Maggie Frost says:

April 11, 2009 at 1:46 pm

I graduated from the Mass Academy in 2005 and am soon to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy as a member of the class of 2009. I am currently ranked 4th in my class of 1074 and will be attending Oxford University in England on a full scholarship directly following being commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy. Following grad school, I will be going to flight school to become a Navy pilot. Any success I have had in my undergraduate career is directly linked to the lessons that I learned at Mass Academy.

These lessons can be summarized into three main areas. First, I gained an incredibly strong foundation in technical competence. As an aerospace engineering major, I found myself a step ahead of most of my classmates in our many technically-oriented classes. This served me very well, allowing me to not only succeed in the engineering classes I took, but also to validate several of the required math courses which freed up enough of my credits for me to pursue a language minor. I can distinctly remember multiple occasions when I was sitting in a challenging class and realized that I was directly applying concepts that I learned either at Mass Academy or during senior year at WPI. Had I not had the preparation that I received at Mass Academy, many of my classes would have been much more of a struggle.

Secondly, I learned how to think critically. One of my engineering professors once told me that when a company hires an engineer, they aren’t hiring someone who already knows exactly how to build the airplane that they need to build. They are hiring someone who knows how to think critically and who will be able to figure out how to build the airplane better than anyone else as a result. I believe that training in critical thinking cannot begin early enough, and sadly most high school students are more proficient at rote memorization than actually understanding problem solving. Mass Academy, by nature of its attitude that how you solve a problem is more important than its actual solution, encourages development of critical thinking skills early and often. I have applied the critical thinking abilities that I learned at Mass Academy every day over the past four years.

Finally, I learned time management and organization. The Naval Academy is a constant-stress environment, both deliberately as a subtle preparation for the rigors of combat and also as a result of simply having a great many things to accomplish and only so many hours in the day in which to do it. Because of the time management lessons that I learned during Mass Academy’s intensive junior year, I found that I was able to balance the many demands on my time far better than the majority of my classmates.

The ways in which I have benefited from studying at Mass Academy are by no means limited to just these areas. The fantastic language instruction at Mass Academy truly set me up for success in an Arabic minor and the year of college classes at WPI were a tremendous preparation for the independence, self-reliance, and intellectual diversity required for study at any university. I cannot say enough about the competence and devotion of the faculty, who are willing to work as hard as is needed to help their students gain the tools to succeed in college and in life. My fellow students with whom I graduated will be the leaders of America’s future and we will all benefit from our mutual contacts in the years to come. We were able to challenge each other and learn from each other to a far greater degree than at any other high school, due to being far more exposed to each other on a daily basis than gifted students scattered throughout a larger institution. I will be reaping the rewards of having studied at Mass Academy for the rest of my life and I consider it a tragedy for a politician to even discuss its closure.

I believe that the greatness of American society, though founded in the common strengths of its entire population, is furthered and advanced by the efforts and abilities of its great men and women. One person with talent and motivation can invent the light bulb, derive the concept of relativity, or inspire a nation to rise to its feet. Each of us in our everyday activities stands on the shoulders of those few who used their superior abilities for the betterment of mankind. If America desires to remain the greatest nation in the world, we must raise up our great students and give them every weapon in our arsenal in order to ensure their success. It is our promising young people who will create the technology and conduct the research that will improve the quality of life for each and every one of us. If we fail our talented students, we as a society will fail to retain our preeminence in a rapidly changing world. This is true for students of every subject, but most importantly for those who are technically inclined. America owes its global superiority to the superiority of its technology. Our national security and economic strength depend on our ability to create new and better technology before the rest of the world. It is our great students who will someday grow up to accomplish just that, but they cannot do it alone. They need support and guidance, and institutions such as Mass Academy, which set their students upon the road to become technical leaders, are essential to meet this need. I have no doubt that it is only a matter of time before a Mass Academy graduate accomplishes something tremendous enough to put its name in the headlines, but until then, it needs a chance to continue its vital work. We as a society need to have faith in the best among us and boost them up as high as we can so that someday they may repay our investment by using the lessons they learned at Mass Academy to change America and the world for the better.

Sarah (Sargent) Leshay says:

April 11, 2009 at 2:28 pm

I am a graduate of the Mass Academy Class of 2002. I attended the Academy because I was looking for a school where I would be challenged, which I did not feel was happening at my sending school. There is no doubt that the Academy provided many challenges for our class - for the first time, many of us were no longer at the “top” of our class. We had peers who set a high bar and teachers who challenged us to go beyond what we had been asked to do prior to attending the Academy. What I learned at the Academy went beyond the math, science, programming and other academic subjects I took - it taught me time management, organization, persistence, and pushed me to push myself beyond what was easy.

I attended Northeastern University after graduation, where I finished a BS in Biology and a MAT in Secondary Education. I found that my experience at the Academy prepared me to manage my time and work independently in college, something my peers had a difficult time with. I was able to receive credit for several of the courses I had taken at WPI which allowed me to graduate in 5 years with both degrees, one six month co-op, and a year-long internship student teaching.

