Just seven short months ago, KO’s class of 2023 had their final hurrah as they moved on to their next journey—college. After catching up with a few of KO’s most recent alumni, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the KO experience and how well it prepares us for what is to come.
Faith Potter ’23 spoke about her incredible journey to New York City and the beginning of her freshman year in college at the Manhattan School of Music, where she is currently pursuing a B.A. in musical theater. When talking about her expectations versus the realities of going to college in a city, Faith found the adjustment to be smooth and very enjoyable. “It ended up being way better than I expected,” she said. “I realized I love being in New York City.” Being at a music school, Faith has found great joy and comfort in the community that is formed. “Someone will say they’re going to a practice room and then a big group of us will end up in there just making music, which is so fun!” she shared. Coming from KO, where you are able to form such strong relationships with your teachers, Faith has really enjoyed being able to make those bonds with her new professors. “I really love all of my professors, and I feel like I have formed connections with them just like I did with my teachers at KO,” she said.
Faith was thrilled to share how much KO prepared her for entering this new stage in her life. “In terms of social skills, I’ve just been so comfortable with things like public speaking,” Faith reflected. “I’m always up first to volunteer, and I know it does come from KO.” Her biggest worry going into college was that she would be behind. Having only started musical theater at KO, she was nervous to see how talented the other students would be, yet she feels just as prepared and recognizes that she got in for a reason. One piece of advice that Faith would share with the seniors and all students who will go through the college process is to find a place that makes you feel like you can truly shine and thrive. “Everyone is going through the same thing, so if you miss home, it’s guaranteed someone else does. Don’t be afraid to talk about it, but also let yourself take advantage of this new experience,” Faith said.
After speaking with Faith, I also talked to Quin Kearney ’23 who is now at The Ohio State University. Quin went into this school year with an open mind and excitement for this new journey. The adjustment to college will be hard either way, and Quin found the hardest part was her schedule and what to do with her time. “Nobody is telling you what to do with your time, so I really just needed to figure out how to manage my time independently,” she said. One thing that helped her get into the flow of classes was that she got placed in almost all of the classes that she had wanted, which made the transition into the first few weeks much easier.
So far, Quin’s favorite part has been the football games. “You really get to see the culture and the community that is created by sports, especially at Ohio State where football is such a big thing here,” she said. Quin is also thankful for the experiences and friends she’s made along the way, especially through the Rush process. “Currently I’m going through Rush, and it’s been really fun to meet new people and experience people from different cultures and areas of the world,” she said. One piece of advice that Quin has is to stay positive and open-minded during the transition to college. “Starting college is really hard because you’ve never done it before,” Quin said, “but you just have to live the experience and get through the hard parts of college so that you can really start to enjoy it.”
Overall, the class of 2023 has had a wonderful start to their college journey and we can’t wait to see what they will do next!
