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2019-2020 Avatar: Kelsey Littrell

July 9, 2019 | 2019-2020, Avatars, Kelsey Littrell | 4 Comments

Hey guys! My name is Kelsey Littrell, and I’m a senior and Avatar at Gatton this year. A little about my hometown, if you look at the far western corner of Kentucky (yes, farther than WKU—we exist, trust me), you’ll find a little county that looks almost like a pizza slice. That’s where I’m from—Marshall County. We’re most distinguishable by our thick country accents, although if you mention it, we’ll claim we don’t have one. I first heard about Gatton in seventh grade when Zack Ryle himself came to my middle school and gave a presentation over it, like he may have done for some of you. I immediately fell in love with it, and attending Gatton then become my dream—a dream that is now a reality.

My journey at Gatton thus far has been an amazing experience. Gatton is where you discover who you truly are.  I’ve taken some exciting courses, my favorite of which is Genome. Participating in Genome, a course that begins with simple digging in the soil and results in the discovery and characterization of bacteriophages, allowed me to discover my love of research, something I was never able to experience previously. I was also able to present this research at the WKU Student Research Conference, which was a really neat experience. My second semester, I was able to take the bioinformatics portion of the Genome course, in which we learned about the bioinformatics systems and then conducted our own research using these tools based on a question we came up with ourselves.

Outside of classes, I participate in Gatton’s Student Y Chapter and GAMA (Gatton Academy Medical Association). I was also able to participate in the Future Healthcare Professionals program (FHP) during my first semester, which I really enjoyed. In my free time, I like to hang with Daisy, the Gatton dog, and participate in the weekend activities. When home, I enjoy shooting archery and fishing.

Since being at Gatton, I was given the opportunity to travel abroad to Costa Rica studying Costa Rican biodiversity over winter term. Having never been out of the country before, this was an amazing experience for me. From watching sea turtles hatch at the beach to researching the abundance and diversity of bromeliads in the rainforest, it was an experience I will never forget.

Gatton is not all about taking rigorous college courses. It’s where you meet friends that will last a lifetime. It’s where you learn not to take 8 AMs when you like to stay up late. It’s where you truly grow as a person. I remember scouring Gatton’s home page before I even applied, reading everything and imagining myself being there, which you may be doing right now. Being at Gatton has beyond exceeded anything I could ever have imagined. I’ve learned a lot over the past two semesters, and I cannot wait for the next two to begin.

Kelsey

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2019-2020 Avatar: Saee Patwardhan

July 8, 2019 | 2019-2020, Avatars, Saee Patwardhan | No Comments

Hey there! This is Saee Patwardhan dropping in to tell you a little bit about myself. I am extremely excited to be going into my last year of high school. While I eagerly look forward to entering my senior year at Gatton, I will give you some insight on my past. My family and I immigrated to the US from India when I was only 3 years old. As a little kid growing up in a brand new country, everything grabbed my attention and fascinated me. When I was in middle school, I attended SCATS, a summer camp at WKU. This is where I first heard about The Gatton Academy. I remember talking my mom’s ears off in the car on the way home– telling her about this amazing high school and how it was right up my alley. When my sophomore year finally rolled around, I filled out the application and, fortunately, my dream became a reality when I was accepted.

Before coming to Gatton, I attended North Oldham High School in Oldham County. While Oldham County is known for its excellent school systems, I just didn’t find the content to be challenging or stimulating enough for me. Luckily, the courses at Gatton provided me with the perfect amount of difficulty to allow me to grow and push myself. Taking computer science courses, like CS and CPS, during my first year definitely broadened my horizons of the STEM field. While I didn’t conduct research this past year, I plan to begin a biology-based research project during my senior year.

My junior year exceeded my expectations, and one of my favorite moments was my study abroad trip to Greece. This was a 10-day trip during winter break where 6 other girls and I toured Greece together, looking at its unique history and architecture. The country was absolutely beautiful and I would love to revisit it one day. During my senior year I would like to participate in another study abroad trip, such as Costa Rica or Italy.

Outside of academics, I really enjoy cooking and playing music. On the days when I’m home, you can catch me baking and cooking up different dishes. While I’m just an amateur, I can play my guitar for hours on end. On top of guitar, I have always loved the arts. During middle school and high school, I was in the NOHS Color Guard where we spun flags, rifles, and danced for the duration of an entire marching band show. One of my favorite activities is singing—my roommate can definitely attest to my constant humming and whisper-singing 24/7.

