Senior Spotlight: Sean Vaz

April 24, 2018

When senior Sean Vaz started at Léman as a 5th grader, she couldn't anticipate what was ahead of her. Over her eight years at the school, Sean has thrived as an active member of the Girls Volleyball Team, the Black Student Union, and the Student Government, starting out as Vice President in her junior year and as President during her senior year.

In addition to these responsibilities, Sean is also a full IB Diploma candidate. "I feel well-prepared for college because of the IB and I've especially enjoyed the internal assessments, which give you the opportunity to be an independent learner. I was able to stay on track with my classwork while also studying something that I chose for myself."

Sean is excited to enroll at Bates College in Maine, which is ranked #23 among National Liberal Arts Colleges by US News and World Report, in the fall. She was thankful for the help of the Léman College Counseling Office for their help in the college admissions process. "I met with the college advisers in my junior year and started college prep boot camp, where we worked on our resumes and personal statements and developed CAS (Community, Activity, and Service) hours. I didn't feel overwhelmed this fall because I already felt prepared. With the help of (college counselor) Ms. McMickle, I was able to do diversity fly-in programs at several schools, which gave me an in-person perspective of what they were really like, which was helpful," she said.

Sean applied to several schools and was thrilled when she got her admission acceptance letter to Bates. "I wanted to attend a small liberal arts college because the small class sizes and intimate environment reminded me of Léman. When I visited Bates, it reminded me of Léman in a lot of ways, which gave me a good feeling."

There are other aspects of her Léman experience which Sean hopes to take with her to college. She said, "I've made such good, long-lasting relationships with my teachers and friends. I cherish the time that I've spent with my teachers and I appreciate their advice and how their doors are always open to talk when I need to. I hope to find that in college as well."