A Seventh-day Adventist Boarding Academy Serving Native American Youth Since 1946
Life After HIS: College From a Graduate’s Perspective
O
ur students at Holbrook Indian School (HIS) are afforded every opportunity to choose college or trade school as a plan for after they graduate. Not all students choose to continue their education. For those who do, we try to prepare them as best we can for what lies beyond the gates of HIS. We recently caught up with Shawnewa (Class of ‘20) to get her perspective on college life.
comes together to paint a bigger picture, which has made learning new things so much fun and exciting for me.
1. What has been the thing you like most about college so far? One of the classes I’m taking this semester is Human Genetics, and I’m loving it so much. One of our big projects is studying Drosophila flies (aka fruit flies). By doing this, we are learning more about biological processes and how they play a role in genetic disorders. This particular project has made me fall more in love with the sciences. Overall, I like seeing how the material from the various science classes I’ve taken
3. What would you say prepared you most for college while at HIS? There are a few experiences at HIS that prepared me for college, such as: Living in the dorms - Living in a dorm while at HIS has made living away from home easier, improved my study skills, and taught me a lot about time management. Girl’s Group - Girls’ Group gave me the skills I needed to grow as a leader. It was such a privilege to be a part of Girl’s Group, and it’s helpful when you apply for scholarships. Some scholarship applications ask about any leadership positions you’ve held, and when you mention a unique leadership opportunity, like Girls’ Group, it makes you a stronger applicant. Helping in the dorm - I’ve applied to be a Resident Assistant (RA) for the upcoming school year. An RA is like being a dean for the Residence Halls. I’m grateful that I got to help out in the dorm while I was a student at HIS because it taught me a lot about how to manage a dorm, how to build community, and how to plan fun events for fellow students.
50 Pacific Union Recorder
Holbrook Indian School
2. What has been the most challenging thing about college so far? One of the most challenging things about college so far is preparing for post-graduate studies, such as taking the MCAT and when to apply to medical schools.