Avatars – Page 13 – The Gatton Academy News

2017-2018 Avatar: Morganne Williams

August 28, 2017 | 2017-2018, Avatars, Morganne Williams | No Comments

I am Morganne, a current senior at the Gatton Academy, an astronomy lover, a French horn player, and a (terrible) croquet player. I’m from Boone County in northern Kentucky, or Burlington to be more specific. I first heard about Gatton when it opened, and ever since then attending this school became my #1 goal. I’m really glad I made that decision.

While I usually spend most my free time sleeping, I do participate in a number of clubs and interest groups here. I’m the head of the Space Club, and a member of the Speech and Debate team, Gay-Straight Alliance, Drama Club, and Sierpinski’s Performing Arts Club. I also volunteer at the Hardin Planetarium on campus, and research with a scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute.

Research has been one of my favorite activities here at Gatton. I’ve been working with the same professor for about a year now, and I’m constantly learning new things. Ever since I was little, I wanted to do astronomy-related research, and now I get to live out that dream. I also presented my research over Cepheids at the WKU research conference, and this year I hope to go to the American Astronomical Society convention and present there.

Studying abroad is another one of my favorite memories of my time at Gatton. This summer I went on the Harlaxton trip where I lived in England and learned English for three weeks. I visited Bath, Stonehenge, Stratford-Upon-Avon, and Oxford, took a tour of the Harry Potter Studios, explored London, and had so many amazing experiences there that if I tried to list them all you’d get tired of scrolling through this blog post. Living in a giant manor filled with secret passages for two weeks probably takes the cake though.

All in all, Gatton has been everything I ever hoped it would be. I’ve made so many cherished memories in only a year, and I can’t wait to see what this next year brings.

By Gatton Academy

2017-2018 Avatar: Wendy Cecil

August 24, 2017 | 2017-2018, Avatars, Wendy Cecil | No Comments

The Gatton Academy is home to students from all over Kentucky and with different backgrounds. My home is in Bardstown, a small town in central Kentucky. However, I had only moved there when I was in seventh grade, after my dad passed away. Going to a new school was intimidating. I faced uncertainty, but I made some of the best friends I could have asked for, played volleyball, joined clubs, and got involved. I began to feel at home. I am confident to say that I love the people in my hometown and the sense of home that comes along with Bardstown, Kentucky.

At this point in my life, I felt like I hadn’t asked for a change as drastic as moving miles away, going to a new school, and learning to love a new community. Sometimes I felt like I wasn’t in control of my life. When I was a sophomore in high school, however, I wanted to finally be the one to have responsibility and influence on the course of my future. To do so, I decided to face another kind of uncertainty. I began my application to The Gatton Academy, knowing that I had nothing to lose and infinite possibilities to gain. Ever since middle school, I had taken advanced classes, studied hard, and genuinely enjoyed learning. Despite being nervous, I felt like I had a chance of getting in to the Academy. I was willing and ready to move miles away, to go to a new school, and learn to love the Gatton community. Here I am today, two years later, in my senior at Gatton and retelling the story of it all.

I am appreciative of who I was before Gatton and even more so of the person I am today because of Gatton. A few short years ago, I was surrounded by my best friends in Bardstown, playing volleyball, and competing in club activities. Sometimes I miss how things used to be before I came to Gatton, which is natural. It’s normal to miss home. However, I feel almost as though I have made more than a fair trade. As I write this today, I am surrounded by a table full of other Gatton students, a table full of studious individuals who are busy at work, a table full of my best friends. I just finished my second day of fall semester classes at Western Kentucky University. It is early in the semester, and I am in the midst of signing up for clubs, decorating my dorm room, and applying for colleges. Many doors are open for my future because of Gatton in the same way that doors have been opened for me while at Gatton to be able to take college courses, to participate in undergraduate research, and to become immersed in math and science.

I want to appreciate my final year at Gatton to the fullest in the midst of the chaos of senior year. Before we graduate and move on to other wonderful things, we still have a year left with our best friends, a year left to explore math and science, and a year left in this community that we have all come to love.

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2017-2018 Avatar: John Nickell

August 23, 2017 | 2017-2018, Avatars, John Nickell | No Comments

Hey guys! My name is John Nickell and I am extremely excited to serve as an Avatar this year for The Gatton Academy. Although I have been lucky enough to call Bowling Green my home for the past year, the hills and hollers of Eastern Kentucky still hold my heart. I grew up in Morehead, Kentucky. A town nestled in the foothills of Appalachia.

