Carroll was never my number one option for high school. In fact, I wasn’t very happy my parents were sending me here at all. Going into a new school in a new place with all new people was terrifying for my 14 year old self, but it didn’t take long for me to learn to appreciate everything Carroll had to offer and introduced me to. 

On the first day of school freshman year, homeroom was the first place I met some of my best friends and my in-school mother, Mrs. Cahill. During these past 4 years, Mrs. Cahill proved to be one of the most influential teachers for me. Being greeted every morning with a smile made Carroll feel less like a strange place where I didn’t know anybody and more like an environment I can grow and feel comfortable in. When sophomore year began, I was so excited to hear I had Mrs. Cahill again for homeroom AND for chemistry. Then in junior year, we had a third year together in homeroom. I absolutely loved chemistry sophomore year and decided to take it again as a junior and Mrs. Cahill was always there to listen to me complain about how confused I was all the time. But this year there were no homerooms, and I could not imagine my day to day life at Carroll without seeing her everyday, so I dropped one of my classes at the very last minute to take environmental science. Mrs. Cahill always pushed me to do my best and believed in me even when I was struggling with a subject or had no motivation and didn’t believe I could do it myself. I can’t imagine where I would be at this point in my life if it were not for her. She introduced me to my love of science and made Carroll an environment I felt welcomed and at home in. 

When I think back on my four years at Carroll, I am swarmed with pleasant memories. Whether it was my short-lived Mathletes and ACTS career, yearbook club with Mrs. Gimpel, my junior year theology class with Mr. Wayock, my three years on the volleyball team, going to basketball games or the incredible people I’ve met, I will forever hold the memories I made here in my heart and attribute the person I’ve become to the learning experiences I’ve had along the way.