2016-2017 Avatar Intro: Sara Saeed

Our first move-in day at Schneider Hall brought back memories of walking into Bates Runner Hall for the first time a year ago. This time around, we had more space to explore and were greeted by familiar faces. It didn’t take long to get comfortable with the building, as the new renovations and 101 newcomers have made us hopeful and excited for the year to get going.

I am a senior from Louisville and attended duPont Manual High School. Since coming to Gatton, I have been taking classes and pursuing research in finance and computer science, topics I wouldn’t otherwise be able to explore until college. Outside of STEM, I enjoy studying economics, politics, and languages. I speak Arabic at home and self-study Spanish. Additionally, I have been able to collaborate with professors at the WKU Department of Economics. In the past year at the Academy, I have had the opportunity to travel to Italy, study abroad in England, and complete a summer research project with the WKU Department of Computer Science.

Although my junior year was packed with new academic endeavors, I still had plenty of time to form friendships at the Academy. Being able to knock on a friend’s door at midnight for help on a calculus problem or a chemistry concept is one of my favorite parts of being at a residential high school. Living with your friends creates the strong sense of unity here at the Academy. I am eager to start senior year, serve as an avatar, and get to know our 101 new juniors!