I cannot wait to make more memories as a senior. It feels like just yesterday that I was a little freshman walking into my high school, feeling intimidated by all the upperclassmen. Time flies by so fast, and I plan to make the most of it starting in August. I’m beyond excited to finally be a senior and look forward to being a Gatton Avatar.

Saee

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2019-2020 Avatar: Claire Braun

July 8, 2019 | 2019-2020, Avatars, Claire Braun | No Comments

Hi everyone! I am Claire Braun and I am a Gatton Academy Avatar for the 2019-2020 school year. My home base is in Union, about 3 hours north of Bowling Green, and I attended Ryle High School. Ever since the sixth grade, going to Gatton was my ultimate goal because my older sister went to Gatton during my sixth and seventh grade years. I thought it was an amazing opportunity and I was so excited to find out that I would be able to have my own experience as a Gatton student. At home, I was in the color guard in my high school marching band for four years, I played clarinet for five years, and I played piano for eleven years. Leaving those activities was very difficult for me, but after a while I realized that I belong at Gatton and truly became part of the Gatton family.

My dream job is to be a psychiatrist. I have always had a passion for helping people, and I want to be able to do that professionally for the rest of my life. I will be in school for what may seem like forever, but I know it will all be worth it, and I am more than willing to go through years of school to be able to do what I want. A common misconception of Gatton is that you must be interested in something like biology or engineering, but that is not the case. First semester, I enrolled into an Introduction to Psychology course so I would be able to get a feel for the course material. I loved the class and truly enjoyed learning and looking up more things to learn when it comes to psychology, and that gave me a foundation to build upon that I would not be able to build upon in regular high school. Gatton is essentially early college, so I am able to take as many college level psychology courses that I am able to before I graduate high school. I am also getting many general education courses under my belt so I am able to go full force in psychology once I reach college. The Gatton Academy coursework, while difficult at times, pays off tremendously in the end.

In all of my years of schooling, I felt like I was trapped in a box and I wasn’t able to be myself or do anything I wanted to do. My counselor described it as “gifted kid syndrome” because I would talk to her about how slow my classes are and how miserable I was taking them. She told me that applying to Gatton would be perfect for me, and I went through the entire application and selection process with her by my side. She was 100% correct, Gatton is my happy place. I found my people, I am able to push myself academically, and I have so many opportunities such as research in my choice field, which I am planning on getting into within the next year, and study abroad.

You may be reading this and thinking, “What am I getting myself into?” or “What am I going to send my child away to?”, but it is absolutely nothing to worry about. Gatton isn’t exactly like college, it is more like a perfect mix of independence and still having guidance. You still live on campus and take classes with other college kids, but the staff at Gatton has given me overwhelming support and guidance throughout all of my experiences, whether they be emotional or academic, that I most likely will not have in real college, at least not nearly as much. In the end, it all comes down to the fact that The Gatton Academy is truly a family and I have finally been able to find a greater passion in schoolwork. Just always remember that change is good, and change is necessary to grow. I have grown immensely in the past year and cannot wait to grow even more.

If you are considering Gatton, about to come to Gatton, or currently attending Gatton, I wish you the best of luck in all of your future endeavors and I can’t wait to talk to you again!

Claire

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2019-2020 Avatar: Michael Givens

July 8, 2019 | 2019-2020, Avatars, Michael Givens | 2 Comments

Hi! My name is Michael Givens, I am a rising senior at The Gatton Academy and have recently been named a Gatton Academy Avatar! While I want to tell you all about my Gatton experience, I need to start with my hometown. I have two siblings, a sister in graduate school and a brother who is a rising sophomore at Western Kentucky University. I am from Green County and live in the tiny town of Greensburg. Whenever people ask me where that is, I have no answer for them. It’s just that small. Those who have heard of Green County know it as the home of “Cow Days”, a three-day festival to celebrate agriculture in the local area. I know it sounds strange but only a small town, tight-knit community could pull it off and claim it as a calling card.

I first heard about The Gatton Academy in seventh grade through the Duke TIP Program. I quickly shrugged it off as “nerd school for people who couldn’t make it in regular high school.” I kept that notion with me until freshman year when the thought of it resurfaced and I became hooked. After a year of talking about it nonstop, I finally got the opportunity to apply and did it instantly. I was lucky enough to be accepted as the first student from Green County and then began this amazing journey!

