Can you describe your experience at the Gatton Academy?
That is kind of difficult to put into words because there are so many things about Gatton that are almost indescribable. I was challenged in ways that I had never been before. I was able to do research and have an early look at what college might be like. However, I think most of all, it provided such an incredible and open community, one necessary for the thriving of gifted students from across the state. We were able to look at each other’s accomplishments and struggles and see that we were all in this together. We were there for each other, during the good and the bad. These two years were created from the group effort of over 120 students and staff members. I made so many great friends, many of whom I miss so much. Given the opportunity, I would give them a place to stay here in Philadelphia in a heartbeat. If I had to go back, I would definitely do it again.

How have your experiences at the Gatton Academy helped you in your adult life?
Although I can say that my experiences here at the University of Pennsylvania have been much different and more challenging than at Gatton, I definitely can say that it gave me a good foundation for higher education. Gatton also gave me many opportunities to show how involved I was in and out of the classroom. It also was an opportunity to live and work with a more diverse population of students. Everyone from Gatton came from a different background, and Gatton provided us with a safe place to express our ideas and opinions. Also, I think that the Gatton Academy allowed me to be more fully responsible for myself; no longer were my parents telling me to clean my room or wake up in the morning. This definitely prepared me for the all the self-responsibility I now have in college.

Since the Academy what have you been up to?
I have been studying at the University of Pennsylvania, trying to balance school with my work study and extracurricular organizations. I hope to get involved in ecology research in next fall. Before classes started, I took part in an amazing pre-orientation program called PennGreen where I learned a lot about sustainability practices and environmental health, while also making new friends in the process. With clubs and extracurricular activities, I am involved in the Freshmen Fuerza, a Latino cultural group for freshmen, Penn Environmental Group, and some of the LGBT groups on campus.

What do you aspire to achieve in the next ten years?
I hope to go to grad school for biology and to become a research biologist/ecologist. I want the work that I do to have a positive impact on the conservation of animals, ecosystems, and the environment as a whole. On the side, I hope to have made at least a few short films along the way to show my love of film and filmmaking. I have no specific plan in mind, but of course there is still plenty of time for that.

What was your favorite memory from your time at the Gatton Academy?
There are so many great memories from Gatton, it is so difficult to pick just one. I definitely enjoyed the 4+ hour one-on-ones with my RC talking about everything from religion and philosophy to “Why does Avril Lavigne sing Radiohead at the top of her lungs?” There were definitely the beautiful days, sitting out on the Colonnade steps, and eating “Pizza Tacos” (i.e. Pizza from DaVinci’s + 2 Tacos from Izzi’s made into a delicious sandwich). However, some of my favorite memories were formed during the week before classes started my senior year. Being able to spend time with the other community developers and Avatars was such a wonderful experience without the stress from classes.

We would like to thank Wayne for taking time out of his busy schedule to be interviewed.

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Can you describe your experience at the Gatton Academy?
I was fortunate to be a part of the first class at the Academy. It was truly a unique experience that helped me academically and professionally. The Academy helped me to transition from high school to college with the support of the residential counselors, faculty, and staff. I was able to participate in a plethora of extracurricular activities such as research, clubs, and intramural sports that helped me grow both academically and socially.

How have your experiences at the Gatton Academy helped you in your adult life?
The Academy helped me to build strong relationships and friendships. No matter how far away we are from each other or where we are in our academic and professional lives, we still take time out of our schedules to get together and have fun. On a more academic level, my experiences at the Academy helped me to enhance my time management skills. I was able to efficiently determine when I needed to study and when I could have fun.

Since the Academy, what have you been up to?
I graduated from Western Kentucky University with a double major in Biology and Chemistry. I have just completed my first semester of graduate school in Biotechnology at Columbia University in the City of New York.

What do you aspire to achieve in the next ten years?
I have realized after coming to Columbia University that there are so many paths and intriguing opportunities out there. From groundbreaking research to healthcare, and even biotechnology start-ups, I know I will be doing something exciting after I earned my degree. For me, as long as I work to make society a better place, I will have achieved something.

