Catching up with two young alumni from the Class of 2017: Rachel McCarthy, recently back from Japan, and Ellis Taylor, an American footballer in NYC.
Rachel McCarthy (shown here in Tokyo) will be a junior at Illinois Wesleyan University in downstate Bloomington.
Fenwick Graduation: 2017
Hometown: Riverside
Grade School: St. Mary School
Current School: Illinois Wesleyan University
Current Major: English Literature and Psychology
Summer Internship: This summer I was a teaching assistant at Technos College, where I spent an unforgettable seven weeks living in Tokyo and helping English students practice conversations/interviews with a native speaker. I also did a lot of behind-the-scenes planning for the college’s annual cultural exchange event with 10 other sister universities from around the world.
Career aspirations: I’ve looked at a few different career options in the past two years, but right now I’m exploring the possibility of being an English professor. I’ve always had an interest in academia, and my experience at Technos College taught me the joys of working one-on-one with students to help them blossom.
Fenwick Achievements/Activities: Lawless Scholar, Illinois State Scholar, Girls Cross Country, Blackfriars Guild and Novel Writing Club co-founder.
Fenwick teacher who had the most influence on you: A better question might be who didn’t inspire me, but one teacher I do think of on a regular basis is Mr. Arellano. Though his speech class was tough, the way he cared for each and every one of his students was readily apparent, and I still think of his encouraging feedback whenever I have to give a major presentation.
Fenwick class that had the most influence on you: My junior year AP Language and Composition class was pivotal in shaping me as a writer. That class pushed me to write critically about a wide range of fascinating, real-world topics, and I loved the freedom we were given to pursue our own interests. As I prepare to spend a year studying English as a visiting student at Oxford University, my heavily annotated APLAC textbook remains a valuable guide to this day.
Best Fenwick experience/the one you would like to live again: My final cross country meet was one of the most emotional days of my life, because of the sad goodbyes and the pride in what I had accomplished with the support of my teammates.
What Fenwick experience changed you the most: Our senior Kairos trip, without a doubt. The level of trust and respect that was shown as everyone shared their stories is something that I don’t think I’d find at any other high school. To me, it was a powerful experience of acceptance and healing.
Ellis Taylor (on campus with his mom) promises to be a force on the end of the Fordham Rams’ defensive line this upcoming football season.
Fenwick Graduation Year: 2017
Hometown: Oak Park
Grade School: Julian Middle School
College: Fordham University (New York City, the Bronx)
Major: Business Administration, concentration in Business Economics; Minor in Business Law
Career aspirations: A job at a management consulting firm or to be a lawyer.
Fenwick Achievements/Activities: two years of basketball; three years of football (sophomore team captain, senior year team captain); one year of Track and Field.
Fenwick teacher who had the most influence on you: Mr. Perry was my English teacher for three of four years while at Fenwick. Through all of the papers written and work done in the class, my writing far improved over my four years. As someone who has to use writing on a daily basis, I would honestly say that this class improved my skills greatly and put me in a great position for college-level writing.
Fenwick class that had the most influence on you: Mr. Mulcahy’s World Religions class really had an impact on me because this was the first time I was taught about worldwide religions, which was very eye-opening to me to learn about different cultures other than my own.
Best Fenwick experience/the one you would like to live again: The 2016 state-semifinal football season was one of the best times of my life; being able to play my final season and have great success with some of my best friends for the last time. Although it didn’t end the way we wanted it to, this was one of the best times of my life.
Fenwick experience that changed you the most: Overall, just playing sports at Fenwick gave me some great experiences that I will remember for the rest of my life. Even if you don’t play sports, I’d recommend branching out and joining a club or team at Fenwick because the experience will be worth it.