Gabriela Muzzi, Helena Kallas, Mariana Prata and Olivia Queiroz
Have you ever wondered what it takes to be admitted into the college of your dreams? The path to college is a nerve-wracking journey with passion, persistence, and a bit of luck.
As the school year comes to an end, the class of 2024 is thrilled to embark on their next chapter! As they depart, they live a legacy of laughter and companionship, that will be cherished in EABH history. Collaborating in The Daily Hawk, our graduating seniors have generously shared the statistics they submitted to universities during their college application process.
The purpose of this column is to provide guidance to high schoolers embarking on the journey toward college applications. It seeks to provide an understanding of the qualities and accomplishments required to be admitted to your dream college!
Below you will find the college lists, AP courses taken, awards earned, extracurricular activities, SAT scores, GPAs, Personal Statement themes, and essays from a few seniors.
Gabriela Molinari— committed to Brown University
Accepted to:
In the United States: Brown University Early Decision
In The United Kingdom: The University of St. Andrews, The University of Edinburgh (SCT), King's College London (EGL).
Advanced Placement classes taken throughout high school:
AP World History (4)
AP Psychology (5) [Online]
AP US History (4)
AP Physics 1 (4)
AP English Lang & Comp (5)
AP Seminar (4)
AP Computer Science Principles (4) [Online]
AP Biology (Test Not Taken)
AP Calculus (Awaiting Score)
AP English Lit (Awaiting Score)
AP Research (Awaiting Score)
AP Comp. Gov't (Awaiting Score)
AP 2D Art (Awaiting Score)
SAT: 1510 (760 Math, 750 Reading)
Main Extracurriculars:
EABH Community Action Club (Founder & President, 2 Years)
National English Honor Society (Founding Year, President, 1 Year)
Technovation Club (Secretary, 2 Years)
Professional Vocal Training (Student, Since 2011)
Dance (Student, 4 Years)
National Honor Society (Member, 3 Years)
+ any summer programs/extra classes taken
Awards:
AP Scholar with Distinction
AP International Diploma
Certificate of Academic Achievement from the Office of Overseas Schools of the US State Department
Academic Platinum Medal (x1)
Academic Gold Medal (x2)
GPA: Unweighted 3.94, Weighted 4.33
Personal Statement topic: “About my summer study abroad at the University of Oxford and my relationship with identity, academics, and interpersonal relationships.”
Isa Taranto - committed to the University of Toronto
Advanced Placement classes taken throughout high school:
APs Human Geography
APs World History
APs Calc AB
APs Spanish
APs Lang
APUSH
APs Seminar
APs Psych
APs Research
APs Lit
APs Bio
APs CompGov
SAT: 1450 (760 English and 690 Math)
Main Extracurriculars:
NHS President
Daily Hawk Content Director
MUN Executive Member
Internship at a social impact startup
Harvard Crimson summer intern
Awards:
Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition
MUN awards
AP Scholar/International Diploma
Academic Excellence Awards
Gold/platinum medals
GPA: 4.0 UW, 4.4 W
Personal statement topic: “My personal statement was about my name, and the fact that it is quite unusual.”
Edward Manson - committed to University of Notre Dame
Advanced Placement classes taken throughout high school:
AP Spanish
AP Human Geography
AP United States History
AP Seminar
AP Macroeconomics
AP Microeconomics
AP World History
AP Physics
AP United States Government and Politics
AP Statistics
AP Comparative Government
AP English Literature and Composition
AP Research
AP Calculus AB
AP Scholarship Award - 2022
SAT: 1400
Main Extracurriculars:
Community service:
Foundation Board Member
Girafa Family Foundation - Fundação Girafa
Identifying prospective projects; coordinating with third-party suppliers; supervising advocacy for children; delivering supplies to families in need.
President/Group Leader
Valentina Project
Designed 3D prosthetic limbs for adults and children. Devoted my time to the measuring process and manually assembling the prosthetic devices.
Secretary, President (two-term)
Global Issues Network
Founded student-led project to teach English to school staff; appointed group leader of the Vertical Garden project: focused on environmental education and amplifying the green space on campus.
Work experience:
Founder and President
Investors Academy
Plan and execute weekly meetings and projects regarding equities, fixed income, macro outlook, and Brazil’s market trends and volatility
Internship:
Intern
UBS
Participated in strategic meetings with Black Rock and Bloomberg. Dove into portfolio management, fundamental analysis, and the macro/political outlook.
