Students at Wilbraham & Monson Academy are annually given an opportunity to be rewarded for their achievements at the school's end-of-the-year ceremonies. This May, a graduating senior earned multiple awards that exemplify her character, participation and academic achievements at WMA.
Julianne Schmidt '17, described as an "academic powerhouse" by her teachers, has received eight academic department awards throughout her four years at the Academy. The list includes awards for: Honors Algebra 1, Beginners Mandarin, Honors English 10, Intermediate Spanish, AP US History, AP English Literature and Advanced Spanish.
Along with the department awards, which are given annually to students who exemplify academic excellence in each department, Julianne won the highest academic award at the Academy at the May 27 Commencement ceremony.
"I was honestly completely surprised and totally stunned when I won the Harriet Jones Nelson Trust Award because I was definitely not expecting it," Julianne said.
The Harriet Jones Nelson Trust Award was established in 1938 and is given to a senior at Commencement who has earned the highest scholastic average for the previous two years. Julianna was a strong candidate for the prize as she has been on the highest honor roll throughout each of her four years of high school.
"I know a lot of people focus on the good balance between extracurriculars and academics, which I think that is fantastic, but for me ... I decided to focus solely on academics," Julianne explained. "I even said in my college interview that I love to read and I have literally read in the corner of a classroom since kindergarten. So, I have always focused on the academic side of things because it is what interests me the most.
Julianne comes from a family set on a path for success. Her brothers (Patrick '12 and Matthew '16) and sister (Kathryn '14) also attended the Academy, finishing with academic honors and receiving many awards as well.
"Each of my siblings have the same motivation and drive to work hard, so I do believe that they helped set that up for me and definitely encourage me to excel," she said.
Julianne plans to continue her academic interests at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore next school year.
"Hopkins was actually a tossup for me," Julianne said. "I wouldn't say that I have always had a dream of going to Hopkins, but I kind of lucked out in my application process because I applied early. I decided to apply to a special BA-MA program so I could earn a master's in five years, but I ended up getting denied from that program. However, they accepted me for undergrad and encouraged me to reapply for a research fellowship program, so I reapplied for the Woodrow Wilson research fellowship for undergraduates, which basically funds your fellowship throughout your four years there and will support you as you study this research question."
At Commencement, Julianne also received the Cora Pease Chandler Award, which is presented annually to the senior who has excelled in character, courtesy, scholarship and athletics.
"I think it is nice to realize that everything I have done and worked for throughout high school has paid off in some way," Julianne concluded. "I can see through my own performance, conversations with teachers, and through the college application process that how hard I have worked has shown some result throughout my four years at WMA."
By Haley Godin '18