Senior Snapshot: Clarisa Marcano

Clarisa Marcano has been at BT for twelve years, ever since she stepped onto campus as a first grader. The school has helped to shape her childhood and teenage years with the closeness that the small community offers her. Clarisa loves how BT feels like an extension of her family. The freedom, trust, and community are unlike anything she could have imagined. Although BT has many unique traditions, Clarisa’s favorites include the Maddy Shumaker run in her honor, Field Day with its Kona Ice and inflatable castles, the hype of House Olympics, and creating the football home game banners with Abbi and Avery and posting them on the student section Instagram.

Her favorite classes have always revolved around math. She grew up loving the subject, and as she got older, she has built a meaningful connection with her house dean and math teacher, Mrs. Rise. Additionally, Clarisa has many fond memories of PE and Basketball with Mr. Dunlap, even if he didn’t always appreciate her middle school energy that seemed fairly constant. 

Clarisa’s favorite memories come from the many sports she has played throughout the years. One standout moment was during middle school basketball when the team celebrated a win with Taco Bell because every single player made a basket. She also loved scoring off a throw-in goal in soccer, dedicating it to her teammate and one of many best friends, Abbi Gibbs, right before releasing the ball. While the many post-game celebrations stick out to her, nothing beats the team’s celebratory Dairy Queen trip after beating Bryan High. 

As senior year moves forward, she’s more than ready for the next step. While she loves the community she’s found at BT, Clarisa knows that Nebraska is not where she wants to stay in the long run. Clarisa is excited to leave the Midwest behind as she has applied to universities in Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and more. When asked about this period of transition, Clarisa said: “Honestly, I feel like leaving the Midwest as soon as possible to explore all the new places to live that might be out there.” 

Throughout her time here, Clarisa has been involved in volleyball, basketball, and soccer. She painted sets for the theater in middle school and ran track during that time. Out of the many years on campus, junior year stands out as the best for her. She was her happiest then as she was surrounded by a strong and stable friend group that gave her the feeling that she had finally found her people. Senior year has been good for her, too, just more overwhelming with school work and college plans piling up. Throughout her many years, Clarisa has learned meaningful lessons to pass on to underclassmen. 

College applications have been stressful, but she’s pushing through and staying on track. She’s looking at schools like Austin, FSU, Duke, and Clemson, and plans to apply to Stanford and Duke in December. She hopes to land somewhere with strong academics, a good environment, and ideally, close to a beach.

What she’ll miss most about BT is the sense of community that many students seem to thrive with. She loves the way that students from all different groups come together, especially during stressful times like finals or AP test week. These unlikely alliances, built off of chaos and grind, are some of her favorites to witness around campus.

When asked about her biggest role model, Clarisa responded with her “imaginary productive self.” While that is only half a joke, Clarisa says that her dad has seriously inspired her with his constant organization and hard work. A major accomplishment Clarisa is proud of is maintaining over 100% in both Pre-Calc and Geometry, even earning an exemption from her junior year Pre-Calc final. She describes her high school journey as “erratic,” shaped by heavy workloads, stress, and even surgery recovery, but she’s come out stronger from all of it.

Over the years, she’s learned to put herself first. She highlights that she’s learned it’s ok to be “selfish” in the ways that matter, especially with schoolwork and personal priorities. To unwind, she loves taking baths. Clarisa shares that she’s done at least one assignment from every class in the bathtub, as it’s the best way to relax while being productive. Additionally, Clarisa also enjoys watching shows with her family and going out with friends on the weekends to do everything from hangouts to meaningless tasks with those she loves. 

This summer, Clarisa plans to work at Kona Ice and Scooters Coffee, taking on new responsibilities as she prepares to step into life beyond BT.