Memories, lessons and advice from four years out
When she switched from public middle school to join Bay’s second early adopter class, Alyssa Muck made connections left and right. Finding herself “in the same boat” with all of her classmates, she soon knew each and every student; discovering how easy it was to click with teachers, she came to see them as more than just instructors and grew more and more comfortable around adults. Now, as one of Boston University’s 18,000 undergraduates, her ability to connect serves her well. Though she’ll tell you she always saw herself at school on the East Coast, that she needed to try something new and that she has simply fallen in love with Boston, it’s still safe to say that Alyssa misses The Bay School.
During our interview with Alyssa this past summer, she referenced her old science room’s view of the Golden Gate Bridge, a second-floor stairwell where she met with friends and the eye-opening visits to synagogues and mosques that were part of her courses on religion. Of the many teachers she remembers fondly, Lori Cohen stands out; a self-proclaimed “poor writer” prior to attending The Bay School, Alyssa attributes her vast improvement and success as a communications major to what she learned in Lori’s class. In particular, she recalled struggling to work through Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s 100 Years of Solitude and how Lori guided her through the nonlinear narrative with humor and intelligence.
Alyssa looks back on her experiences with Bay’s soccer team, musical, and Senior Signature Project (she raised $6,000 for BreastCancer.org!) and wishes only that she’d loosened up more. Her advice to incoming students follows in that vein: “Don’t be afraid to be weird, be yourself and branch out,” she says. “[The Bay School’s] quirky environment helped us all grow.”
#SchoolStories 