BELLOWS FALLS — Words of advice and encouragement filled the auditorium as six recent Bellows Falls Union High School graduates returned to talk to BFUHS's Freshman Academy about life after high school.
The event was facilitated by Natalie Brennan, Vermont Student Assistance Corporation's (VSAC) outreach councilor, and Liam Danaher, a VSAC career councilor.
The six graduates all attend college and held forth on surprises, roommates, AP classes, their favorite college courses, and how BFUHS prepared them for college.
Freshman Academy is designed to help BFUHS freshmen adapt to, and succeed in, high school, and is supported by guest speakers, field trips, and special events.
“Pay attention in high school,” warned Peter Falzo, a 2011 graduate, who said he never planned on going to college during his high school days. Just a few years later here was here telling freshmen about a college writing course he is in, and 20-page paper he just finished.
Hannah Hodsden, a 2010 BFUHS graduate, emphasized how much the senior project she undertook in high school helped her in college, where she is now junior at Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.
“The senior project was my first independent work. All of my work in college is like that, although there is no advisor to remind you to make progress, or to check in with you to help you write your paper, you are solely responsible for getting the work done on your own.”
Megan Hilow, Class of 2012, talked about growing up fast and having to set multiple alarm clocks to get herself up in the morning. She said her first semester at UVM as a biology major has been a lot harder than her time in high school, and that it carries a lot of responsibility. She tested out of some college courses by taking AP classes in high school, which earned her college credits.
Hilow said her greatest surprise about college was the wealth of her new cultural experiences. Her roommate is Indian, from Tibet, and the two come from very different cultural backgrounds. Dylan Ward, class of 2012, agreed.
When assistant principal John Broadley asked what BFUHS could do to better prepare students for college, Ward suggested the school provide more multicultural experiences. He said he first met his college roommate on Facebook, and was concerned about how different their backgrounds and interests were.
“Don't worry about getting a roommate who's just like you. My roommate and I [had] nothing in common, but we wound up being the best of friends,” said Ward, who is studying philosophy at St. Michael's College in Burlington.
His biggest challenge, he said, was the social adjustment. “You have to make friends all over again. You go through high school years and build friendships, and then you get to college and you have to start over again. It was a big hurdle for me.”
Allison Davis talked about her work-study job at Castleton State College. She works in an office in the soundings department, which earns her money while she's in school. Davis talked about a microbiology class that helped her change her mind about what she wanted to do after college.
She and fellow BFUHS class of 2011 graduate Meagan LaBeau are roommates at Castleton. LaBeau said she wishes she had more guidance in choosing a major. She recently switched her major from education to athletic training.