Senior Spolight: Dara Casey

Senior Spotlight: Dara Casey

Haley Smith

As the Melrose High School Class of 2021 prepares to begin the rest of their lives, it is always fun to look back on those who have truly impacted a great number of their peers. Dara Casey is easily one of the kindest, diligent, motivated people I know.

Next year, Dara will be furthering her education up north in Hanover, NH at Dartmouth College where she will be creating her own “modified major” in computer science and government. She might even pick up a public policy minor! While prepping for her future, Dara looks back on her time at MHS quite fondly. She called her high school experience “one of self discovery, where I began high school not knowing much about myself or who I wanted to be.” Dara was able to develop a clearer understanding of her interests these past four years and thanks Mr. Wall, who she says has impacted her the most in her time at MHS. As a hard-working student, Dara knew she could always count on her APUSH classes junior year to make her days “ten times better”. Dara also goes on to mention that taking APUSH helped her realize she didn’t just want to be a computer science major, she wanted to pursue an education at a liberal arts college that would support her interest in computer science along with her interest in History and Government.

Some of Dara’s favorite memories of MHS have been goat yoga with the cross country team and the two ski trips she participated in with the ski club! In terms of other classes, Dara says she will always remember AP Lab in her junior year where she managed to get no work done no matter how hard she tried! “The other people in my lab (you know who you are) never failed to make me laugh.” Dara also holds tennis and robotics close to her heart, and will remember them as she moves into her next phase of life.

When asked specifically about senior year, Dara says that “our senior year definitely started out a bit rocky. It was tough going to online school for awhile, but it really made me appreciate the time I spent with my friends at school more. In general, this pandemic has given me a greater sense of appreciation for the things I used to take for granted. Even small wins like being able to have in person sports made my year so much better than I was expecting!” The best advice Dara has for rising seniors is to not get caught up in college applications. She acknowledges that it can be tough to write about yourself for the first time and truly see who you are as a person, but she wants to assure you that everyone is feeling the same things you are! She especially wants rising seniors to not get caught comparing themselves to random strangers on college confidential threads and that wherever you go, you will thrive with whichever you choose!

Something Dara wishes she knew before she started freshman year at MHS was that it is okay to take fun electives. “I think it’s easy to get caught up in high school and forget to take the classes you really want to take! Everyone around you, including your friends, is taking AP this and AP that, but in the end that really doesn’t matter. You should make sure to leave space for a few of those electives you’ve been dying to take!” One specific class Dara mentioned was “History Through Film” but also art! As Dara heads to Dartmouth in a couple months, she will take this all into account.

Towards the end of our interview, Dara did want to shout out specific teachers! She couldn’t list them all but a few that stood out were Mr. Wall, who answered even her most obscure US History related questions and who she though truly cared about what was being taught; Mrs. Edsall who always made class fun with her creative lesson plans and her positive personality; Mr. Scudder who was always there for Dara and her peers and who made classes interesting by bringing in current events and keeping trivia club a “blast!”; Mrs. Mac who taught her how to be a better writer and to seek the deeper meaning in books.

Dara’s time at MHS may be coming to a close but we know Dara will be doing HUGE things and this won’t be the last time you hear of her. On a more personal note, I have known Dara for over ten years, she lives down the street from me, and I couldn’t be more proud of all that she has accomplished. I cannot wait to see where life takes Dara!!!