Clicking the submit button on the last college on the Common Application grants a strong feeling of relief and satisfaction. Since as long as I can remember, every choice I have ever made academically has been for this moment. From every exam I’ve studied for to every competition I’ve been in, all of these efforts have been towards this one goal: to get into a “good” college. For me, a good college is one where I see myself happy and content with my choice. What is one’s definition of a good college may vary from another’s, but regardless, college applications mark the end of a high school’s student’s academic journey. Now that the fourth semester is upon us and this goal is no longer pressing, what is there to strive for anymore?

For the first time in my life, I am left asking myself the following questions: what do I genuinely enjoy doing? What genuinely makes me happy?

The Gatton Academy has presented many challenges over the last two years, all of which have shaped me into the person that I am today. As Gatton comes to an end, I find it important to have a fulfilling conclusion for this rollercoaster of a journey. A fulfilling conclusion, to me, involves making the most out of all of the opportunities presented. I want to experience life at the Gatton Academy to its fullest, whether it’s through signing up for field trips not pertinent to my academic interests or dabbling in activities foreign to me. Moreover. I hope to deepen the friendships I have made over the last few years and establish new relationships with people I’ve never gotten a chance to talk to.

Life at the Gatton Academy can feel oversaturated at times when school becomes overwhelming. At these times, I would usually focus all of my energy on school and disregard activities that genuinely make me happy. If I were to divert from schoolwork, a feeling of guilt would consume me. This semester, I have allowed myself to indulge in activities I enjoy and surprisingly, my overall quality of life has increased. I am one for tying up loose ends and the only way I can graduate from Gatton feeling satisfied with all of my choices is to have a fulfilling conclusion to these last two years. This mindset has helped me tackle senioritis, the lethargy associated with the spring semester on senior year, by motivating me to end on a high note.

            Coming into Gatton, I had a very specific set of goals for myself. While those still live within me, I have developed goals that are encompass what I truly want out of life: happiness. This last semester has consisted of my pursuit of happiness as well reflection. The person who I am today is entirely different from who I stepped in the building as and that awareness has allowed me to understand the kind of person I aspire to be. As the bittersweet ending of Gatton grows near, I hope to acquire a richness of life experiences to prepare me for the next chapter that life has to offer.

Many social media sites have adopted the concept of automatically providing the user with posts from the past with the concept of, “Throwback Thursday” in mind. I, along with several others in this age, use snapchat primarily as a means for communication. Every so often, a message bar appears at the top of my memories titled, “Flashbacks from *insert date here*”. Whenever I click it, the selfies, dumb videos, and the textbook pages instill intense nostalgia, both good and bad. I see myself in these images as a completely different person, someone who I’m not ashamed to recognize but someone who puzzles me with the dissociation. These snapchat throwbacks allow me to truly process how much I have changed as an individual as a year passes since I began Gatton.

The academic growth that Gatton students are expected to gain is apparent to even prospective students. The promise of academic rigor that the Academy has to offer is often seen as the central benefit of attending the Gatton Academy. Through my experiences, the diversity of the growth I have faced while at Gatton has shaped me into the person that I am today.

The idea of allowing 14-18 year olds running around on a college campus with relatively low supervision is nightmare fuel for many parents. How can anyone trust them with so much freedom? What happens if they abuse it? When I was accepted into Gatton, I felt excited yet uneasy about all the freedom I was going to acquire over the next two years. When I stepped foot on campus, I enjoyed it as much as the other person, but I also discovered the consequences of abusing it. Thanks to this learning curve, I was able to find a healthy balance between academics, sleep, and my social life, which eventually allowed me to live a healthy, independent life here at Gatton. To this day, I still have moments where I struggle to keep this triad of necessities balanced but I’m able to handle it better than I ever would have before. Being able to function and self-regulate without my family was difficult, but because I was forced to mature so quickly, I learned life skills that which will carry onto my adulthood. Believe it or not, I had no idea how to do laundry a year ago but today, I’m a tide pod expert! (editor’s note: You aren’t supposed to use tide pods in the high-efficiency washers we have)

As a year at the Gatton Academy passes in my life, I often reflect on the person I’ve become and who I strive to be in the future. Coming to the Gatton Academy has not only benefitted me academically, but has taught me to be resilient and persevere through the hardships that adulthood has to offer. Though we’re still merely teenagers, Gatton has shaped us to be the adults that society expects us to be. I wonder who I and my peers will be after two years passes at the Gatton Academy…

Sasha

Hello everyone!

My name is Sasha Sairajeev and I am an avatar for the 2018-19 school year. Since my interview day back in March of 2017, I knew that if I were chosen to be a part of the Gatton Academy, being an avatar would be one of my many dream accomplishments for the next two years. I was inspired by the avatars that helped lug my overly packed suitcase all the way to the first floor and by the avatars who made one of the most stressful days of my life run as smoothly as possible. To be selected to be a part of such an impactful leadership team is a dream come true and I hope that one day, I can serve as an inspiration for the future Gattons to come. Unfortunately though, as move-in day prevails, I lack the upper body strength to truly fulfill the role of the avatars that once helped me carry my fridge into Room 154.

To tell you a little bit about myself, I am from the great capital city known as Frankfort, Kentucky. Frankfort is the kind of city that is typically grouped together with the big cities of the Commonwealth such as Lexington and Louisville but in reality, encompasses all the values of a small-town city. Growing up, I had always been interested in math and science, which I explored through extracurricular activities such as Governor’s Cup as well as being guided by my genuine curiosity. My eagerness to learn more led me to biology and medicine, which I fell in love with immediately. Alongside this, I had always loved public speaking and engaging in leadership-related activities. I knew that being a physician encompassed both of my passions and I began to pursue my dream throughout high school. That is how I stumbled across The Gatton Academy: a means to begin my long journey to become a doctor.

My many experiences at the Gatton Academy have taught me to embrace my individualism and truly discover who I am. I came into Gatton knowing that I wanted to be a cardiothoracic surgeon. At this point in time, my career goals remain the same but my passion for medicine and blossomed and diversified thanks to the many opportunities I’ve received while being here. Over the summer, through my Gatton Research Internship Grant (RIG), I researched the effect of various blood pressure drugs on mice subjected to sleep fragmentation. To be able to perform surgical procedures and garner various advanced laboratory skills is a dream come true. Furthermore, I studied abroad in England through the Harlaxton program, where I received credit for English 200 while also making a lifetime-worth of memories with my best friends.

I look forward to representing the Class of 2019, my hometown of Frankfort, my family, and of course, the Gatton Academy to the best of my ability throughout my term of being an avatar. Senior year? Bring it on.

Sasha