Senior Siri Doddapaneni has been at Brownell Talbot since sixth grade. She said, “I love how I can be friends with such a diverse group of people. With such small class sizes, you get to know many people with different interests than you, which pushes you out of your comfort zone in a good way and makes for fun conversations that you wouldn’t normally have.”
On campus, Siri participates in Academic Decathlon, choir, Pirate Radio, and yearbook. Off campus, she volunteers with a couple STEM and educational nonprofits throughout the year. Outside of school, she shared, “I love hanging out with my cousins and friends, and attending cultural events with them!”
Siri shared one of her favorite memories from school: “Probably Secret Santa or Gillsgiving with Gillmore House! This year, we ended our Gillsgiving celebration by watching The Notebook on Mrs. Ryan’s screen; Katie and I had never seen it before so that was very entertaining. Gillmore is such a fun group of girls and every activity with them is one to remember.”
When asked what her favorite class of high school has been, Siri said Spanish 4 during her sophomore year: “The class was small so we all became good friends which made learning very entertaining. It was always super fun when we did food days or movie days.”
Siri thinks senior year will be her best one yet: “My classes are easier and there are so many special senior celebrations and traditions to look forward to. It’s really nice to share that with a small class.”
Siri is most looking forward to Senior Sunset. She said, “I hope we can redeem Senior Sunrise, but I’m also ready for a more laid-back second semester. I would like to spend as much time as I can with all my friends before we part ways for college and become closer as a senior class.”
In terms of applying to college, Siri said it wasn’t too stressful for her: “I still have a lot of scholarship essays to write. I’m mainly looking at schools in the Midwest because it’s really important to me to be close to my family but I also really like Duke!”
When thinking about the end of high school and the start of a new chapter, Siri shared, “I know I will be very sad to leave, especially my sister and cousins, my childhood friends, and Omaha, but I’m super excited about college. Although I do love the small size of BT, I’m excited to go to a large school and meet so many new people.”
To end, Siri shared important advice for underclassmen: “I would tell them to make enough room for time to enjoy themselves. You’re only a teenager once, so it’s also important to make memories and have something to look forward to that keeps spirits up during the school week!”