I currently teach high school science at Bedford High School in Bedford, Massachusetts. Last year, I was asked to help start a rookie FIRST Robotics team at BHS - I had been exposed to FIRST through the Academy and said I would take on the challenge. We leave on Wednesday for our second Championship event in two years. I most likely never would have taken on the challenge of coaching a brand-new team if it wasn’t for the experiences I had at the Academy.

The Academy was a huge factor in shaping who I am. It truly taught me to stretch beyond what I thought I was capable of and see what I could accomplish. I try to instill that lesson in the students in my classroom so that they can be challenged to give their personal best. I hope that the Academy continues to be a place where students are able to grow and stretch beyond their comfort zones.

Karen Mendelson says:

April 12, 2009 at 4:52 pm

This year marks my 10 year reunion since I graduated from the Mass Academy in 1999. Prior to attending the Academy I had been a student at both public and private schools and I can say that, without a doubt, the Mass Academy was certainly the most innovative, meaningful, and enjoyable to these academic experiences. The Academy is unique in that it teaches a way of thinking and problem solving that has stayed with me to this day. The Mass Academy was truly a remarkable educational experience and greatly influenced my decision to pursue a career in science. I graduated from Princeton in 2003 and am currently pursuing a PhD in biomedical research at Weill Cornell Medical College. I hope that the academy will continue to grow and flourish so that it can inspire the next generation of young scientists.

Nathan Houle says:

April 13, 2009 at 4:20 pm

I graduated from Mass Academy in 2004 and immediately following I reported to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. After four long years on the Severn I graduated with Honors and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps with a guaranteed flight contract. After graduation from the Naval Academy I reported to my current duty station at the University of Virginia to get a follow on Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering. I was only one of 12 Marines in the Class of 2008 to gain a full scholarship to graduate school.

As I look back at all the decisions that I have made in my life, without a doubt, my decision to attend Mass Academy was one of the best. My sending school was not providing an atmosphere where I was able to challenge myself on a daily basis. Out of the box thinking and collaboration among students was quite limited. Mass Academy changed all of that for me. From my first visit to the school I knew it was the place for me.

The lessons that I learned at Mass Academy transfered immensely to my time at the Naval Academy and now as professional military officer. Beyond the critical thinking skills that were always drilled into us I have to say that time management was perhaps the greatest lesson I learned at Mass Academy. The extra class time, my 2 hours of daily commute, several hours of homework a night all while still acting as a student athlete at my sending school truly showed me what the meaning of hard work was. When I arrived at the Naval Academy and had the large time crunch applied, I was ready. Many of my classmates were not.

I could possibly go on forever on how much Mass Academy changed my life. It is an experience I would not change for all the money in the world. It not only gave me the opportunity to reach for my dreams, but to exceed them. It would be a shame to deny all the bright young minds in the Massachusetts school system the same opportunities that I was afforded.

If there is any assistance I can provide please feel free to contact me.

Semper Fi,

Nate Houle

2nd Lt USMC

Rebecca Didio says:

April 11, 2009 at 8:38 pm

I graduated in 2003 from the Academy. I grew up in south Jersey and my family moved to Massachusetts right before my sophomore year of highschool. I transitioned to a new school in a new place and I was absolutely miserable. I was bored and unchallenged. I told my parents that I refused to go back to my sending school. I didn’t know where I was going to go, but all I knew is that it wouldn’t be back to that school. My stepmom started doing research and that’s when she found the Academy. To be honest, I was skeptical at first. But after spending 2 years at the Academy, I can’t imagine my life any other way.

The Academy was hard. I was challenged. I learned so much and got to partake in so many activities that would never be an option at any other school. The way the Academy operates is completely different than any public school. The knowledge I gained and the opportunities I were given were priceless.

Because of the Academy, I found out what I wanted to do with my life. It was one elective class that I took in aeronautics that guided me to where I am now. Because of the Academy’s status in the NCSSSMST (is that too many letters?? haha), I was able to get a $50,000 scholarship to Florida Institute of Technology where I majored in Aviation Management with Flight. I graduated with honors and am also an Instrument rated Commercial pilot for single and multi engine land aircraft. And now I’m an Aviation Planner in Honolulu for one of the country’s top architecture firms.

The Academy gives people so many opportunities that they would never get from other schools. I would’ve never gotten that scholarship or became interested in aeronautics if it weren’t for the Academy. Transitioning to college was easy because I had already done it my senior year in highschool. There are tons of teens in the state of Massachusetts right this minute that are miserable in school because they can’t live up to all their potential. To take the Academy away would crush opportunites and dreams. I know that if it weren’t for the Academy, I wouldn’t be as successful, hard working, and dedicated as I am today.

Jun Qi says:

April 13, 2009 at 10:12 pm

Hi, my name is Jun Qi. I graduated from Massachusetts Academy in 2008.

I believe Mass. Academy is the place that provided me the best education. During my junior year, I took the research seminar and technical writing courses, which I spent about 100 hours on a research project. I considered the research seminar course as a worthwhile experience because I learnt so many great lessons from it. I learnt how to narrow down research topic, discover ways to search scholarly and non-scholarly articles for my topic, conduct research, and finally generate a professional academic report and presentation to community. Currently, as a freshman at college, I am still using the knowledge I have learned from the research seminar project to conduct my other researches. I believe without the great education from Mass Academy, I wouldn’t be doing a great job at College today.

