Meet the Graduates

Port Washington, New York (January 2019)—Port Washington’s parents and students recently filled the Paul D. Schreiber High School Library to hear recent graduates share their wisdom about how to successfully navigate high school and the transition to college. This “Meet the Graduates” panel discussion is an annual event co-sponsored by the Schreiber HSA and AGATE of Port Washington, a parent organization that advocates for an appropriate and challenging education for all students in the district.

This year’s panel of college freshmen and sophomores was moderated by AGATE co-president Leigh Richards and included Dylan Langone of the University of Maryland; Sarah DeMarino of New York University; Sherry Shi of the University of Pennsylvania; Ian Kohs of Rochester Institute of Technology; Jonathan Lin of SUNY Binghamton; Julia Ruskin of Princeton University; and Emily Ma of Duke University.

When asked how well Schreiber had prepared them for college, the panelists were in agreement that they were well-prepared for the academic rigor of their college coursework and often felt they were better prepared than many of their classmates. Several of the Schreiber graduates gave credit to Schreiber’s AP and Honors offerings, as well the research program, for helping them develop the advanced writing, research, and critical thinking skills necessary to excel in college.

Several of the panelists emphasized that adjusting to college life can be every bit as challenging as adjusting to college course work. They discussed learning to do their own laundry, shop for their own groceries and make a whole new group of friends after having the security of the same social group for years. One of the Schreiber alumni shared the initial difficulty he had making friends in a big school, saying that he learned that making new friends can require a willingness to put in effort and to step out of one’s comfort zone. Another alumnus said her first year in college taught her the importance of self-care, balancing long days of hard work with healthy sleep and eating habits, drinking enough water, spending time with friends and enjoying the environment around the college.

There was consensus that one of greatest challenges of the first year of college was learning new time management skills to handle the more demanding workload combined with more free time. In tackling this challenge, all the Schreiber alumni on the panel felt that the experience of balancing academics, clubs and athletics at Schreiber was helpful, but the learning curve was still steep.

When the panelists were asked what advice they would give 8th graders about navigating Schreiber, they recommended getting to know your guidance counselor early on, as he or she can be a valuable resource. One panelist recommended that high schoolers consider taking an issue to their guidance counselor that they might otherwise first bring to a friend or other adult as a way to help build that relationship.

The panelists also advised younger students to pursue what they love and take advantage of Schreiber’s opportunities. Although it can be difficult to balance academics and extracurriculars, they considered their experiences with activities like Science Olympiad, the student newspaper, theatre, music, robotics and sports teams to be well worth it.

For more information about the Port Washington Union Free School District, please visit the district’s website at www.portnet.org. Happenings in the district can also be followed on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PortWashSchools.