Class of 2021 Senior Sendoff
As a graduating senior, I’m now reflecting back on the last six years I have spent learning and growing at Stanford Online High School. For a while now, I have been grappling with the question, “What was the most defining factor of my high school education at OHS?” The value of an OHS education is visible through the rigor of its courses, the recognition from colleges, and the academic success of our students. We have exceptionally qualified instructors, who are helpful, approachable and truly passionate about their subject. We are a community of gifted students who genuinely care about making a difference. But, I asked myself, how exactly do all these factors intertwine to make OHS, well, OHS?
To me, the value of an OHS education arises from the emphasis that our school places on developing thought. Through the core curriculum and emphasis on critical thinking in all other realms of OHS academics, instructors create an environment where students are taught not what to think, but rather how to think. The skill of being able to think gives OHSers the ability to engage in uniquely profound intellectual contemplation and discussion, creating a platform where we can formulate our own moral beliefs and perspectives. The exposure to worldviews OHS gives us helps us develop the tools we need to truly understand ourselves and others. As graduates, we are now open-minded thinkers and understanding individuals. Stanford OHS creates students who not only care about, but are indeed capable of, making the world a better place.
Finally, I would like to congratulate the Class of 2021, a class that is a representation of perseverance. The Class of 2021 has faced one of the most challenging years in the history of college admissions, navigating the unknown realms of test optional, while successfully completing our high school education in the midst of a pandemic. We should take pride in our persistence. As we step out of our shells and move on to the next stage of our lives, I suggest we think back to Mill’s harm principle, Rawls’ veil of ignorance, and Descartes’ mind-body dualism. We must look back at the knowledge and skills our time at OHS has given us as we shape our beliefs and our path in this world.
Featured Graduates
Name: Syni Solanki
From: Toronto, Canada
Pixel Journal: What was your favorite class at OHS?
Syni Solanki: AP Biology
PJ: What are your plans after high school?
SS: Studying biology at UCSD and hopefully becoming a doctor!
Name: Emma Dreispiel
From: Colombia
Pixel Journal: What was your favorite class at OHS?
Emma Dreispiel: DFRL and AP ELC
PJ: What are your plans after high school?
ED: I'll be going to UPenn in the Fall! Over the summer, I mostly plan to spend time with my family before going off to college, and maybe I'll get more into cooking.
PJ: What are you passionate about? What do you plan to study? Tell us anything that you think we should know about you!
ED: I'm going to study chemical engineering. After that, I'll probably go to grad school and I hope to end up working in a lab/pharmaceutical company or maybe something in biotech. I'm really passionate about literature too, so I hope I can study comparative literature as well and keep writing along the way.
PJ: What do you think was the most defining factor of your high school education at OHS?
ED: Absolutely my friends—they made everything so much better and were a huge support when I was stressed.
Name: Maddie Ward
From: Charlotte, NC
Pixel Journal: What was your favorite class at OHS?
Maddie Ward: DFRL
PJ: What are your plans after high school?
MW: Taking a gap year to dance, explore a possible interest in medicine working as a CNA, write (and attempt to get some stuff published)… also finish a huge list of books to read! Then, I am headed to Macalester in fall 2022.
PJ: What are you passionate about? What do you plan to study? Tell us anything that you think we should know about you!
MW: This is not finalized (and has changed a ton), but as of right now I'm thinking about a double major in Poli Sci and English. A lot of reading and writing, I know! But I'm passionate about government and social justice issues, and developing my communication skills will prepare me for a potential career in those areas. I'm also considering medicine, and will go pre-med depending on my gap year experiences :)
PJ: What do you think was the most defining factor of your high school education at OHS?
MW: Learning to adapt to a new school environment. I joined OHS as a junior after spending all of my school years at a full-time B&M school, and it was quite the transition. While it took me a bit to adjust to all the quirks of OHS, I'm so happy that I pushed through those first few months, and wouldn't change anything about my past two years here. I will miss everyone here dearly!
Name: Tatiana Streidl
From: Frisco, Texas
Pixel Journal: What was your favorite class at OHS?
Tatiana Streidl: Study of the Mind
PJ: What are your plans after high school?
TS: Attend college at CU Boulder to study psychology, get my PhD, and eventually get a cat named Brian.
PJ: What are you passionate about? What do you plan to study? Tell us anything that you think we should know about you!
TS: I love understanding how and why people function the way they do both as individuals and as a society, which is why I plan on studying psychology (and maybe a little sociology as well).
PJ: What do you think was the most defining factor of your high school education at OHS?
TS: I think the most defining factor of my education here was the flexibility the online program offers to students including myself!
Name: Anonymous
Pixel Journal: What was your favorite class at OHS?
A: DFRL
PJ: What are your plans after high school?
A: I'm hoping to pursue scientific research throughout college and explore a variety of different fields. I think I'll have a better sense of what I want to do after college once I've gone through a good amount of college.
PJ: What are you passionate about? What do you plan to study? Tell us anything that you think we should know about you!
A: I'm currently planning to study math, but that is subject to change. I'm generally just hoping to gain a more solid theoretical foundation in the sciences and become a more open-minded thinker in general.
And to share my own plans as well…
I’m planning to spend the summer working on music, something I haven't had enough time to do during the school year. After that, I’ll be headed to Columbia University in the fall, possibly to major in Economics–Philosophy (as inspired by DFRL, CRA, Advanced Topics in Philosophy, and AP ELC, some of my favorite classes at OHS), although I’m pretty undecided right now. I also want to make an impact in my community through social work and activism, and intend to do so in college through joining clubs that help support women and underprivileged children.