Christopher Bianco

He/Him

Age: 18

How have you changed since freshman year?

I think my interests have changed like I started doing Search and Rescue and Mock Trial in high school. And, yeah, like started doing stuff that I wouldn’t normally do, that I just had never had the opportunity to do before. I took woodworking last year, choir last year, just doing stuff that I didn’t really expect.

What’s something that you’ve learned about yourself in the past four years?

I’ve learned the importance of perseverance, and my ability to sort of persevere, and that’s definitely something I’ve grown into. I started, I rowed crew for two years, my freshman and sophomore year, and that’s really a sport that requires like a massive amount of perseverance and just grit, and Search and Rescue, that’s a similar thing where you’re getting, like, two hours of sleep or whatever you gotta go hiking in the morning. That applies for school and everything else as well, just having, being able to persevere, just keep trying at something. 

What are your plans after high school?

So I’m going to be attending Brown University in Rhode Island and we’ll see where it goes from there. One of the really cool things about Brown is that they don’t have any course requirements, which is one of the reasons that I chose to attend so that I can really explore political science, maybe math, maybe chemistry, we’ll see. I might try and get my EMT certification, Brown has a program for that. I’m considering law school, hopefully getting into politics somewhere down the line, maybe running for office one day.

Logan Going 

He/him 

Age: 18

How have you changed since freshman year?

These past four years, I’ve discovered so much about myself and learned all different life lessons along the way. I was very materialistic coming into high school and was in the business of reselling shoes, but I realized that wasn’t making me happy, so I fell back in love with skiing, hiking, backpacking, fishing and a lot of things that weren’t as popular with the main crowd. I stopped caring so much about my reputation and popularity, and I started turning my passions into skills. 

What are your plans after high school?

I was planning on going to Montana State University and I was thinking about playing football there. But I visited there last month and realized college isn’t the only option and maybe isn’t the right choice for me. So, now I’m doing a gap year and traveling the world. I’m excited to work in and explore all different places and immerse myself in a ton of new cultures. The plans aren’t solid yet, but I’m hoping to spend some time in Hawaii, South America and Asia. This is my life, and I want to live it the way I want — not just the way people expect me to. Looking past that gap year, I’m sure I’ll go to college eventually for the sake of my career and higher learning, but I’m excited for the adventures ahead. 

Cole Songster

He/him

Age: 18

How do you think you’ve changed since freshman year?

I’d say the biggest change that occurred is I do performing arts a lot now, which is something that freshman year entering I never expected myself to do. I’ve done a lot of acting, I’ve done a lot of playwriting and choir.

How did you get into performing arts initially?

Well I took a theater class, largely on accident, because one of the classes I forecasted for got cancelled and it was one of my alternates. And after going through a year of beginning theater I decided to audition for 1-acts to see how it was. Ever since then I’ve just been hooked. And with choir, I was actually tricked into auditioning. I was afraid of singing going into high school and up until I actually joined choir my Junior year because of that trick.

How were you tricked into auditioning for choir?

A friend of mine asked me to go to the choir room with them to help them pick something up, and promised me, “We’re not about to force you to audition for choir.” And when I walked in they went “Mr. Eisman, Cole wants to audition.” So I walk in there and he’s playing the piano for the audition. I do not know how to read sheet music, I am terrible at singing … so I go through the whole thing kind of confused. And the really funny part here is he ends up asking me if I would be OK with having a (Royal) Blues callback.

Do you think that it’d be surprising if your freshman self were to know that you’d be really into theater and choir now?

Yeah I’d say so. I think I’d definitely find that surprising.

Livi Buck

She/her

Age: 18

How do you feel that you’ve changed since freshman year?

I started off kind of sad and scared and I feel like I’ve gotten a lot more confident. 

My friend groups changed, and I went into doing more theater. Going from a “jock” community to the theatre community, which is really accepting, allowed me to come into my own and be more myself. The transformation started with my first musical … I think getting to have a big role as a sophomore and being able to be up there with the seniors really helped me and my confidence.

 I feel like theater in general is tied to confidence. In a weird way, when you’re playing someone else, you get to learn more about yourself … which is what I like so much about theater. It’s really contributed to the changes. 

What are your plans for after high school? 

I’m going to get my BFA in musical theater at Central Washington University. 

There are a few different tracks you can take in the theater world, and a BFA is a more intense dive into musical theater as a major … it’s pretty rigorous and really prepares you to be a professional. So I’m planning on doing that for the next four years and then going to move somewhere to pursue my career. 

Tommi Meyer

He/him  

Age: 18

How do you think you’ve changed since freshman year?

I’ve changed a lot. I’m more involved, I’m more confident. I care more about what I’m doing … I think I’m a lot more like mature in my decision making when looking towards the future. I’m more involved through equity and leadership….equity and leadership I definitely didn’t see myself doing when I was a freshman. And I think those two have been the biggest ways I’ve impacted the community.

If you could go back, what would you tell your freshman self?

The biggest thing I’ve been saying as advice to freshmen is to step out of your comfort zone, so probably some version of that. You really do only have four years, and obviously that’s cheesy, but … you really don’t have the time to just do what’s comfortable for you if you want to make the most out of it.

Who or what has impacted you most at Grant?

I think I would say upperclassmen, which is sad because they’re not around anymore….which also means I can’t namedrop anyone. But I definitely think upperclassmen. I was fortunate enough to make friends that weren’t in my grade through leadership and equity. Some specific people definitely acted as mentors and people to look up to [at Grant]. So I think they were the biggest impacts for me through high school.

What are your plans after high school?

I’m going to American University in Washington D.C. as part of the Sakura Scholars program, in which I’ll be spending two years in Japan at Ritsumeikan University, studying International Relations for all four years. And then I’ll hopefully gratuate with a joint degree from both colleges.