Reflections on Starting a New School by Kalyn Carroll '22

Hello, my name is Kalyn. I’m a new incoming junior. I’ve never experienced being the “new” kid, so the thought that it would be awkward and uncomfortable were my biggest worries. But as soon as I met the students here, I was immediately welcomed with open arms. Everyone was super friendly and fun to talk to; going to the events put on by the student council were the days I looked forward to the most. It really helped me find the bright side of being quarantined and gave me something to be excited about again. I started getting more involved with the school by joining clubs, joining Committees, and offering help to plan events. At that point, it was kind of hard to stay positive with the pandemic numbers rising in California and the wildfires getting out of control. I was starting to worry, I luckily wasn’t close enough to the fires to be in danger, but looking out the window and seeing smoke and ash was really scary. It really felt as if we were entering the apocalypse. But I kept coming back to my classmates, who still managed to make me smile and enjoy myself. Whittle so far has been a real game-changer in my life, and I’m beyond exciting to continue to get to know them and, eventually, me in person!