Student Gov:
Vice-President, President
EABH Student Council
Planned meetings, provided support for class representatives, delegated tasks, and worked collaboratively with the school administration to carry out projects
Sports:
Basketball, Captain; (2) Soccer, Captain
Coaches Award in 2022-23 season; qualified for the Final Four National Championship, São Paulo
Volleyball/Middle Blocker; (2) Futsal, Captain
Two Championship Titles, MVP Award in National Schools Tournament; qualified to the Final Four Tournament in Rio de Janeiro;
Awards:
Gold Medalist; Brazilian National History Olympics: several evaluation stages (essays and tests)
National Honor Society; Secretary; Vice-President
Mu Alpha Theta (Math Honors Society), Member
Drama Excellence Award
Citizenship Award
GPA: 3.99 unweighted and 4.28 weighted
Personal statement topic: “My two hobbies I am passionate about - basketball and backgammon, and how they shape who I am.”
Thuptim June Appleton (Ruby) - committed to Tufts
Accepted to:
Tufts, University of Florida, Grinnell, William and Mary, George Washington University, Fordham, etc.
Advanced Placement classes taken throughout high school:
AP World History 5
AP US History 5
AP Language and Composition 4
AP Seminar 3
AP Psychology 4
AP Research (awaiting)
AP Calculus AB (awaiting)
AP Comparative Government (awaiting)
AP Language and literature (awaiting)
SAT: 1330 (720 English, 610 math)
Main Extracurriculars:
Debate/Speech
President, EABH Model UN
Head Organizer, TEDXEABH
Proposed and am organizing a TED talk at my school to learn stories
about compassion; coordinating between staff, speakers, and team
Won various awards through school, national, international UN simulation
organized seminars and conferences for people to build their MUN skills
Research
Selected member, EABH Design Team
Chosen to be part of an 8 person team that is devoted to bettering school;
conducted interviews and brainstormed ideas for school improvement
Academic
Captain and president, EABH knowledge hawks
Created and led pioneer team to national competitions; showcased
leadership, teamwork, and knowledge of various topics;
gained award for excellence
Community service volunteer
Vice president of EABH community action club
Organized monthly volunteering opportunities for 45+ members;
Gained over 150+ volunteer hours while learning leadership skills
Member, Paulo Freire da National Honor Society
Chosen to be part of a exclusive club within my school; participated in
volunteer activities that focused on bettering Belo Horizonte
Break
Actor, Candy Group Modeling
Learned discipline and hard work by starring in an advertisement; improved acting and communication skills; invested earrings into education
Journalism/publication
Editor-in-chief and Member, Wells News Network and The Daily Hawk
Created and led a 35+ publication service; wrote articles covering
international, national, and school topics;
Sent on trips to cover school events
Theater/Drama
Founder and President, Wells Drama Club
Created and led 30+ member club; organized fundraisers, plays, and
school-wide events to have students engage in theater
Other Club/Activity
Other Club/Activity
Advanced Open Water Scuba Diver, PADI
Learned a unique skill that she's passionate about; explored deep waters and frostered
Awards:
Presidential Achievement Award (International level)
AP scholar with distinction (International level)
EABH platinum and gold medals (school level)
Specific EC award = 6 MUN awards and 1 KB award
3rd best national knowledge bowl team
GPA: 4.30 cumulative weighted
Personal statement:
Rubys personal statement revolves around her journey navigating the complexities of dual cultures in divergent countries. As an American Thai, Ruby moved around the world and had to learn how to deal with emotions such as outsiderhood. The essay wraps up in her ultimate acceptance and pride of their self discovery amongst a multitude of cultures.
"“What? You didn’t know Rhode Island wasn’t an island? Are you even American?” my cousin asked me. “Um, yeah… Why would it have island in the name if it isn’t one?” I replied. A different cousin chimed in, “No, guys, she doesn’t even feel American like us. Of course she won't know about our states.” I sat there, thinking the same thing as them. They were right. There were many things that I didn’t know about my “own” culture and country. What kind of American doesn’t know that Rhode Island isn’t an island? While I was sitting beside the most important people in my life, my heart pounding, throat burning, and eyes filling with tears, I came to the revelation that I wasn’t American enough. I never have been. If I was, I wouldn’t be sitting in my so-called home surrounded by my family, feeling like a total outsider.
