Name: Lulu

Graduation Year: 2027

Middle School: Prospect Sierra

Hometown: Berkeley

Why did you choose College Prep? College Prep has a reputation of being a very academic school, and honestly that scared me. However, as I explored the school, I was so amazed by the quality of the teaching and was blown away by the sense of community. Every time I visited I felt really comfortable and accepted; it just felt like such a joyful place, and one totally right for me.

What is the biggest difference between middle school and high school? I think the biggest difference I noticed in high school is the increased independence. With sports and afterschool activities, it feels like you're doing a lot more things on your own, and you also have much more flexibility with your time (like being able to leave campus for lunch and choosing what to do with your free periods). Your teachers and the adults on campus see you as someone who can handle themselves—you are in charge of how to utilize your resources—and you're also around people who are much older. You’re not going to school with eleven year-olds, which gives you a lot more confidence and a stronger sense of independence. 

What advice would you give to eighth graders applying to high school? Be true to yourself! Try to find a school where you will be appreciated. If you try to engineer yourself in the application, you might end up in a place where you don't feel very comfortable expressing your real personality, or where your authentic self is not appreciated or welcomed. It’s hard to put yourself out there when you're applying. I put a lot of my personality in my application and I remember feeling like the stakes were really high, and honestly I was afraid of getting rejected. I was super happy when I was admitted because I felt that CPS appreciated all sides of myself, even the quirky ones.

What is your favorite place on campus (and why)? I think my favorite place on campus is the music lawn. Especially after school, the music lawn becomes a hub for all the students. People pass through the lawn to the gym deck to get picked up, get ready for sports, or just to hang out. But it’s not just people. The music lawn is a really beautiful place with a lot of seating, trees, and of course, the lawn right in the center. On a sunny day right after the bell rings, nothing beats sitting down with your friends and chatting on the lawn.

Campus Involvement: I am on the tennis and basketball teams. I'm in DIRT club (a gardening club), and am a member of Artsmag, meaning I designed some of the pages in our yearly magazine. I did orchestra my freshman year, am a mentor in the Partners Program, and generally try to participate in lots of the school-sanctioned activities such as the dances, spirit week, and end-of-year carnival. They have all been such amazing opportunities for me to meet people (especially older students), give myself a break from schoolwork, and just have a lot of fun.

What has been your favorite class so far (and why)? Hands down my favorite class so far has been physics. It’s a hard class, but I had a fantastic teacher who was both really great at explaining the concepts in an engaging way and amazing at answering our questions. We were a particularly curious class (and often a little bit behind!) but my teacher would always try to make time for our questions and curiosity, even when they were a bit off topic. Physics was also a fascinating subject. Learning about topics like magnets and electricity—really just how the world works—was fascinating. 

What is your favorite thing about College Prep? My favorite thing about CPS is the environment. People are often drawn to CPS for the academics, but there are so many opportunities for fun outside of academics, such as the dances, spirit weeks, carnival, common classroom, and others. As well as being opportunities to meet new people, all of these activities are great ways to de-stress and build community. In addition, the school has an abundance of support: the learning center, a counselor, advisors, and all of the teachers. Everyone at CPS wants you to succeed, but also understands that there might be times where you need some extra support. They will always be willing to help with anything you need.

What is your favorite character from a movie/book/television series? There are so many to choose from, but one of my favorite movie characters is Robin Buckley from Stranger Things. She’s smart, quirky, and really funny, but her best scenes are always with Steve Harrington. They're a fantastic duo that always makes me laugh. There’s something so unexpected about their friendship, which makes it even more amazing, both of them bringing out new sides of each other.

1. I own 32 enamel pins (sometimes displayed on my backpack)

2. I have blown glass a few times before!

3. I was born without one of my adult teeth (which I still don't have!).