How would you rate your experience at WHSAD?
I would rate my WHSAD experience as very different than any other school I’ve been to. WHSAD has a very light hearted but serious atmosphere, and it’s not like any other place
What could you tell other WHSAD students about the programs with which you may be involved?
I would tell other WHSAD students to enjoy them. They’re all very fun, and they help you get a grasp on a skill. Like Newspaper or Makerspace, it could come in handy for the future, so enjoy them. They’re potentially really helpful and look good on your resume.
Could you describe your experience with the resources WHSAD provides?
My experience with the resources WHSAD provides is very good. WHSAD is one of the only schools in New York that pay for your AP test. They also have tutoring, various clubs to fill time, and great staff to be there when you need it. WHSAD gives your more resources than other school for you to succeed.
Do you have a specific project that you look fondly at?
Could you describe the project and its purpose? There are two projects I fondly remember. One of which was creating a house in Revit and Mr. Koestner’s Oscar Wao project. The Revit one is very simple because I’m aspiring to be an architect, so designing my first house is special. It was like a step into a new world. It was also super fun since Mr. Rodriquez let us design it how we wanted and Revit gives you almost unlimited possibilities and resources. But the Oscar Wao project may be my favorite because I felt as if I never put so much effort into a project before. Mr. Koestner gave us two weeks and I treated the project like a job, in which I spent day in day out work on this section then that section then the writing process. The Oscar Wao project really made all the students balance different types of tasks and your grade on the project really reflects that. On how well you could even disperse your effort among a tiring task which I feel like what Mr. Koestner was going for teaching WHSAD students time management that’s why I think it’s my favorite, as it subconsciously made me better.
What advice could you provide to underclassmen at WHSAD?
Just keep going. It’s not hard if you focus and pay attention. Everyone learns differently but as long as you focus, you’ll get it but also never say you’re not trying. If you’re not trying, there’s no point of you coming to school.
All the work you’re doing now, how will it benefit your path in the future?
I think all the work I’ve done has created a great path in the future for me, as I feel like every class focused on an aspect of improvement. English was time management, while math was prioritizing. As you didn’t want to miss Ms. Decker’s delta math homework, which can be really time consuming, Spanish was communication, Global is goal setting, architecture is planning: Planning your house and ideas from the beginning to make it as successful as possibly. All of these classes that I’ve taken serve as fragments and what it means to be successful, and passing those classes, I see the improvements I needed to make in my classes. My overall performance in my classes now serve as telltale signs of that. Classes such as Pre-Calculus, English, and U.S. History always have different layers to each of the lessons, which has helped my knowledge and my personality flourish. This has impacted my life more than anything.