excited to go with them only to turn around and give us a healthy dose of reality that we’re staying here and rotting for another year. I mean when it gets rough, at least you can tell yourself this is the last time you have to deal with all that is high school. Seniors never have to take another standardized test.

Seniors never have to wake up at 5:30 in the morning for a class ever again. They’vebeen accepted into college and don’t have to worry about perfecting that essay or making sure their GPA and SAT scores are on point.

Seniors get to spend the last months of school planning for prom, reminiscing about spring break and shooting each other with water guns. Graduation and the All Night Party are within sight and guess what?

We’re still stuck.

PHOTO BY SARAH SEmON

Believe us- we are doing our best. We’re sitting here very patiently waiting our turn, but it’s hard to do life when we are out of motivation and still got a whole lot of time.

We get all excited because we see seniors doing all this fun stuff and think we get to do it too. But we don’t.

One more year of stress, APs, waiting, crying and more stress. It’s tough. Yeah, seniors were once in our shoes and we get that they’ve served their time. But don’t get us all excited for senior year just to remind us that we aren’t there yet.

It is safe to say that both senioritis and junioritis suck, but let’s be real; we have the longer haul.

We know you mean well, seniors, but please please take us with you. We are just as ready to get out of Troy and go off to college.

Junioritis: the terrible realization that you are not graduating this year and you just can’t do it anymore.

It’s hard. Believe us.

Junior Sara Cooper is stressed over the amount of school work she still has to do.

Don’t Go to College...Yet

Taking a bridge year actually better prepared me for college than traditional schooling.

BY HANNAH CHO gUEST WRITER

It is easy for us to view admission into college as an end to a means instead of a means itself, sometimes clouding our vision of what the whole purpose of education is about: what do we enjoy learning about and how can we make that into a useful skill that helps people? Towards the end of high school, my vision was very clouded. The story is one you might have heard or experienced yourself: burnt out, exhausted from school and not particularly looking forward to the seemingly more intense struggles of university.

I was afraid that I would join another generation of burnt-out American college kids

who graduate in six years on average and fall victim to the increasing levels of stress and mental health issues on campus. I was afraid of resuming the competitive anxiety I had from a blind rush to commit to too many things and not focus on what I was actually curious about.

What is a gap year? It’s hard to describe because it can be so many different things, but the picture that a lot of people have about gap years is that it is time taken after high school before beginning university. I know what the common sentiment is: it’s extra time for kids who are lost and don’t have direction. Meaning: bad, not productive, PHOTO COURTESY OF HANNAH CHO

Hannah Cho played volleyball with her host mom and Channing Tatum in Ecuador.

wasting time. My response is that this is not necessarily true, and aren’t we all a little lost anyway?

Let’s talk hard facts. An American Gap Association (AGA) study found that 90 percent of students who took a structured gap year were more likely to graduate on time and with a higher grade point average.

There has been so much commentary saying that students who took a structured gap year to do something challenging returned to their college campuses more productive and successful in their studies than those who didn’t. Just Google “Malia Obama gap year” and you can see.

A myriad of highly prestigious and academically rigorous schools now actively encourage entering freshman to defer enrollment for travel, volunteering or internships.

I encourage you to look up Harvard’s article on taking time off and Tuft’s 1+4 Bridge Year program that provides scholarships to qualified Fellows.

I can’t possibly include all that I learned from living in Ecuador, but one main theme that I took away from the experience was that your education is everywhere. You learn not just when you’re sitting in class or studying at home. You learn from the relationships you develop with people, from viewing the world not just through a textbook, but from exploring the history of your surroundings;

from failure, challenge, struggle.

Perhaps, in a way, I am disadvantaged because coming back to school might be challenging after having lived a textbook-less and somewhat independent life in Ecuador, away from the desk, but writing a 30-page essay would be painful regardless if I took a year off.

If anything, I value my education so much more, and am refreshed and ready to tackle the mental challenges of Wellesley College, which I’ll be attending this fall. I can read statistics on the history of racism and economic inequality in Ecuador, but to see it with my own eyes and talk to the actual people affected and get to know their struggle is another. I understand that there is real life behind the pages.

It’s interesting because I took a gap year thinking that I was lost and needed time to figure stuff out, and I did, and much of that was true. But looking back, I would do this again regardless of how prepared I felt for college. This experience matured me, toughened me and taught me so much about myself.

A gap year can be a way to augment your education, not detract or detour from it. A gap year is not a gap in your education. It can be one of the most transformative and vital experiences of your life.

The Chariot

12

In Case You Missed It Student band Forrest Trump performs at the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac.

PHOTO BY EMILY HAMILTON

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