I was born and raised in the land of smiles: a place where there are thirteen different ways of grinning, expressing emotion and care without words. Thailand, my home. There was only one key difference about me: I wasn’t actually Thai, at least not by the local definition. I grew up being the only blonde, white baby within a three hundred mile radius. My hometown of Roi Et, nestled within the Northeast of Thailand and populated by more rice fields than people, was not a key destination for many tourists. Strangers on the street would often take photos of me, their first sighting of a ‘farang’ baby, the word that I was taunted with throughout my life. My mom tried to protect me, neither of us liked the attention, but people insisted, even offering to pay for a photo with me. I had the urge to dye my hair black just to have the comments cease. I would cry to my parents to make it stop. All I wanted to do was to fit in. To not look “American.” These interactions and feelings continued on into my middle school years. On the streets, people would whisper about me in a language they thought I could not understand. I would get denied taxis regularly due to the assumption I could not communicate with them. I got used to seeing the jarred faces of street vendors when I would converse with them in fluent Thai. I was not confused on why I was treated differently. There was an obvious answer to that. The place I love so dearly, my homeland, was just another place for me to be an outsider.
I spent so many years struggling with where I was truly from. I delved deep into what it meant to be from somewhere, what makes an international identity truly international, and how to make myself feel better. I immersed myself in Thai and American media, binge watching CW Teen shows and learning all the Thai recipes my aunties could teach me. I educated myself on the going-ons within both countries, the gruelling elections of the US and the impending revolution of Thailand. While doing this, I slowly started to realize something: you can try your whole life to deny your cultural identity but that does not mean you will succeed. Both countries are part of who I am. I am as American as I am Thai. I am red, white and blue. I would not be the person I am today if I wasn’t brought up eating as much mango sticky rice as apple pie. Instead of cowering at the question “Where are you from?” like before, I say proudly that I am American-Thai. And instead of feeling shame in it, I say proudly that I did not know Rhode Island was not an island."
Luiza Ribeiro - Committed to Stanford University
Advanced Placement classes taken during high school:
AP Human Geography
AP Spanish
AP World History
AP Language
AP Seminar
APUSH
AP Calc AB
AP CSA
AP Biology
AP Comparative Government
AP Literature
AP Research
AP Statistics
AP Calculus BC
SAT: SAT optional
Main Extracurriculars:
Intern at Vinteum Software: Led a project to improve the software's features - implemented by the company; coordinated all social media - designed 300 posts; wrote 19 articles.
Developer/Founder of Tigent (App published on app store): Helps users with time management skills; sponsored activities for Mensa kids.
Developer/Founder of Healthily (App published on app store): Helps people maintain healthy eating habits; supports 4 NGOs: World Food Programme, Heifer International, Action Against Hunger, and The Hunger Project.
The Daily Hawk (Editor-In-Chief)
Co-wrote/Published a 250+ page book ("Libélulas"): It was launched at Jenipapo and distributed at local bookstores.
Founder and President of Technovation: The programming club at school currently developing an app to translate phrases into sign language
English and Programming tutor at Fundação Vicintin
ByJu's Future School course: Learned JavaScript/Python. Coded 2 websites, 50 small apps/games, and 5 search systems capable of analyzing a planet's susceptibility to human life.
Immerse Education Online Summer Program: Computer science program that covered arrays, search and sorting algorithms, lambda lists, classes, recursive functions, and hash tables in Python (Rec letter from Oxford tutor).
StuCo Vice-President
Awards:
Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition Central/South America Creative Winner (5000+ competitors)
Copernicus - Science Competition: Bronze Medal (10,000 participants); Qualified to Global Round at Houston
Teen Eagle Bronze Medal - English language competition (over 12,000 participants)
AP International Diploma & AP Scholar with distinction
Presidential Award for Academic Excellence
Immerse Education Writing Competition: Awarded a 10% scholarship to their summer program (7% of 10,000 applicants were awarded a scholarship)
Immerse Education Blog Competition: Awarded a 30% scholarship to their online summer program (7% of applicants are awarded a scholarship)
Gold Medal (2014-2021)
Platinum Medal (2022): Awarded to those from grades 11 and 12 with a weighted GPA above 4.0.
