Category: 2015-2016

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Avatar Intro: Rohan Deshpande

August 18, 2015 | 2015-2016, Avatars, Rohan Deshpande | No Comments

Deshpande, Rohan 2Before coming to Gatton, I had lived an academically deprived life. I was born and raised in a rural Wisconsin town with a population of about 2,500, so the scholastic opportunities were hard to come by. Up until 5th grade, everybody had the same schedule because there were only six different classes per grade. However, in 7th grade, my family moved to Oldham County, which marked a notable improvement in the quality of education, and I was grateful. In late November of my 8th grade year, my older brother came home talking about this “Gatton place.” He applied, got in, and told me all about the experience. Based on his words of praise, I decided to apply and, fortunately, I was accepted. That day, my brother told me Gatton was an entirely different environment when compared to “regular” high school, and he was right.

My first year at the Academy was unlike anything I had experienced before. I had no parents to nag me and constant social interactions. I enjoyed staying up late talking to my peers about whatever came to mind; various conversation topics included our daily struggles with our classes, recent sports and video game standings, and anything else that caught our eye during the day. Although the courses were more difficult than my previous high school, I truly felt relaxed. If there was any school work or personal hardships I was going through, there was always someone to talk to. Looking back on my first year, I have no regrets and I hope the second year goes as smoothly as the first. I have never studied, traveled, or had as much fun as I did my first year at Gatton and I look forward to the sharing the experience with the next class.

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By Gatton Academy

Avatar Intro: Niven Achenjang

August 18, 2015 | 2015-2016, Avatars, Niven Achenjang | No Comments

Achenjang, Niven 1After finishing my last final of the spring semester, having overcome a beast of a 10-page CS (computer science) paper, 18 hours of difficult classes (plus seminar), and the highest levels of procrastination and laziness I have ever experienced in my life, I was ready for summer vacation. I needed the break not only to ease off and forget about class, but also to take a step back and process everything I had gone through the previous year. In one year, I had moved 3 hours away from my parents, began new, close friendships, learned more than I had in any previous year, and matured a great deal.

Looking ahead to what this year holds, I expect it will be full of excitement, trials, and of course, new experiences. I look forward to being able to take more advance courses, and plan on learning from the mistakes I made last year. As an example, I plan on managing my time better. During junior year, I spent little time being productive and did not put in much effort to get to know everyone; I hope this year to more responsibly divide my time and to spend it with a larger range of people. In addition to this, I look forward to the memories, both seen and unforeseen, that I will inevitably make. I expect to play my first intramural sport at WKU, do a research project, and meet a host of new people; these all feel like they will be very memorable experiences.

Throughout this blog, I have spoken more about what I do than about who I am. Simply put, I am a guy who enjoys math, computer science, sarcasm, and physical activities. Without going into too much detail about myself, if you want someone to talk math and CS with, you need someone to play Frisbee with, you want to go running with someone, or you just want to share a joke with someone, I’m your man.

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By Gatton Academy

Avatar Intro: Jenna Ellis

August 18, 2015 | 2015-2016, Avatars, Jenna Ellis | No Comments

Ellis, Jenna 1Hi I’m Jenna! I’m from Gallatin County in Northern Kentucky, and I originally went to Gallatin Co. HS. When I first came to Gatton, my interests were in microbiology. I originally did research with the Genome Discovery and Exploration Program. After my first semester at The Gatton Academy, I became interested in Computer Science. During this past summer, I conducted research in Computer Science with a past professor, (and a fellow senior, Eura Shin) that dealt with the mathematic topic of Knot Theory and knot simplification programs. Beyond school, I enjoy working out, listening to music, watching How I Met Your Mother and Breaking Bad, hanging out with friends, and volunteering to help with activities at the Academy.

The Academy has presented me with so many great opportunities to expand my knowledge, make great friends, and put myself out in the world for the first time on my own. I couldn’t imagine being any other place!

During my senior year, I look forward to getting to know all of the incoming juniors, and helping them make their first semesters here as successful and enjoyable as possible. I’m also excited to share my great experiences at the Academy with prospective students and their parents from all around the state. Gatton is a truly one of a kind community perfectly suited for the gifted students of Kentucky, and I’m so excited to see what kind of fun my senior year will hold!

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By Gatton Academy

Avatar Intro: Annie B. Wetzel

August 18, 2015 | 2015-2016, Annie B. Wetzel, Avatars | No Comments

Wetzel, Anne BI was raised in Princeton, a small town where everybody’s name is ingrained in your memory by grade school and you can always count on a quick arrival to any destination due to the fact that there are only two major stoplights. My imagination and yearning for adventure are the products of growing up on a cattle farm outside the city lines.

In 2014, I packed my bags and headed off to The Gatton Academy. It was my chance to break the tight bonds of a small town and to explore a new world where I would be challenged and among likeminded students.

When my mom would call and ask how the Academy was on a scale of 1 to 10, I would always reply, “10.” I loved every minute of my first year. I was quickly immersed in the cultures of both Gatton and Western Kentucky University. When I wasn’t studying or doing homework, I would hang out with friends or binge watch an assortment of Netflix shows (because if you watch Grey’s Anatomy you are basically a surgeon, right?). I met some of my best friends over the course of a year. It is hard not to become close when you live under the same roof. Late night dance parties, cookie pizza runs, and treks around campus became normal everyday life activities.

The Gatton Academy may have the stereotypical reputation in which everyone slaves over schoolwork and never sees daylight in order to master various subjects, but that is far from the truth. I have laughed more than ever, danced more than ever, and discussed truly interesting topics more than ever. The Academy is just as social as it is academic.

I look forward to spending my last year soaking up every moment. I always loved sharing my experience at the Academy with friends and family back home and I now have the opportunity to speak to various students, parents, and others interested in learning more about my school. I cannot wait to begin my senior year and am excited to see what the new school year will bring.

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By Gatton Academy