Avatar Intro: Rohan Deshpande

Before coming to Gatton, I had lived an academically deprived life. I was born and raised in a rural Wisconsin town with a population of about 2,500, so the scholastic opportunities were hard to come by. Up until 5^th grade, everybody had the same schedule because there were only six different classes per grade. However, in 7^th grade, my family moved to Oldham County, which marked a notable improvement in the quality of education, and I was grateful. In late November of my 8^th grade year, my older brother came home talking about this “Gatton place.” He applied, got in, and told me all about the experience. Based on his words of praise, I decided to apply and, fortunately, I was accepted. That day, my brother told me Gatton was an entirely different environment when compared to “regular” high school, and he was right.

My first year at the Academy was unlike anything I had experienced before. I had no parents to nag me and constant social interactions. I enjoyed staying up late talking to my peers about whatever came to mind; various conversation topics included our daily struggles with our classes, recent sports and video game standings, and anything else that caught our eye during the day. Although the courses were more difficult than my previous high school, I truly felt relaxed. If there was any school work or personal hardships I was going through, there was always someone to talk to. Looking back on my first year, I have no regrets and I hope the second year goes as smoothly as the first. I have never studied, traveled, or had as much fun as I did my first year at Gatton and I look forward to the sharing the experience with the next class.