What was your favorite memory from your time at the Gatton Academy?
I think my favorite memories at the Academy were when I used to go to DUC for dinner with my friends. Those were the times when we would get together and reflect on the classes for the day.

We would like to thank Nilesh for taking time out of his schedule to be interviewed.

[fblike]Can you describe your experience at the Gatton Academy?
My experiences at the Gatton Academy included running a half-marathon and completing a sprint triathlon with the Gatton team, physics “study parties”, and growing as a community with my peers.

How have your experiences at the Gatton Academy helped you in your adult life?
Being in a community of individuals seeking to do well in school helped me to grow academically and to develop stronger study skills. I also learned the importance of having a community of friends to grow with academically and personally.

Since the Academy, what have you been up to?
I am now a senior at Western Kentucky University graduating in May 2013 with degrees in Biochemistry and Religious Studies. Over the past 2 years, I have been very active in the Brothers Big Sisters mentoring my 12-year old sister, Dora. Also, I have been blessed with the ability to serve on two mission trip team: one to serve at orphanages in Honduras (winter 2010/2011) and the other to serve in a medical clinic in Kenya (summer 2012). Currently, I am Discipleship Cluster Leader at the Baptist Campus Ministry at WKU and work at the Gatton Academy as a desk clerk.

What do you aspire to achieve in the next ten years?
I aspire to go to Berlin for a 2-year mission trip working with an organization that seeks to end sex-trafficking. After that, I plan to return to Kentucky to work on both a Masters in Theology and a degree in Osteopathic Medicine becoming a pediatrician. Ultimately, I hope to become a medical missionary to serve wherever God leads me to go and to serve whoever He needs me to serve.

What was your favorite memory from your time at the Gatton Academy?
My favorite memory is from the January (I think) of my senior year. A group of my friends and I went to Hospital Hill to go sledding. During our snow shenanigans, my friend Katie Brown sprained her ankle. Since the roads were so bad and we promised the Residential Counselors before we left that we wouldn’t ask for a ride back to the Academy , we had to switch off giving Katie picky-back rides all the way back in the snow. Thankfully we made it back in time for curfew!

We would like to thank Rebecca for taking time out of her schedule to be interviewed. Next week, we will spotlight Mr. Nilesh Sahi who is currently in graduate school at Columbia University in New York.

[fblike]By: Academy Staff
Can you describe your experience at the Gatton Academy?
In one word, unique. The Academy became my home, and I grew closer to my Academy peers than I had to any others throughout my school career. And still, 5 years later, many of those close “Academy” friendships exist today. I also enjoyed the many opportunities afforded to me by the Academy such as my research with Rachel Bowman (fellow Academy student) and Drs. Bruce Kessler and Peter Hamburger. My research allowed me to travel to Canada to present at an international conference. But honestly without the supporting nature of other students and the staff (both Academy and WKU), my Academy experience wouldn’t have been the same.

How have your experiences at the Gatton Academy helped you in your adult life?
The Academy has made me who I am, for better or worse. Sometimes, I try to imagine my life had I not applied for the Academy. If my Pre-Calculus teacher never held onto an article about the Academy and given it to me the day I came back to school from being sick, my life would be drastically different. But other than that single moment, and the acknowledgement that things wouldn’t have been the same from then on, I can’t imagine what my life “might have” been like today.
Because I went to the Academy, I made friends that I cared for deeply and started on my college carrier a year earlier than I would have otherwise. Because I formed those relationships and gained the college experience I did, I stayed at WKU to finish out my degree. Because I got so much out of the Academy, I decided to give back a little and tutor new Academy students in Computer Science. Because I stuck around the Academy a few more years, I made more friends and my relationships with my professors and existing friendships grew stronger.
Today, I now work at WKU as an IT Consultant for Academic Technology, helping support and maintain many of the campus’s open and departmental lab computers, as well as the computers in classrooms around WKU. But it was all due to a series of events that Academy set in motion.

