\u201cI graduated [middle school with] 30 kids and then went to a school where there\u2019s 750 in my grade. So it was pretty difficult to adapt to the new surroundings. That\u2019s just what I remember a lot from freshman year. Honestly, I made most of my friends through debate,\u201d Tavarez said.<\/p>\n
Even though they all quit the debate team after one year, she says her and her friends remained close throughout all four years of high school. Tavarez found other extracurricular opportunities, including teaching science lessons to middle school students, working as a student docent at the high school\u2019s Holocaust Museum & Studies Center, as well as attending free Broadway shows as part of an alumni-funded arts and culture initiative.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Out of thousands of incoming Michigan State University students, Tavarez is only one of 51 recipients of the prestigious Williams Scholarship. Photo courtesy of Sophia Tavarez<\/p>\n
As the oldest of four kids, Tavarez describes herself as a bit of a \u201cguinea pig\u201d when it came to touring universities, which started relatively early for her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the first school I visited was the University of Chicago, the summer after I graduated eighth grade, just because we happened to be in Chicago. \u2029We did a lot of college tours. We did all types of schools; we did small liberal arts, big school spirit, we did a bunch of SUNY\u2019s,\u201d Tavarez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ultimately two things stood out as particularly important to selecting a college for her: their representative and the scholarships they offered.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI really narrowed down where I wanted to go just based on talking to representatives at college fairs. So some of the schools I chose were solely because I really liked their representative,\u201d Tavarez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Out of thousands of incoming Michigan State University students, Tavarez is only one of 51 recipients of the prestigious Williams Scholarship.\n<\/p>\n
According to a university representative, \u201cThe scholarship sponsors up to eight consecutive semesters of undergraduate enrollment, including tuition, fees, food and housing, and a single $7,500 experiential education stipend.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ahead of her first fall semester, Tavarez\u2019s educational experiences have already begun.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI actually just got back from a study abroad trip to Italy. They have something called First-Year Seminar Abroad;\u00a0 my group was about 30 kids, and\u00a0 we were split into 2 different classes. \u2029I took a class on Italian fairy tales that\u00a0 was very interesting. We\u00a0 had to be at class at a certain time, but other than that, you were allowed free reign to explore. I would recommend that for any other Michigan state students,\u201d Tavarez explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Michigan State University\u2019s study abroad program made it a particularly appealing choice for Tavarez, who looks forward to studying abroad as much as possible during her undergraduate studies. Academically, she plans to major in Economics while potentially minoring in History; both fields that she finds notably important in understanding the world around her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year, in my AP US History class, we ended the year with\u00a0 a focus on the Bronx, so we watched a documentary about the fires in the Bronx in the \u201870s. I was like, \u2018Oh, I knew a lot of kids with asthma growing up, that\u2019s where that comes from,\u201d Tavarez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maurice Burbridge is an intern at the Bronx Times. He can be reached at mburbridge@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter<\/a> and follow us on Twitter<\/a>, Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>!<\/p>\n