2019-2020 Avatar: Claire Braun

Hi everyone! I am Claire Braun and I am a Gatton Academy Avatar for the 2019-2020 school year. My home base is in Union, about 3 hours north of Bowling Green, and I attended Ryle High School. Ever since the sixth grade, going to Gatton was my ultimate goal because my older sister went to Gatton during my sixth and seventh grade years. I thought it was an amazing opportunity and I was so excited to find out that I would be able to have my own experience as a Gatton student. At home, I was in the color guard in my high school marching band for four years, I played clarinet for five years, and I played piano for eleven years. Leaving those activities was very difficult for me, but after a while I realized that I belong at Gatton and truly became part of the Gatton family.

My dream job is to be a psychiatrist. I have always had a passion for helping people, and I want to be able to do that professionally for the rest of my life. I will be in school for what may seem like forever, but I know it will all be worth it, and I am more than willing to go through years of school to be able to do what I want. A common misconception of Gatton is that you must be interested in something like biology or engineering, but that is not the case. First semester, I enrolled into an Introduction to Psychology course so I would be able to get a feel for the course material. I loved the class and truly enjoyed learning and looking up more things to learn when it comes to psychology, and that gave me a foundation to build upon that I would not be able to build upon in regular high school. Gatton is essentially early college, so I am able to take as many college level psychology courses that I am able to before I graduate high school. I am also getting many general education courses under my belt so I am able to go full force in psychology once I reach college. The Gatton Academy coursework, while difficult at times, pays off tremendously in the end.

In all of my years of schooling, I felt like I was trapped in a box and I wasn’t able to be myself or do anything I wanted to do. My counselor described it as “gifted kid syndrome” because I would talk to her about how slow my classes are and how miserable I was taking them. She told me that applying to Gatton would be perfect for me, and I went through the entire application and selection process with her by my side. She was 100% correct, Gatton is my happy place. I found my people, I am able to push myself academically, and I have so many opportunities such as research in my choice field, which I am planning on getting into within the next year, and study abroad.

You may be reading this and thinking, “What am I getting myself into?” or “What am I going to send my child away to?”, but it is absolutely nothing to worry about. Gatton isn’t exactly like college, it is more like a perfect mix of independence and still having guidance. You still live on campus and take classes with other college kids, but the staff at Gatton has given me overwhelming support and guidance throughout all of my experiences, whether they be emotional or academic, that I most likely will not have in real college, at least not nearly as much. In the end, it all comes down to the fact that The Gatton Academy is truly a family and I have finally been able to find a greater passion in schoolwork. Just always remember that change is good, and change is necessary to grow. I have grown immensely in the past year and cannot wait to grow even more.

If you are considering Gatton, about to come to Gatton, or currently attending Gatton, I wish you the best of luck in all of your future endeavors and I can’t wait to talk to you again!

Claire