Since the Academy, what have you been up to?
What have I been up to? Life.
Since the Academy I have graduated with my Bachelor’s in Computer Science (minoring in Mathematics). I have cultivated a love for American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf culture and have even joined WKU’s American Sign Language Organization (ASLO), where I use my computer talents to help promote the growing American Sign Language Studies (ASLS) program and the ASLO organization itself. I have obtained a full-time position at WKU as an IT Consultant for Academic Technology, helping support and maintain many of the campus’s open and departmental lab computers, as well as the computers in classrooms around WKU.
On a personal note, I have bought my first house (I am struggling to pick out paint colors).

What do you aspire to achieve in the next ten years?
In the next ten years? I have no clue. If you asked me that question ten years ago, I would never have imagined my life as it is today. Hopefully, in the future, I’ll still be doing something I enjoy – probably combining my love of technology and ASL as I am today. Maybe, I’ll be a little wiser and more settled into this new life that I’m starting – and maybe I’ll even be sharing it with someone.

What was your favorite memory from your time at the Gatton Academy?
The Yellow Couch? The J-Term ski trip? The crazy adventures my friends and I had around campus? The Ultimate Frisbee games in the Colonnades? It’s hard to pick. In general, I enjoy the memory I have of the Academy as a whole. But I’d have to say the most satisfying memory I have was changing non-Academy students’ perspectives on who we were and what we were like.
Some people saw us as a bunch of “privileged,” “immature,” high school kids, but in reality, we were just like everyone else (mostly). In fact, I remember enjoying the astonishment on non-Academy students’ faces when they would ask which dorm I lived in and I would mention Florence Schneider Hall. It was my personal goal then, and now, to change their views about who we were/are really like.

We would like to thank Mr. Luke Akridge for taking time out of his busy schedule to be interviewed. Next week, the Gatton Academy will be spotlighting Ms. Sammi Hawtry who is currently pursuing a double major in chemistry and biology at Western Kentucky University.

[fblike]Can you describe your experience at the Gatton Academy?
Being among the first group of students to enter the Gatton Academy, I felt extremely grateful for the opportunity. The Gatton Academy allowed me to grow both intellectually and personally putting me on a path of success as I furthered my education. I am so pleased with my decision to attend the Gatton Academy! It was challenging, but definitely worth it.

How have your experiences at the Gatton Academy helped you in your adult life?
As an Academy student, there were a number of opportunities that presented themselves that would not have been possible otherwise. My first international experience was the J-term trip to Italy in 2008. This opportunity sparked my passion for international education and since then I have studied abroad four times and visited over thirty countries. Due to these experiences and others that I had in the Academy, my professional goal is to work at a university encouraging students to engage in activities outside of classroom and around the world.

Since the Academy, what have you been up to?
After graduating from the Academy, I continued pursuing my bachelor’s degree in biology at WKU and graduated in December 2011. Currently, I am attending The University of Alabama (Roll Tide!) where I am getting my master’s degree in higher education administration and working as a graduate assistant in student affairs.

What do you aspire to achieve in the next ten years?
In one year, I will complete my master’s degree and will hopefully enter my career as a coordinator of international programs or study abroad at a university. If the opportunity presents itself, I might consider obtaining my doctorate. As I get settled into a career, I am not sure where it will take me, but I am excited to see. Throughout it all, it is my hope that I can help students learn and encounter new experiences during college, as many faculty and staff at the Academy and WKU inspired me to do. My aspirations to continue traveling never cease, I would love to have the chance to visit Australia and Antarctica, the two continents I have yet to explore!

What was your favorite memory from your time at the Gatton Academy?
I will never forget the feeling I had during my first twenty-four hours in the Academy. From moving in and meeting my peers to attending the ceremony where Dr. Julia Roberts and Mr. Gatton shared words of encouragement, I felt so humbled to call myself a student in this fantastic program!

We would like to thank Ms. Kaitlin Hartley for taking time out of her busy schedule to be interviewed. Next week, the Gatton Academy will be spotlighting Luke Akridge who currently works as an IT consultant at Western Kentucky University.