Friends of CAHS invited seven CAHS Alumni to discuss how their CAHS experience made a difference in their lives. The alumni were from the class of '96 or '97.
Alicia Thomas
Robert Eskridge
Tres Johnson
Doug Hoke
Molly Workman
Jennifer Wray
Paul Edgar
Observations:
Each Alumni who participated clearly had, and continues to have, a love for CAHS and what the school has given to each of them. Their enthusiasm and gratitude was infectious and inspiring! Each member credits CAHS for having an impact on their individual successes – both professionally and personally.
Suggestions given by Alumni:
*Prepare yourself for upcoming college coursework by
- Taking the humanities courses seriously! These courses provided a good foundation for critical thinking and a more broad perspective with learning for some. This is a good preparation for a liberal arts track in college.
- Take as many credits in foreign languages as you can fit in.
- Take as many advanced courses as possible! Push yourself while you’re young. Take the course over a full school year in high school rather than a 10-15 week course in college (one Alum said her AP Literature class earned her college credit later on).
- Take as many courses as you can in Applied Sciences/harder sciences.
- Avoid “coasting” through your high school years. This can cause you to fail later in college courses. Appreciate the opportunities that CAHS gives you! Utilize them!
- “Learn to fail gracefully” while in high school. If you earn lower scores now for those tougher courses, you will benefit later in college from having the experience.
- Extra-curricular courses are also important! One Alum stated that her experience in taking theater at CAHS led to a career in theater later on. Another Alum stated she received a scholarship in music, thanks to her participation in the music program at CAHS. She used this to help her procure a degree in science at that college.
- Study EXTRA hard for the entrance exams into college!! Take time out of your summers to do whatever necessary to prepare for these exams. It can result in being accepted into colleges when your grades have not met their criteria.
- Take all of the college entrance exams available to you (SAT II, etc.).
- Ignore peer pressure to ‘coast’ through high school. Whether kids are ‘cool’ or not, socialize with kids who hold high ideals and want to go to college.
*Suggestions for Internships:
Plan these at CAHS wisely! Make the most of them for yourself. Gain the best possible experiences for a college track. Good internships may not necessarily be in the same field as what you hope to study in college. Utilize OSU to help you determine the most valuable internship plan for yourself. Call the research department at OSU and arrange a meeting with a professor. They are willing to meet with high school kids for internship planning. The statehouse also has good internships that proved useful in a variety of ways for the Alumni panel.
*Scholarship Suggestions:
Find as many opportunities for scholarships as you possibly can!! There are many out there – look beyond what is recommended by your guidance counselor. Have your parents help you find them if possible. Some Alumni members had all of their college expenses paid by scholarships – even their graduate college expenses. Be proactive!!
*Suggestions for CAHS parents:
Don’t assume your child is studying enough. Check on their progress! The panel all agreed that even though they scoffed at parental interest, they truly appreciated it when their parents took an interest in what they were studying. Read the books your child is reading – ask them questions about what they’ve read. Discuss topics together that they study. Your interest in their academic endeavors has a bigger impact than you may realize!