VANDA (2023): Honorable Mention (International Science Competition)
Varsity Volleyball: ISSL - Bronze Medal
GPA: Unweighted: 4.0, Weighted: 4.8
Personal statement:
" I flipped through the vanilla-scented pages, so deeply lost in the story that I barely noticed the bright glowing orbs appear as the sky turned to night. When I looked up, I marveled at the spectacle and started connecting each star so they made a gleaming picture on the black canvas. When I went back to my Florida apartment, I picked up my pencil and wrote a short story about a little girl who built a rocket and went to space. It's not that I was specifically interested in astronomy; it's that I was intrigued by everything, and anything I was intrigued by, I wrote about.
Writing: definitely my favorite device for expression. One year later, I lost my front tooth. I kept my lips firmly closed when I went back to school, determined to keep the big gap in my smile hidden. I found myself sitting in the corners, with a pencil and journal in my hand, transferring the tight knots in my mind to figures that intertwined on the pages — there was a certain comfort in communicating inaudibly as it was easier to make sense of whatever was happening, of whatever troubled me at the moment. When the words leave your lips, they dissipate in the air, lost eternally, but when you write them down, they are there permanently, solidly materialized on a piece of paper — and you can call it yours forever. At the age of seven, I already knew exactly what I wanted to be: a writer. That was until I found music.
Piano: definitely my favorite instrument to play. The piano would sit there so majestically under the dim and mystical light of the hotel lobby. My eyes twinkled and my hands itched as I got closer. Suddenly, a boy sat down and started playing. I wanted to learn how to play like that too — and soon I did. My fingers would dance over the keys like a ballerina, her movements graceful and fluid, pouring out every emotion, every sense, to create a painting of sound. One morning, I saw my brother’s fingers tapping out a similar rhythm to my own, only on a computer keyboard. He was writing, but in a way I couldn't understand. His dance was composed of words like if and for, but they didn't make a story like words tend to do. My mom saw me staring and asked if I wanted to learn how to program. I let out a dry laugh.
Coding: no, definitely not for me — or so I thought. When I decided to create an app for my International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program Personal Project, however, I joined a coding course. When I printed ‘Hello World’ into the console for the first time, it felt like I was introducing myself to the world, this new place, full of limitless possibilities. Now, I would find myself sitting in another corner, with a laptop this time, writing down lines and lines of code, always intrigued to discover something new, to develop something unique. When I press the keys of my piano to create a song, or the keys of my laptop to write a story, or even those of my computer to create a program, I feel like every piece of me lights up. The three seem like completely separate interests, but they’re not — they're all languages that I speak, what I use to connect with others. Connecting person to person like I once connected the stars in the Florida sky. I have found other ways to continue telling stories: whether through words I bring to life, melodies I play, or codes I create for others. A storyteller, I will always be. "
Marcela Borlido - committed to University of Miami
Advanced Placement classes taken during high school:
AP Spanish
AP World History
AP Language and Acquisition
AP US History
AP Physics I
AP Macroeconomics
AP Politics
AP Psychology
AP Seminar
AP Research
AP Comparative Government
AP Literature
AP Calculus I
AP Biology
SAT: N/A
Main Extracurriculars:
Co - Founder and Leader ( fabricate and donate mattresses to communities that were alagadas in BH by the floods)
A blog developed to teach and highlight important things of finance, and economics along with investments.
Project to collect "lacres" in my community and donate.
Volleyball Captain 2021 - 2024, Most Valuable Player 2021 - 2024, Soccer Co Captain 2022 - 2024 and Basketball Most Valuable Player 2022
Leadership and Service founder and President
President and Class Rep
Global Issues Network: President and Secretary
Awards:
Citizenship Award and Gold Medal
Volleyball MVP
Presidential Award
Platinum Medal
Volleyball and Basketball MVP
GPA: N/A
Personal Statement: Individual growth influenced by family, culture and challenges.
Watching our current seniors work hard and getting into their dream universities definitely feels different. After all those years of intense friendship and closeness between seniors at EABH, it is more than clear that all the seniors will live a very happy and fulfilling life. With all the pride in our hearts, we can finally say congratulations to the Class of 2024!
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