My experience thus far has been nothing short of life-changing. Not only have I been given the opportunity to live and take classes on a college campus, but I have also met the most amazing people. This semester (what will be my third), I am looking forward to the GROWeek and Halloween dances and helping the juniors learn about Academy life. Academically, I am taking two of the required Biology courses, Calculus II and a very exciting International Business class.

I participate in a multitude of extracurricular activities, both academic and community focused. Some of these include DECA, BETA, Boys and Girls Club, and Business Without Borders. I am also a proud member of Gatton’s first ever intermural basketball team to have a winning season: “Florence Schneider Ball.”

Outside of classes, I am engaged in research with Dr. Coder of WKU’s Department of Management. My research consists of finding a correlation between one’s job interest, skill, and satisfaction. I just completed my summer Research Internship Grant where I received a grant to stay on campus for 8 weeks of the summer to continue my research. We were recently awarded a FUSE grant and plan to present in February of 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

On July 8th, I leave for Berlin and then will meet the rest of my class on July 17th in London to begin our Harlaxton study abroad trip! We are all super excited for this experience and cannot wait to be exploring London and the surrounding areas. After returning from the trip, I will relax for about two weeks before move-in day.

Gatton has been an extraordinary experience that I cannot wait to continue and help others begin. Bring it on senior year!

Michael

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From Senioritis to a Bittersweet End: My 4th Semester at Gatton

March 28, 2019 | 2018-2019, Avatars, Sasha Sairajeev | No Comments

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.

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Fourth Semester

March 27, 2019 | 2018-2019, Avatars, Trivan Menezes | No Comments

For seniors, it’s our last semester of high school, and we’re on the verge of leaving for “real college.” Many of us are taking relaxed schedules this semester to give ourselves a break from the marathons that have been the previous three semesters. It seems that each of the past three semesters had something which made them…interesting. In the first semester, we were all just trying to acclimatize to our new setting and make new friends. In the second semester, we were occupied with schedules full of CPS and other work-intensive courses. In the third semester, some of us were busy pouring our soul into college applications. However, things feel different this time around. Having more relaxed schedules, many seniors are using their newfound time for other endeavors. Personally, I’m trying to maintain my mental and physical health, for I allowed both of these things to decline during my junior year (especially during my second semester). A friend of mine is using her spare time to do productive activities that she previously didn’t make time for, such as listening to podcasts and reading more often. Furthermore, it’s almost as if my classmates and I are waiting for a change of pace from our current setting, but we also can’t help but use this last semester to reminisce on our entire Gatton experience. It feels like move-in day wasn’t that long ago, yet it also feels like we have delved into a monotonous way of life that we need to break out of.


We are in a gray area right now. We completed our college applications last semester, and we’re currently in a waiting period to find out where we will end up next year. This is a time full of uncertainty for the future and reflection on the past, but we must be sure to enjoy the present as well.

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Study Abroad: Costa Rica

March 26, 2019 | 2018-2019, Avatars, Sydney Wheeler | No Comments

Everyone who’s just returned from a study abroad trip with Gatton will likely tell you the same things. They’ll say, “It was amazing!” or “I want to go back!” and “I had so much fun.” I hate being a cliché, but I must fall in with the masses when it comes to the study abroad programs that Gatton provides. My winter term study abroad trip to Costa Rica was amazing; I had so much fun, and I want to go back! Our cohort consisted of 16 students, Pokey, Cheryl, Dr. Keith Philips, and his wife Linda. We arrived in sunny, warm Liberia and began the first leg of our trip at Goldring Gund Marine Field Station, helping patrol local beaches for nesting sea turtles. After four days at Playa Grande, we traveled south to Poor Man’s Paradise, located on the Osa Peninsula. There we spent time enjoying the beach, snorkeling, and visiting Corcovado National Park, one of the most biodiverse habitats on Earth. Our last week was spent at Cloudbridge Nature Reserve, split into four research teams with four students each. My group studied carbon sequestration in trees; the other groups studied Bromeliads, Birds, and Dung beetles. We enjoyed our exhausting hikes through the dense primary forest each day and the chance to learn more about our selected topics throughout our week in the cloud forest.

The educational experience the trip provided was a great one, but I might say that the opportunity to connect with staff members t I didn’t know very well, grow even closer with those I did, forage new relationships with classmates, cultivate old ones, and see a new part of the work was the part that truly made a lasting impression. Being with such a small group made me branch out and make new friends with people who I’d never spoken to before, which was one of the highlights of my trip. In ten years I may not remember every detail about the plants and animals we studied while in Costa Rica, but I will certainly remember the experiences my peers and I shared!

