meet your neighbor:
Thea Corinne Roppolo
As Thea Corinne Roppolo prepares to leave home for an exciting new chapter, she’s taking with her a remarkable high school career built on academic excellence, athletic achievement, service, and meaningful relationships. Thea is the daughter of John Roppolo and Rachel Ciancia and the stepdaughter of Micah Ciancia. She has two older brothers—Augie and Miles. Miles and his wife, Sadie, welcomed twin boys, Archie and Teddy, in October 2025, making Thea a proud aunt. A graduate of St. Scholastica Academy, Thea excelled both in and out of the classroom. She maintained an impressive 4.58 GPA, earned Alpha Honor Roll recognition throughout all five years at SSA, was named an AP Scholar, and became a member of the ACT Over 30 Club. Her dedication to academics also earned her membership in the National Honor Society, National English Honor Society, National Science Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta (National Math Honor Society), National Latin Honor Society, National Social Studies Honor Society, and recognition as a Hagan Scholar. On the volleyball court, Thea proved herself to be just as accomplished. She was named First Team All-District during her senior year after earning Second Team All-District honors as both a sophomore and junior. She helped lead her team to three district championships and a 2025 state runner-up finish while also receiving Academic All-State honors. Beyond academics and athletics, Thea devoted herself to serving others. She accumulated more than 200 service
14 | TerraBella Living
hours while serving as a Student Minister, Student Ambassador, and Eucharistic Minister of Holy Communion. One experience that left a lasting impression was participating in a weeklong mission trip to Costa Rica in 2025 alongside fellow SSA students and students from Catholic High. Together, they helped restore a church community while living alongside the local people who partnered with them throughout the mission. Thea loved being involved in campus life and became a member of many clubs and participated in programs including the Color Guard, Active Minds, Doves for Senior Living, HOSA, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), Animal Appreciation Club, Doves Love DEVO, and the NextGen Finance and Investors Club. When looking back at her time at SSA, two memories stand out: her senior retreat and Rally Day. Her senior retreat was a great moment of reflection and a pivotal time that strengthened relationships with classmates and teachers before graduation. And Rally Day will stay with her as a time she celebrated her classmates and her own sophomore and senior victories. This fall, Thea will attend the University of Alabama, where she plans to major in Biological Sciences. Looking ahead, she hopes to pursue a career in the medical field by attending either a physician assistant school or a medical school. She is excited to meet new people who share her interests while building lifelong friendships. Before leaving for Tuscaloosa, she’s cherishing every opportunity to spend time with family and friends and is looking forward to several family vacations this summer. When she’s not studying or volunteering, Thea enjoys staying active by working out, going on walks, playing pickleball, traveling, shopping with her mom and friends, and, most of all, spending quality time with the people she loves. Her advice for next year’s seniors is simple but meaningful: “Stay involved in your community and make the most of the time with your friends and family, especially if you’re going out of state! It all goes so fast, and you want to make friendships and memories to last a lifetime.”
Summer 2026