I must confess before Gatton, the majority of the time you could find me on the baseball diamond where I played center field for Rowan County Senior High School. During the offseason though, I would put baseball aside and focus on other activities such as Academic Team, Speech and Debate, and Student Y.

I first heard of The Gatton Academy while attending a summer camp put on by The Center for Gifted Studies here at WKU. After sitting through an information session on the academy, I was still unsure. I returned to the dorm (The current Gatton Academy dorm) after the session and that night, my roommate and I stayed up late into the night chewing on one question: Do I really want to spend my last two years of high school at a place I barely know? Finally, we both found enough courage to promise each other that we would apply. Four years later, we are both proud to call that same dorm home.

Since arriving at Gatton, I have had the privilege of studying abroad in Greece for two weeks. From the ancient ruins of Olympia and Athens to the snow covered mountaintops of Delphi, we truly took in all the aspects of Greek culture. This winter I hope to escape the frigid Bluegrass State for two weeks to study leather back sea turtles and biological diversity in the Costa Rican rainforest.

Although study abroad has truly been an extraordinary, eye-opening experience, I have enjoyed the research opportunities here at Gatton the most. For my first two semesters at Gatton, I worked alongside two WKU economics professors where we conducted a research project on the effect financial literacy has on preventative healthcare usage. This project gave me the opportunity to travel to Charleston, South Carolina and present my research at The Academy of Economics and Finance Annual Conference. After such a great first experience with academic research, I could not wait to get started on a new project. For my next project though, I diverged from the field of economics to study the stars. With Dr. Thomas Pannuti at the Morehead State Space Science Center, I analyzed the peculiar Galactic Supernova Remnant W63 using current and archival data from X-ray emitting plasma.

Outside of the academics here at the academy, I am president of the Stock Market Club where we participate in local and global investment competitions. I am also an active member of FBLA, movie club, and Student Y here at Gatton. On the athletic side, play on the Gatton Academy’s intramural basketball and flag football team.

Once again, I sincerely cannot wait to see what this year holds for myself as well as my Gatton family.

By Gatton Academy

2017-2018 Avatar: Skyler Hornback

August 23, 2017 | 2017-2018, Avatars, Skyler Hornback | No Comments

Hey there everybody! I’m Skyler Hornback, and I’m a senior here at The Gatton Academy. If I had only one word to describe myself, I’d have to say that I’m pretty country. Though my address says Sonora and my phone number suggests Magnolia, I’m actually from the tiny Oak Hill community in the southwestern corner of LaRue County in the central part of the state. I’m a true born-and-raised Kentuckian, having had the privilege of growing up on the same farm as my grandfather’s grandfather. I feel like I know just about everybody in the Sonora/Hodgenville area, and if I don’t know someone, I can just about guarantee I know some of their kinfolk! Needless to say, moving to Bowling Green, where there are more students on campus than in my entire county, has been quite the adjustment for me!

Before coming to Gatton, I was heavily involved at LaRue County High School. I was in Beta Club, Y-Club, academic team, class committees, and Teen Court. I loved my first two years of high school at LaRue County, and making the decision to leave home was a tough one for myself and my family. Fortunately, since coming to Gatton, I have been able to continue most of those activities, as well as become involved in new ones, such as Stock Market Club and FBLA. I have also had the amazing opportunities to participate in chemistry research with Dr. Edwin Stevens and travel abroad to Greece for my first trip out of the country! These new experiences that Gatton has afforded me are truly unique, and I am very grateful that I have been able to take advantage of them as a high school student.

This coming year, I am looking forward to continuing my research with Dr. Stevens, and hopefully, I will be able to travel with the Academy again this winter to Italy. Looking back on the past year, and looking towards the year to come, I am really happy with my decision to come to Gatton. I have been able to stay in-touch with my home community, while also becoming involved in a new one. I’m still the same country-music-listening, story-telling Skyler I was when I came here, just with more stories to tell!

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2017-2018 Avatar: Benjamin Kash

August 22, 2017 | 2017-2018, Avatars, Ben Kash | No Comments

Hey peeps! My name is Benjamin Kash, and I am from here in the good ole Warren County. Before Gatton, I attended Greenwood High School in BG where I played soccer and tennis, but from my first day of high school I knew Gatton was the place for me. My passion for STEM has only grown while attending the Academy. Watching our juniors move-in and experience Gatton life for the first time has brought back some amazing memories of my move-in last year, and I am excited to see what this year holds.

