One of the major obstacles she encountered in high school was writing essays, but Ms. Wilkes, her English teacher, provided her with wonderful feedback that allowed her to become a better writer. The TOK essay and presentation proved to be difficult, but Melanie’s overall experience in TOK was very enjoyable as it tested the boundaries of her knowledge. Besides academics, Melanie pursued extracurricular activities such as track, cross country, and playing the cello in the WPHS orchestra.

As the pandemic emerged last year, a significant shift in learning techniques occurred for all students. Melanie feels that the workload during her spring semester became lighter and more manageable, however she feels that she missed out on opportunities because of the cancellation of many events. Still, Melanie was able to have memorable experiences during her senior year, such as Rushing’s Rations, where students brought in food and shared during Rushing’s lecture, and the Castro Trial for IB History.

After Melanie completed the IB Program, she decided to attend Florida State University “because of the Bright Future Scholarship” and because she “liked the campus in comparison to other Florida universities.” For her first year of college, Melanie decided to live on-campus and attend two in-person classes, while the rest were remote. She is pursuing a degree in Biomedical Engineering and applying to the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program in the spring. Currently, she is “taking prerequisites for [her] major, so the classes are not too hard.” She has continued pursuing her passion for running by joining FSU’s cross country and track teams. In addition, Melanie is a member of the American Medical Student Association.

Looking back on her time in the IB Program, the course that helped Melanie the most in terms of “time management” and provided her with a “bunch of credits for college” was HL Biology. The course, taught by Ms. Patel, was especially helpful for her chosen major because it covers a lot of the same material as her college classes.

For students beginning the college application process, Melanie recommends focusing “on getting a good SAT or ACT score” and doing “research into what each college has to offer.” She also suggests that students start creating a “set plan of what they want to do,” while also understanding that it’s okay to be uncertain and change course at a later date. For students who are about to head to college, Melanie recommends attending lectures with prepared notes and a prior understanding of the reading materials. After reflecting on her time at WPHS, it’s clear that Melanie rose to the challenge of the IB Program and gained the skills necessary to be successful as she continues to engage in her passions at Florida State University.