Itzel S. ’24

I chose Menlo because they offered the sport I was looking for and because of their Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion program. The EDI program caught my eye, and I thought Menlo might be a bit more diverse than other private schools in the area, therefore choosing Menlo.

I enjoy the athletics, math, and science programs because they have a wide variety that you can choose from. These are all things that are important to me and that were part of my search process criteria.

A challenge that I encountered was when I had to take a practice mandarin test. It was quite tough because there were some characters that I’ve never seen before. Although I struggled a bit, the teacher encouraged me to use context clues within the test to figure out what the characters meant. Even though it was challenging, by the end of the practice test, I learned some new characters.

I have explored a couple of extracurricular activities. Some of these activities/clubs are Latinos Unidos, water polo, going into Whitaker Lab, and Art of Visual Design. My favorite extracurricular activities are water polo and Latinos Unidos. I enjoy these two in particular because they provide environments in which I can relax and have fun.

My favorite class has been History. My teacher, Ms. Ballantyne has been supportive both in and outside of class. She has encouraged me to ask her questions when I’m not sure about something. I have also enjoyed talking to her about other classes and my interests. I am thankful that teachers at Menlo are available to their students on a one-on-one basis.

What I believe makes the Menlo community special is that teachers and students are willing to help you no matter what; they want you to thrive and be successful!

Hometown

Menlo Park