During my junior year, I have participated in two different research projects, one with the physics department and one with the chemistry department. My chemistry research project with Dr. Zhang extended into the summer under a RIG (Research Internship Grant) I was awarded and now is extending into the upcoming semester. I have been lucky enough to have studied abroad in Costa Rica and England. Outside of academia, I love to continue my lucrative sports career on South Lawn with intramural ultimate frisbee and soccer. I am involved in the Beta Club, the Science Bowl team, and hopefully a Big Brothers Big Sisters partnership program starting up this year.

Looking back at my junior year excites me for what awaits the incoming class. And with rest of the seniors moving in, I am anxious and pumped to see what this year holds for us all.

By Gatton Academy

2017-2018 Avatar: Grayson Fuller

August 22, 2017 | 2017-2018, Avatars, Grayson Fuller | No Comments

My name is Grayson Fuller. I am a senior from Woodford County. Before my time at the Academy, I was an active member of Key Club, Academic Team, some after school tutoring programs, and a Tenor I in my school’s a capella group. After hearing about it in the eighth grade, I knew Gatton was where I wanted to go. I was already passionate about biology, chemistry, and mathematics, so the STEM aspects of the school appealed to me. Also, having never felt that classes moved quickly enough, I thought that going to Gatton would give me the chance I needed to accelerate in my studies.

When I arrived, Gatton was everything I hoped for and more. Classes were fast paced and rigorous. The people were awesome. We had access to some of the coolest academic opportunities: research, study abroad, eligibility for nationally competitive undergraduate scholarships. Study abroad is the opportunity the Academy provides that I love to rave about. I have traveled to both Costa Rica and England with my peers. The two trips, while vastly different from one another, were some of the most enjoyable weeks of my life. I gained A LOT of independence from things like attempting to purchase fruit at a grocery store where the owner speaks no English and navigating the London tube system on my own (well, with a few other peers with me). What I gained from study abroad was invaluable to my development both as a student and as a person.

Reflecting upon my experiences from junior year, my experiences were remarkable! The friends I made here helped remove any doubts or fears I had when coming into the Academy. My seniors, who have since graduated, gave me the wisdom and know-how I needed to succeed and enjoy my Academy experience. As we usher in the new junior class, I hope to serve as the guide I needed when I was in their shoes.

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2017-2018 Avatar: Alexa Thompson

August 22, 2017 | 2017-2018, Alexa Thompson, Avatars | No Comments

Hello new Gatton students and family! I am super excited for the upcoming year as an Avatar and a community leader. I am a senior from Bowling Green, and I attended Bowling Green High School. I chose Gatton because, apart from the close-knit and non-competitive community, I really wanted a more challenging curriculum where I could begin to further explore my interests in biology and foreign language.

In the future, I plan on attending medical school to become a reconstructive surgeon, so this jump start is exactly what I’ve needed. Furthermore, other opportunities have presented themselves such as Study Abroad and STEM Plus. I am taking an advanced track in Arabic because I have been fortunate enough to have previous exposure to the language through the STEM Plus Critical Language track. I have traveled with Gatton to Greece and Harlaxton (England) and hope to travel again in January. I love biology and psychology, which I will be doing research in this fall, and I hate coding.

Some of my passion include Spanish, traveling, and Zumba. This summer I took my first solo trip abroad to Heredia, Costa Rica, where I studied Spanish twenty hours a week. I have also studied in Spain and have traveled to Mexico and Portugal. In my free time, I frequently go to Preston for Zumba classes or just to work out. If anyone has a Wii and wants to challenge me to a Just Dance-off, I’m game. This year I will be co-captaining an intramural volleyball team with another senior, Wendy Cecil.

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2017-2018 Avatar: Arjun Kanthawar

August 22, 2017 | 2017-2018, Arjun Kanthawar, Avatars | No Comments

Hello, my name is Arjun Kanthawar, and I am a senior from London, Kentucky. Before Gatton, I attended North Laurel High School where I was very involved with my tennis team and other extracurricular activities. I learned about Gatton when I was attending VAMPY here on WKU’s campus. Ever since I heard about it, I knew I wanted to come. Here at Gatton, I’ve made so many new friends, and the tight-knit community is amazing. The support that we receive from each other is awesome. I’ve been able to study abroad, research areas that I’m interested in, and expand my interests in math and science. In my free time, I enjoy playing ultimate Frisbee and basketball with other Gatton students.