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Spring at Gatton

March 14, 2019 | 2018-2019, Avatars, Elizabeth Roebker | No Comments

The first week of March marks spring break 2019; a well-deserved break for the students of the Gatton Academy. For the juniors, spring means Advanced Computational Problem Solving. Spring break is the perfect opportunity to catch up on some sleep and prepare for the second half of the second semester of the year. For the seniors, this marks the last eighth of our time at The Gatton Academy. It has gone by incredibly fast, and I cannot believe that this time two months from now we’ll no longer be high school students. Senioritis is setting in for some of us as March equates to the beginning of college decision crunch time. The last batch of college decisions will be coming out throughout the next month, and by May 1 the Gatton Academy Class of 2019 will have all decided where we are going to be spending the next 2-4 years of our lives. It’s a bittersweet time of the year for the seniors at Gatton as we teeter on the brink of the last stretch of high school.

On a more cheerful note, spring at Gatton also means it’s almost time for prom. Junior prom at Gatton was by far my favorite dance of the year, and for myself and a lot of other juniors it was
the first prom I had ever attended. Gatton Academy students have been looking forward to and preparing for prom all semester. Students recently voted on the theme for this years dance: head in the clouds. Prom committee has been working hard on decorations and arrangements for this semester highlight, and it’s something to look forward to as everyone works hard to finish out this last semester strong.

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When the Work Gets Tough

March 13, 2019 | 2018-2019, Avatars, Georgia Hoffman | No Comments

Not to burst anyone’s bubble or anything, but Gatton course work is not easy. Students come to Gatton to be challenged, to grow and learn how to handle difficulties. My classmates and I have rigorous schedules, and not only do the Gatton staff offer help, they encourage us to ask for it. Each semester there seems to be one particular class that requires more effort and time than the others. For me, these courses were Computer Science first semester, then Computational Problem Solving the next, Calculus 2, and finally Physics. There have been several occasions over the past year and a half where I have hit a wall, and I have learned how to ask for help. 

One great thing about Gatton is that when you are struggling with a class, so are 99 of your closest friends. From 3 AM impromptu CPS peer-tutoring to Calc 2 group reviews, I have benefitted from close-knit communal learning. My classmates and I are always ready and willing to help explain a topic that someone just cannot seem to understand on their own, or look at the code that they have have been struggling with for the past 3 hours.

Gatton also provides tutors in the Great Hall on week nights. There are in-house tutors for Math/Physics, Computer Science, and Biology/Chemistry, but the staff are happy to get students tutors in whatever subject they need. I have personally made sure that the Math and Computer Science tutors earn their pay; last semester I spent approximately six hours each week with the Math tutor thanks to Calculus 2.   

Although the courseload is rigorous, Gatton provides a supportive learning community and tutors for all of your academic needs. After three semesters, I have learned that asking for help is not a sign of weakness or admittance of defeat, but a humbling and mature decision based solely on the desire to succeed. Even Kentucky’s Brightest need a little boost every once in a while.

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A Relaxing Last Semester

March 12, 2019 | 2018-2019, Avatars, Drew Aubry | No Comments

The class of 2019 is finally on the last lap. We are so close to graduating and starting on our next journey, whether that be straight to university or taking a gap year. College apps are finally done and it’s all a waiting game. Admissions decisions, financial aid packages, and summer plans are the only things we have to worry about for the next few months.

For me, I have almost all of my admissions decisions and financial aid package notifications. I’m down to deciding between two colleges. It’s a hard choice but I have a few months left to make it, since May 1st is the deadline. My last semester is infinitely easier than any of my other semesters, since I’m finally taking classes I really want to take outside of the Gatton requirements. These include Communication Sciences and Disorders and German. I have a lot more time to dedicate to things I enjoy doing and learning about like Lacrosse, German, and going to the gym. I’m nervous for graduation, but it feels good to know everything I have been doing for the last two years has been worth it. I’ve made it through to the other side and I’m glad for every experience that I’ve had both inside and outside of the classroom.

I don’t speak for every senior this semester, but many of my peers share experiences like mine this semester. Many of us are down to our final few choices for college and taking classes we really have been able to slow down and enjoy. We have the time to explore things about ourselves, really enjoy our time together, and even help the juniors with their classes if they want it. All in all, our final semester is one of reflection and a little bit of relaxation we haven’t gotten to have in a while.

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