Name: Gardner

Graduation Year: 2025

Middle School: St. Brendan Parish School

Hometown: San Francisco

  

Biggest difference between middle school and high school? The biggest difference for me was the class sizes. I came from a middle school with close to forty students to a single teacher. It was hard for our teachers to focus on students individually. At College Prep though, my biggest class has 16 students, and my smallest has just 5. Having small classes makes it not just possible, but easy to meet with my teachers whenever I need help .

Why did you choose College Prep? I chose College Prep because of its complete education. Obviously, Prep has excellent academics. But for me the real draw was that along with academics, Prep gave students the chance to develop their other interests through athletics and clubs. I also loved how the community seemed so supportive and kind. All the students and teachers that I met during my admissions process were so enthusiastic and kind.

 

Campus Involvement: I am a member of the Varsity Basketball and Baseball teams. Along with playing sports, I am deeply passionate and involved with photography. I am a member of College Prep’s Stream Team which involves recording and streaming school events such as dance performances and sports games. More Recently, along with a few friends and the help of my photography teacher, I started the Media Team. Through the Media Team, I take photoshoots for our sports teams, and make graphics promoting school events for our school’s instagram accounts. I am also a member of the Taiwan Club.  

What has been your favorite class so far (and why)? My favorite class so far is Chemistry. I’ve always been interested in Chemistry, but taking College Prep’s Chem class has just made me fall in love. I could have never imagined how much you could learn from just a simple formula. I love learning about the tiny molecules and atoms that make up the world, and why they act the way they do.  

 

What is your favorite thing about College Prep? My favorite thing about College Prep is the campus. Our campus is not only beautiful, but also helps bring out the best in everyone. It's openness helps create a feeling in our community that everyone is included and important. Being able to walk around in the open air between classes has been a great stress reliever for me and has made meh days into good days.

    

What is your favorite place on campus (and why)? I love the gym. Exercising has always helped me regulate stress, and because the gym is always open, I can go shoot around whenever I want. It is also a great social spot. I love playing 1-on-1 with friends at lunch, or just talking while we shoot around. 

 

What is your best College Prep memory? My favorite Prep memory was when I completely randomly got to be in the cougar suit when our men's volleyball team played in the state finals for North Coast Section. The game was about to start, when my friend, who was scheduled to be in the suit came up to me, and told me that the suit didn't fit him. He asked me to do it instead, and of course, I said yes. The rest of the night was a blur. I ran up and down the court, jumping up and down. I don't think I have ever sweat so hard. When we won in a tie breaker, we all stormed the court. It was such an amazing experience. Seeing the community come together so tightly was so cool to see.

 

What is your favorite character from a movie/book/television series? I loved Sokka from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

 

1. I'm a huge train nerd. 

2. I have screws in my shoulder. 

3. I have been to 33 National Parks.