I was fortunate to be able to study abroad in England this past summer, which was an amazing experience. Our class studied English literature for three weeks while visiting historical sites. One of the most unique things about Gatton is the abundance of research opportunities that are available. Over the summer, I completed a research internship grant (RIG) with the WKU Math Department where I studied ways to mathematically model the healing of chronic wounds. I have been able to travel to many different places to present my research.

Junior year was extremely fun, and I am really anxious for senior year to begin. I am very excited to meet the juniors, and I know this year will be great. Overall, I am excited for senior year and to be an Avatar.

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2017-2018 Avatar: Emily Guernsey

August 22, 2017 | 2017-2018, Avatars, Emily Guernsey | No Comments

It seems like just yesterday that I was presenting my CPS project and packing up to go home for the summer. Now here I am, at the start of a new school year, sitting at a new desk, in a new room, on a new floor. Though only a year has passed since my own GROWeek, my life has changed in unimaginable ways. As I watch the juniors assimilate to their new environment, meeting new friends and learning the ins and outs of life at Gatton, I grow excited for all of the experiences that await them. I’ve had many great experiences with Gatton so far, and I would love to share some of them with you.

First, I should probably back-track a little and introduce myself. My name is Emily Guernsey, and I’m from Louisville. Prior to Gatton, I attended Sacred Heart Academy. Now, back to my time at Gatton.

One of the first unique aspects of Academy life that I experienced was research. My first semester, I enrolled in the Genome Discovery and Exploration Program. Through this program, I met some of my closest friends at Gatton, while also discovering and characterizing a unique bacteriophage, which I named JEGGS. This experience reaffirmed my passion for research, and I decided to apply for a Gatton Research Internship Grant (RIG). I was awarded a RIG and spent part of my summer doing research on cancer metabolism at the Brown Cancer Center in Louisville. The rest of my summer, however, was spent abroad.

Which brings me to another aspect of my Gatton experience: study abroad. In January of my first year, I went on the Gatton trip to Greece. This was my first time out of the country and it was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Through this trip, I learned a lot about the history and culture of Greece, saw breathtaking sights like the Parthenon, and grew closer to my classmates and the Gatton staff. I also had the opportunity to go on the Gatton trip to England this past summer. There, we spent a lot of time learning about English literature, visiting important historical sites like Oxford, taking in all of London, and exploring Harlaxton Manor. Having the opportunity to go abroad twice with Gatton has been fantastic, and the memories I’ve made will surely last a lifetime.

When I’m not involved in research or study abroad, I fill my time with class and other activities. Gatton has given me the opportunity to take courses that go deeper into my interests (primarily biology), like Neurobiology, while also exploring new fields, like Political Science. Outside of class, I’m involved in Student Y, various volunteer opportunities like Big Brothers Big Sisters, and of course, Avatars.

My time at Gatton has given me so much more than I could have imagined, from lifelong friends to incredible opportunities. I’m very excited to share my Gatton experience with all of you this year, both through this blog and at various Gatton events!

By Gatton Academy

2017-2018 Avatar: Natalie Ngong

August 22, 2017 | 2017-2018, Avatars, Natalie Ngong | No Comments

Natalie Ngong; A Bio

Primary Interests

Biology (Ecology/ Animal Behavior)

Medicine

Research & Study Abroad Experiences

While I’ve attended The Gatton Academy, I have been part of the Genome class, which involves research on bacteriophages or viruses that infect bacteria. I have also been part of songbird research in Alaska (specifically studying the impact of the continuous sunlight on their circadian rhythm, and specifically their ability to rear their chicks)

I studied abroad in Costa Rica during The Gatton Academy’s Costa Rican Biodiversity class with 17 other students, this course was taught by Dr. Stone. This trip gave a diversity of experiences in Costa Rican biodiversity first by giving us the opportunity to work with endangered Leatherback Turtles, by helping to monitor their nesting habits on Playa Grande, then an opportunity to travel to Cloud Bridge, a cloud rainforest in the mountains where we had the ability to form small groups and develop research topics based on specific observations of specimen in the cloud forest.

Background

I attended DuPont Manual High school in Louisville, KY. While in Louisville, I did research on the impact of glutamine on the efficiency of cardiac stem cells. I swam competitively for 10 years and played soccer, as well as ran cross country. I volunteered as swim coach for a local summer team (the Hammerheads), and participated in World Quest, Design with a Purpose, and Speech & Debate. I developed my interest in science by participating in annual science fairs at my home school, and researching topics of interest at the University of Louisville.

By Gatton Academy

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