Senior Spotlight: Evyn Appel (12-1)
Anna O'Neill-Dietel (12-3)
Photo courtesy of Evyn Appel (12-1)
Favorite memories of high school?
In Mr. Lebold’s 11th grade physics class, we had this lab assignment where we had to predict how many pennies we could put in this coffee can while it was in a tank full of water before the can broke the surface tension of the water and sunk. I worked with Nora, Avalon, and Laura on this project and we accounted for every single ridge on the can in our calculations. I think in the end, we were only one penny off. I remember the insane feeling of “Wow, all your hard work paid off, good job!” There was no prize, we just got bragging rights which I'm still using today (obviously). It was one of my happiest, most celebratory moments of high school.
You volunteered with Vetri Community Partnership. Tell me a little about it and your experience bringing it into Masterman and making it virtual?
I've been with the Vetri Community Partnership since freshman year. I worked my way up from a volunteer just lending a helping hand to an employee who gets to run classes, help design some of the lesson plans, and submit feedback for recipes. It's been an amazing opportunity to work at a nonprofit and actually have an impact on nutritional and culinary education for Philadelphia students. I've taught in three different schools with students of varied experience in the kitchen, and Masterman actually started offering this class to our 5th and 6th graders in my junior year,
so I also got to teach the kids that I would see in the hallways, who were really cute. In person, we would all cook a few recipes together and talk about some sort of nutrition-related lesson, like eating a rainbow or talking about food systems and where your food comes from. Virtual classes were just a lot more slides and lessons and a lot less of the cooking, but there were some good parts to it. We got creative and did some cool mindfulness exercises at the beginning of class, and some of these kids had gardens or pets that they really wanted to show off, so in that way we got to connect a little bit more than we would in-person. But I am looking forward to them going back to in-person classes, because I think those helped the kids build more confidence in their skills in the kitchen.
What will you miss the most about Masterman?
I'm going to miss so many things about Masterman, especially because I feel somewhat robbed of many experiences. I was really looking forward to having all four in-person Spirit Weeks, the junior-senior game, and AP Chem labs, but I can kind of emulate those sorts of activities in college. What I’ll really miss the most is the class of 2021 and what a family we are. I haven't seen people in so long, and there are still so many whose middle names I don't know or what their favorite classes are. I’m going to miss the platform that we had to become so close and share all these experiences.
What advice would you give your freshman self?
The one thing that first comes to mind is that you can accomplish more than you think you can. You will get it done if what you're trying to do is something that you're interested in personally or academically. I’d also say to be open to new experiences and opportunities, and know that not everything you try is going to work out, because some things are out of your control. Throughout high school, I've reached out to so many people, so many businesses, just asking for any opportunity to be involved in things like shadowing or interning or volunteering or applying for jobs. I’ve sent out so many heartfelt emails that never got a response. Recognizing when you've really done your best and accepting that is important!
What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
Short-term goals are to just take full advantage of my college experience. I want to look back in four years and think, “Yeah, I did the best I could with the resources I had.” In the future, I want to live on my own, maybe in a different country, and have a job that I find fulfilling and enjoyable. Also travel! I'll be happy with visiting six continents. When it comes to relationships, I just want to feel as loved and supported by my friends and family as I do now.
What song defines your life right now and why?
It would have to be Happy and Sad by Kacey Musgraves. Even though our senior year was kind of depressing, there are these great milestones in life like prom, graduation, and going to college that I'm really excited for. But those things come at the cost of leaving this phase of my life of being a kid. That song just encapsulates that feeling of being really happy with where you've been and where you're going, and but also sad that this happiness is going to run out at some point and there's going to be times and experiences that you won't get back.