Throwforward Thursday: Raphy, Hayley & Rebekah

Three weeks from today, our seniors will walk across the stage at Boston College’s Robsham Theatre to collect their Saint Joseph Prep diplomas! It is amazing to reflect on how quickly the academic year has flown by... and also how fleeting one’s high school experience can be. While the memories and the relationships will last a lifetime, four years goes by in the blink of an eye.

Today, our Throwforward Thursday feature focuses on three students who spent three years as teammates on SJP’s Robotics team. We caught up with Raphy, Hayley, and Rebekah right after they finished their AP Calculus exams.

Raphael Hanna ’17, from Sudbury, has decided to pursue a pre-engineering program at Stonehill College with the hopes of going on to complete the degree at the University of Notre Dame. Through the success of this transition, Raphy will be granted the opportunity to earn Bachelor’s degrees in both Science from Stonehill and Engineering from Notre Dame. His experience on the Robotics team not only helped inspire his interest in Chemical Engineering, he also credits Ms. Gipson and the other mentors with nurturing the necessary developing problem-solving and team-building skills. Athletics has been another important aspect of Raphy’s SJP career. As a captain on the baseball team, he has appreciated the chance to play three years of varsity baseball, developing his skills along the way and now pushing for a State Tournament bid in his senior year. Raphy also decided to join his younger brother, Gabe Hanna ’20, on the varsity soccer team this year. Never having had the opportunity to play a sport together, never mind attend the same school, this was an excellent chance for the brothers to bond on the field while helping set a new record for wins in a season, with a 15-5 record, and advancing to the second round of the State Tournament. Raphy is going to miss the people he met the most while at SJP. “I was a sophomore year transfer,” he remarked. “Were it not for the environment here, having the opportunity to flourish in the classroom and on the field, and build these relationships, I would not have the amazing high school experience that I did.”

Hayley Leger ’17 was awarded the extremely prestigious Cardinal Medeiros Scholarship at Boston University, where she will study Mechanical Engineering tuition-free! Hayley spent last weekend touring the lab spaces, speaking with students, and exploring the machine workshops at BU... and she can’t wait to get started! She originally came to Saint Joseph Prep with aspirations of becoming a nurse, however her sophomore year STEAM teacher and Chemistry instructor, Ms. Gipson, strongly encouraged Hayley to join the Robotics team. The rest, as they say, is history. Although the exposure to engineering and technology were certainly a valuable part of her experience at SJP and what she plans to study at BU, “the thing that made Robotics worthwhile was the people, especially Ms. Gipson.” Noting that most of the schools against which the team competes were comprised of male students, Hayley observed that at SJP, it was (and is) cool for girls to get involved in engineering. She also identified the opportunity to take a significant number of AP courses, and having the ACT/SAT prep course as part of the curriculum, as integral to her success. Beyond her extensive involvement in Robotics and heavy academic workload, Hayley played four years of volleyball at SJP, where she developed another strong relationship with her coach and upper-level Math teacher, Mrs. Muth. Indeed, beyond knowing everyone at SJP, it is the teachers and Head of School, Mr. Nunan, she knows she’ll miss the most. Specifically talking about Mr. Nunan, Hayley remarked, “He’s really helpful. You can stop by his office with a question and he’s always willing to take the time to talk with you. He always asks if you need anything; he’s a really good Head of School!”

Rebekah Forrest ’17 was admitted into the Honors College at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Although currently undecided, she is leaning towards a double-major in Biology and Spanish, and is enrolled in the Health Professional exploratory track in the College of Arts and Sciences. For Rebekah, what attracted her to UMass, beyond her acceptance into the Honors College, were the vast opportunities for internships, research, study abroad programs, and academic resources. With aspirations of attending medical school, the vast network of professional contacts was yet another draw. She has significant experience serving those in need through SJP’s trip to Haiti this April, working with disabled youths at Camp Esopus, volunteering at a Brighton soup kitchen, and her Senior Service Project work at the Kennedy Day School. This desire to help others has inspired Rebekah to “provide health care to those who might not have access to it otherwise in South America and throughout the world. Whatever I can do to help, that's what I want to do.” Transitioning from a class of 60+ students to one of 6,000+ is going to be a big change, but she is excited to meet new people, experience new things, and study a broad range of academic interests. What will Rebekah miss most about Saint Joseph Prep? “The people, easily. My friends, my teachers, the community, the family we have here. It will be a big change, but I’m ready for it because of all the support and guidance I got here at SJP.”

Raphy, Hayley, and Rebekah are all off to pursue wonderful opportunities. Although the educational and professional trajectories of these students, and for the entire Class of 2017, will vary greatly, the themes of community, friendship, and the chance to pursue academic and extracurricular interests are a common thread among those who have been interviewed. We’re so proud both of what our students have accomplished and what they appreciate most about their time at SJP.