I believe Mass. Academy is the place where I met my closest friends and the nicest teachers. Our class of 2008 consisted of 47 students. We did everything together as a family. We conducted experiments together, ate meals together, laughed together, enjoyed life together, and eventually survived together. I clearly remembered the first day when I meet all of them. Most of them become my close friends who I can trust and keep in tough during my entire life time. I still remembered the briarwood events, the field trips and food projects we had completed together. There wouldn’t be another high school like Mass Academy that could provide students a 360 degree of fun learning experience.

Here, all I can say is “I Love Massachusetts Academy,” and I will always be there to support the school whenever it needs help from me.

Nathan Williams says:

April 12, 2009 at 9:08 pm

My name is Nathan Williams and I graduated from the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI in 2007. My sending school had very limited resources and a severely laid-back, unproductive atmosphere that greatly impeded my ability to learn and grow. Then, I heard about Mass Academy two years before I could even apply, and was already waiting to go. I lived 45 miles away from the Academy and rarely traveled anywhere; but, even after my first visit, I realized it was well worth going the distance. Once at Mass Academy, my educational experiences improved exponentially. Junior year at the Academy offered a unique, challenging environment and approach to learning through hands-on independent and collaborative thinking. We learned to manage our time and energy efficiently, allowing us to learn and apply an immense amount of new knowledge. My classmates were all bright, highly motivated, and surprisingly interested in the same nerdy things I was – something quite different from my sending school. I quickly made friends with almost everyone in my class and felt a powerful bond between all of us in our little community unlike anything I had experienced before. Junior year really helped me evolve socially and academically, and set the stage for what was about to happen next.

During my senior year at Mass Academy, I took an opportunity to do some research outside the classroom with one of my professors at WPI. We analyzed the geology of Hawaii through the new medium of Google Earth, using the computer programming skills I had learned during my junior year. The professor and I presented this research to the American Geophysical Union and the Geological Society of America, while I was still technically a high school student! Then, when I applied to Cornell University, a member of the Ivy League and my dream school for my undergraduate studies, I was accepted as a Jacobs Scholar – the highest award offered by Cornell’s College of Engineering – because of the impressive background and experience the Academy gave me. Less than two weeks after arriving on campus as a freshman, I began analyzing InSAR and MODIS satellite imagery alongside grad students as a top-level student research assistant, in addition to a full schedule of classes. This research transitioned into modeling plate tectonics-related ground deformation via GPS networks in southern California, which I presented and discussed at the Southern California Earthquake Center’s 2008 Annual Meeting in Palm Springs, CA.

After meeting a contact through my InSAR and GPS research, I began working on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera team and am now eagerly awaiting the satellite’s launch to the Moon from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida this summer! My task is to find and enter targets to photograph and then analyze the new data it transmits once in lunar orbit, in an attempt to better describe lunar origin and evolution. When I was younger, I dreamed about doing research like this and sharing that new, fascinating knowledge with the rest of the world. Now, I am well on my way to a successful career researching geology and astronomy as a professor in academia. If it were not for Mass Academy, none of this would have been possible.

I am greatly saddened by the possibility of Mass Academy closing due to budget cuts, as that would deny similarly exceptional experiences and opportunities to other deserving students that they otherwise would not have. Mass Academy offers its students a unique chance to learn and excel alongside other brilliant and motivated students in a super-productive and encouraging atmosphere unlike anywhere else. Without a doubt, the Academy has played an enormous role in my success thus far, and I urge the State of Massachusetts to fully fund Mass Academy and thus continue to give worthy students the opportunity to succeed at the Academy and in the world beyond.

Tiffiniy Cheng says:

April 13, 2009 at 7:58 am

I graduated from Mass Academy in 1998. I don’t know anyone who I went to school with who was not effected by the broad, analytical, constructivist approach to solving professional, academic, personal, cultural, political, etc. issues that we have taken on since graduating from Mass Academy. It’s clear to me that I, myself, and my friends from Mass Academy have taken on solving huge problems in the world because we developed a consciousness of being able to and that there was a way to solve complex, difficult issues.

Marie Savignac says:

April 14, 2009 at 8:47 pm

I am a graduate of the class of 2001. Applying to and attending the Mass. Academy was one of the best decisions I’ve made. I came from a large regional high school with a class of 500 to a class of less than 50. Please excuse the bad cliché, but at my sending school, I felt like a small fish in a big pond and felt lost. At the Academy, I found confidence in myself and my ability to succeed in whatever I decided to do in life. Teachers at the Academy challenged me to do better and were always encouraging, never evaluating us against fellow students.

Although I went on to pursue a business degree (B.S. Business Administration, Babson College), I believe the skills I learned and experiences I had at the Academy laid the foundation for my professional achievements. To be successful in any field, you must always strive to be better, a lesson I learned well at the Academy.