Please tell us a little bit about what your interests and hobbies have been since leaving HWIS?

While I still swam while attending HWIS, I began to pursue my swimming career in earnest after graduating from HWIS. It has become a big part of my life since I have improved greatly over the years. I am now a member of the USA Swimming National Junior Team, and have represented the USA in foreign competition. I also enjoy competing for my high school, the Pingry School, and have helped the team win championships at the conference, county and state levels, including the NJ Meet of Champions.

Is language study a part of your studies and if so can you describe?

My most fond memories of HWIS were the friendships I created with other students. I enjoyed spending time with them both in the classroom working on projects and classwork as well as having fun on the playground during recess. I developed a close bond with many of the kids at HWIS, and I even keep in contact with some of them to this day.

How has being at HWIS benefited you and do you think you might use your language skills in the future?

HWIS has provided me with unique skills that have allowed me to tackle rigorous subjects and given me the confidence to challenge myself academically. It also gave me the opportunity to enhance my academic prowess by learning a separate language in an immersive environment, while also retaining a very good foundation of English speaking and writing. I hope to use my language skills in the future but don’t have a concrete plan for this currently. If it would benefit success in my future profession, I believe that I would easily be able to communicate with those in Asian countries. I may also consider learning new languages in the future since I have such a strong foundation in how to do so (and just took an introductory course in Italian this summer).