Claudia Menziuso '18
Currently Attending: Tulane University
Years at Shipley: 4.5

Activities & Positions Held: Crew, Handbells, Co-founder and Co-president of Operation Smile Club (Service Club), DECA, Summer Spanish Exchange Trip

How Shipley Shaped Me
Academically, Shipley has encouraged me to always strive higher but with the utmost support. I have gained more confidence in my academics through the support my teachers have given me. My teachers were always there to help me with my academics because they genuinely wanted to see each of their students succeed. As long as I made the effort to self-advocate, they always had time to meet with me.

I have been able to challenge myself academically each year in ways I never would have thought I could. Each year I increased my workload by adding more honors classes and deeply involving myself in all aspects of my academic life. The open dialogue created in my classes is extremely unique to Shipley. It allows every person in the class to become invested in each class and challenged to think deeper. It allowed me to share my ideas and also add on to the ideas of my classmates.

However, Shipley taught me that you are able to succeed in everything you are willing to work for. Not only was I able to succeed in academics, but I was also able to strive in my extracurriculars. I was able to become involved in almost every aspect from handbells to theater to crew. Shipley has taught me that the most important thing to do is to get involved in all aspects of school life, as well as, always advocate for myself which is something I will take to college with me.

Who was your most influential teacher and why?
Mr. Farr was my most influential teacher. I actually had the privilege of being in both his Algebra I class and Honors Calculus AB class while at Shipley. Mr. Farr is not only extremely passionate about math, which is evident in his enthusiasm during class, but he genuinely wants to see his students succeed and will do anything in order for each student to accomplish their goals. Mr. Farr was always there to meet with me when I needed help with the material being taught in class. Most importantly, I really appreciate that he incorporated teamwork into his classes. Every month we received a new partner in class who we would sit next to and work together with in order to conquer challenging math problems. This idea allowed me to work with students who I would not have normally worked with and created an environment in which our class would want to work together. It allowed us to still be challenged in class but yet know that we could work together to conquer the challenge.

Most Memorable Experience
In 10th grade, I qualified at states to compete in the DECA (an international business competition) Internationals in Nashville, Tennessee. I went along with nine other Shipley qualifiers and two teachers. As a group, we were able to bond and cheer each other on during the competition no matter what the outcome was. Shipley created that environment for all of us. No matter whom you are with always reach out and find a common ground. It was also crazy to realize how many people we were competing against from all over the world. It was a nerve-wracking and fun-filled experience, but Shipley gave me the skills to take the risk and try my best.

Plans for Fall 2018
I will be attending Tulane University, and I am planning to major in some department of business.

I am fascinated by entrepreneurship, and in the future, I hope to start my own successful company, most likely in the fashion industry. Dr. Rebholz’s Economics class final project is what sparked my interest in entrepreneurship. Our final project was to create a startup along with a detailed business plan. My sister and I wound up creating a closet business. By using an app, customers could receive a custom closet fit with all the parts needed in order to build it at home for a minimal cost compared to other closet businesses. It was fascinating for me to learn how to build a business from the ground up and build our business plan to make sure our business would have the foundation to be successful.

Complete this sentence: Shipley has prepared me...
to use my voice for the power of good and to not be afraid to jump in and get involved no matter what it may be.