Woodlands Academy seniors celebrate college decisions

Members of Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart’s Class of 2024 have had some difficult decisions to make – and most had done so by May 1, the traditional college decision day across the country. College admission applications submitted by Woodlands’ 35 seniors were accepted at a total of 123 institutions in the U.S. and Europe. So, which of these colleges will they ultimately attend in the fall?

Woodlands Academy seniors who had made that decision by May 1 were encouraged to wear some of their college-themed clothing to school that day. To show support for those students, faculty/staff members were asked to wear their college gear as well.

One student’s decision was made well ahead of the target date. Woodlands Academy’s 2024 National Merit® Scholarship Finalist Gianna Keuer will attend Bowdoin College – an “historic and selective” institution in Maine.

Senior Judith Koukol will be taking the all-girls education she received at Woodlands to the next level by attending Wellesley College in the fall. According to its website, this all-women’s liberal arts college in Massachusetts is widely acknowledged as one of the most academically challenging institutions of higher education in the U.S. and the top women’s college in the world.

Other Woodlands seniors have committed to attend institutions from those nearby such as Lake Forest College, Carthage College, Northwestern University, DePaul University, Marquette University and University of Notre Dame, to ones as far away as University of Southern California, Gonzaga University, University of Miami, University of Florida, Arizona State/Tempe, University of Arizona and University of Vermont.

Several in-between destinations for Woodlands Academy seniors this fall include University of Illinois/Urbana-Champaign, Indiana University, Illinois Wesleyan University, Augustana College and Texas Christian University.

As of May 1, Woodlands’ seniors had been awarded at least $2 million in scholarships, including Salome Diaz-Rojas’ Western Golf Association Evans Scholarship to the University of Illinois/Chicago. This prestigious award is a full housing and tuition college grant offered to golf caddies.

“The Woodlands Class of 2024 has a bright future ahead of them,” Woodlands Academy Director of College Counseling Brendan Bond said. “The diverse and excellent group of colleges and universities they will attend in the fall reflects the hard work and growth they’ve shown during their time at Woodlands, along with the support from our wonderful faculty and staff and our students’ families. I am proud of the Class of 2024. They have taught me a lot, and they are ready to have success in college and beyond.”

Woodlands Academy’s comprehensive College Counseling program is an important reason why Woodlands has a robust college-preparatory culture. Its students get accepted into colleges and universities across the country and the world that offer them the opportunity to grow as scholars and individuals. The program features Woodlands’ unique College Skills class in which the college counselor works with students through the college process during junior and senior years in a classroom setting. It is a prime example of how Woodlands Academy provides the supports students and parents need in the ever-evolving college process.

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Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart is a Catholic, independent, day-and-boarding, college-preparatory school for young women of all faiths in grades nine through 12. Founded in Chicago in 1858 and located in Lake Forest since 1904, Woodlands is part of a worldwide network of Sacred Heart Schools that spans the United States and 40 other countries on six continents. To learn more, visit woodlandsacademy.org.