Name: Crimson

Graduation Year: 2028

Middle School: The Hamlin School

Hometown: Belvedere

Campus Involvement: I'm involved in the Black Student Union, the visual arts, Baking Club, and am deeply passionate about the humanities, especially poetry. I, along with two of my friends, founded and lead Star Wars club.

What is the biggest difference between middle school and high school? To me, the most notable difference between middle school and high school is the freedom--yet, with great power comes great responsibility. We can move about freely, dress how we wish, and are encouraged to think deeply for ourselves. In turn, high schoolers also shoulder the weight of higher expectations and the stress of self-management, though I don't necessarily consider that a bad thing. When someone expects something of you, it means they believe you're capable of doing it. High schools, and College Prep especially, treat their students as free-thinking, qualified people, encouraging them to move through the world more independently than middle schools.

What advice would you give to 8th graders applying to high school? The best piece of advice I can offer is to not tailor yourself to a specific school or attempt to predict what the admissions officers are looking for. When applying to high schools, your goal is not only to be accepted, but to be accepted to a school that suits you as the unique person you are. If you refuse to be your authentic self, then the people who are looking for you will never be able to find you. In the same vein, authenticity is your most valuable asset in the high school application process. You've already gotten to know the school; now it's the school's turn to get to know you. To put anything other than your true self forward would be doing a disservice to the school, yes, but more importantly to yourself.

What is your favorite place on campus (and why)? My favorite place on campus is undoubtedly the music lawn. It's situated in what I like to think of as the second center of campus (the first being the courtyard where most assemblies, gatherings, and announcements commence). Located in the center of the music, debate, photography, and science buildings, the music lawn also has views of all the pathways, meaning that you get to see everyone who walks around campus. This is fabulous if you're like me and love people watching, but it's also fantastic for extroverts (again, like me) who love to say hello to those who pass by. On top of the prime location, I think it's also the most beautiful place on campus, surrounded by trees that turn golden in the fall and a lush green in the spring. It's also fully uncovered, making it one of my favorite spots to soak up some sun and get work done at the same time.

What is your favorite character from a movie/book/television series? One of my favorite movie characters is Annie, played by Quvenzhané Wallis in the 2014 film "Annie." As a girl of mixed race who was incredibly insecure about my hair, always feeling like my afro took up too much space or made me look out of place, to see a girl who looked just like me and who's race wasn't the central point of her character was magical to me. I watched the movie almost every day for months, even asking and eventually receiving a red satin dress similar to the one Annie wears when she sings "Opportunity." I felt seen in a way I never had before, in a way I still struggle to be today. Aside from her appearance, I was quite similar to Annie personality wise, unapologetically sassy and unafraid to speak her mind. To see a girl who looked and acted just like me yet seemed to be weighed down by none of the insecurity I felt was an incredibly liberating moment. While maturity has quelled some of the childhood wonder I felt upon seeing the movie for the first time, the love I have for Annie as a character and the movie as a whole has never dimmed. Annie was the first and one of the only times I felt truly represented within a character, and words cannot convey how much that meant to the spunky little girl with a frizzy afro who sat on the floor of the living room to be as close to the TV, to her reflection, as possible.