Beyond CM

Attends — Macalester College

Mascot — Mac the Scot

Colors — Blue & Orange

Miles from CM — 1,395

In a nod to Knight-Based Learning, Sam Mamicha ’21 is hands-on in the research labs of Macalester College, while lending a hand to marginalized youths who wish for the same experience. 

“Organic chemistry was the first class in college where I enjoyed working long hours on assignments and labs. You can’t experiment in a lab without prior knowledge from a classroom, which is exciting because I get to realistically apply what I’m learning. As a result, I’ve become close with my professor. During my first semester, he pointed out that I needed to format my answers to achieve better results. He genuinely cared about getting the best out of me. Now, I’m part of his research lab; we work trying to make a water-resistant molecule to be used as coating around wiring for public transportation. I’ve also declared a computer science minor; it’s my creative outlet. I get to let loose because there is no one correct way to do it. I like the struggle of finding the most efficient way to improve a code. Also, when I got here I felt like something was missing since service was a must at CM. That’s why I’m part of the “Mac Mentors” program helping disadvantaged kids in their college admissions process; writing essays and completing federal student aid forms. I loved the service and the closeness to my teachers at CM, I valued that when making my college decision.” 

 

Class of 2022 Salutatorian and prime example of a well-rounded Knight, Aidan Healy continues down the path of academic rigor, competitive success, and philosophical discussion. 

“There’s an understanding that Yale is an Ivy League school; beautiful architecture, esteemed faculty, and the weight of the name, but it honestly feels like a normal college experience. It’s a community of communities, my everyday life is spent between different groups of people: my roommates, classmates, the rugby team and debate team. I enjoy debate, proving things with logic and discussing the ways the world works. Studying philosophy at Yale is really enriching for me. My freshman year I took two classes in philosophy ranging from pre-Socratic thought to modern moral philosophy, then two literature classes spanning from Homer to the 21st century genre epic, then political theory spanning from ancient Greece to Hannah Arendt. It was intense, reading about three books per week. Mr. Clarke was my guy at CM. He’s been an amazing mentor for my academic development, for introducing me to the ancient world, and as a model for a teacher who genuinely cares about how students are learning. He and Dr. Corso provided such enriching environments at CM that I’ve sought out the same at Yale. There are gen-ed lecture classes that are what you imagine, 150 students in stadium seating. But my philosophy classes are small, they’re discussions between five to 12 students and our professor. I fill my schedule with those small classes thanks to the environment I fell in love with at CM.” 

Chad McDonald ’22 finds that the role models in his life influence him to be a man for others in his every pursuit at Holy Cross. 

“I lucked out my first year of college because I was randomly assigned to the same dorm floor as the people who’ve become my closest friends. They all played rugby last year and egged me on to join the team this year. I really love it! I think of Coach Goode from when I wrestled at CM. He was the best! He taught me to stay low, go for the legs. I always remember that because you have to stay low in rugby if you don’t want to get run over. The seniors on the team here are amazing role models the way people like Matt Freitas ’19 were at CM. He gave me rides home and was honest about overcoming adversity. I have always loved helping people. That’s why I’m pursuing a psychology degree; that and I have OCD and want to understand that better. My mom is a big influence, she is a psychiatric nurse at Mass General. When I took my first few psych courses, I was surprised to learn just how many similarities all humans have. Even though we all have our specific and different minds, we’re all human. It’s humbling to think about.”