Mia Rodgers is committed to Virginia Tech where she will be majoring in animal and poultry science and minoring pre-vet with a focus in equine health. “For my major, tech offered a lot of opportunities,” Rodgers said. 

Rodgers expressed that she chose Virginia Tech for the convenience of the Virginia-Maryland School of Medicine being on the Virginia Tech campus. “It would be an easy transition for me between schools,” Rodgers said. “I also really like the atmosphere of the school.”

Rodgers applied to James Madison University, William & Mary, University of Virginia, Penn State, University of South Carolina, and West Virginia. “I ultimately decided on Tech because of the opportunities,” Rodgers said. 

“I want to join the intramural cheerleading team so I can meet new people and have fun,” Rodgers said. “I also want to join choir at Tech.”

“I think college is important for a graduating high school student because it allows more opportunities and experiences to grow,” Rodgers said. “I think it’s still okay not to go to college, but personally I am going.”

Herbie Hermann is committed to the University of Arizona with a major in Astronomy. “I love everything with space and I want to be an astrophysicist,” Hermann said. 

Hermann picked the University of Arizona for its specialty in his chosen major and because he wanted to be far away from home. “It took me a very long time to decide. I was considering a few other schools due to price and level of education,” Hermann said. 

“I am looking forward to meeting a lot of new people and all the freedoms and free time that comes with college,” Hermann said. Hermann expressed that college was important to him so he could pursue a job in his field of expertise. 

Kathryn Homa is committed to Duke University to study biology with a minor in Spanish. “My goal is to pursue a career in military medicine, and studying biology will give me the opportunity to follow the pre-med track and do some research,” Homa said. 

Homa is planning to do ROTC and wants to volunteer as an EMT. “They have a student-run EMS program with a hospital on campus, plus lots of opportunities for research,” Homa said. 

“My other top choice was the Naval Academy. It was really hard to turn down the opportunity for a fully paid degree,” Homa said. Homa ultimately decided that Duke had the right balance for her looking forward. “I decided I wanted a normal college experience with ROTC on the side, instead of the all military, all the time environment at the Academy,” Homa said. 

“My goal is to pursue a career in military medicine, and studying biology will give me the opportunity to follow the pre-med track and do some research,” Homa said. In high school, Homa volunteered as an EL translator/assistant and found the opportunities at Duke for Spanish perfect for her college career. 

“I’m looking forward to more freedom and meeting new people,” Homa said. 

Corey Costello is committed to playing baseball at East Carolina University. “I chose this school because of the outstanding baseball program and the coaching staff and it’s just a beautiful school,” Costello said. 

Costello was also considering James Madison University, Old Dominion, Notre Dame University, Radford University, Clemson University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. “The decision process for me was extremely stressful until I received a baseball scholarship offer from ECU and I knew instantly that was the place I wanted to play,” Costello said. 

“The recruitment process for me was honestly very stressful. I was recruited a little bit on the later side for the 2023 class,” Costello said. Costello worried that it was too late to get offers and expressed that many of his friends already had commitments. 

“Finally something clicked and I performed well in front of a lot of schools and finally got in touch with a couple schools and got my first offers,” Costello said. 

Costello believes that going to college is important to completing your dreams for your career. “But you will also make some of the best friends you will ever have in your life and you will make the best memories of your life,” Costello said. 

Alex Ahedo will be attending Virginia Tech University and majoring in business information technology with the opportunity to do honors college. “ I was very interested in it and it was a high-ranked field at the school with great resources. I love the culture and diversity at tech,” Ahedo said. 

“I applied and was accepted to three schools: James Madison University, Virginia Tech, and University of Virginia,” Ahedo said. Ahedo expressed he may also pursue a minor in computer science. 

“Business information technology is specific enough to pursue my interest in technology and analytics but flexible enough for me to pursue multiple jobs within the business field,” Ahedo said. 

Ahedo expressed that he was looking forward to the freedom in college and being able to figure out what he could do on his own. “I am, however, dreading leaving all my friends from high school,” Ahedo said. 

Ahedo believes that it is important for graduate students to go to college in order to figure out what they want to do in life or pursue a specific career path. “If you know that you want to do a trade or real estate or a job that doesn’t require a degree, a path that isn’t college is probably just as good or better than the college track,” Ahedo said. 

JP Vanderloo will be attending Washington University with a plan of majoring in economics. “I chose Washington University because it is an elite academic institution that offers me several opportunities I’ve always wanted, such as NCAA swimming and a military commissioning pathway,” Vanderloo said. 

Vanderloo has yet to decide on a minor but is set on economics as a major. “I chose econ because I became very interested in it after taking AP econ my junior year, and it is a great setup major for law school which is something I want to pursue,” Vanderloo said. 

Vanderloo expressed that his decision process took longer than most because he didn’t apply early. “Those that I did apply Early to included Cornell University and the Naval Academy, which are both schools I am very interested in,” Vanderloo said. 

Vanderloo received a transfer option from Cornell University and was waitlisted at the Navy Academy and is still considering both schools. “I also applied to Harvard University Regular Decision and was waitlisted, so I am still considering them as well,” Vanderloo said. 

Vanderloo is committed to swim on Washington University’s varsity men’s swim team and plans to do army ROTC on a full scholarship. 

Vanderloo expressed that his recruitment process for swimming was also complicated and had unfortunate timing for the recent improvements that he had in the fall. 

“Once I reached out, however, Washington University was extremely supportive of me and did everything they could to help me gain admission. I have no plans of pursuing professional swimming post-college, but during college, I hope it helps me with time management, discipline, dedication, and provides a team that I can rely on,” Vanderloo said. 

Vanderloo believes that college is a great learning opportunity for adult life and valuable for figuring out what you want to do with your life. “I think college is important because it provides young adults a chance to experience living by themselves, while still having a support system around them in case they have problems,” Vanderloo said.