What was your LCA Experience like when you first came here?
I went to another private Christian school throughout elementary school, where my mom is still a teacher and now principal, and it was a very small school at the time and has since grown. My class was only 11 students so my mom wanted me to have a more diverse and larger classroom and more opportunities for middle school. I can say that I didn’t come here by choice but because of my mom’s. I remember being so anxious at first and even trying to fail the test you had to take but then by the end of the first day, I was like “I love it here!” I truly love this place. People always ask “would you ever do high school over again {like expecting me to say no} and I’m like of course, I love high school!” This was a great place to grow up and have those pivotal years.
Did you have classes at LCA that helped prepare you academically for college?
I went to Wheaton College and was at a liberal arts Christian school so I felt very prepared. I think the science curriculum was incredible and I had Jodi Clark for AP Bio. That made me so excited to study biology in college because she was very inspiring and an excellent biologist and teacher. I also remember my junior and senior year having Mr. Alexander for Bible classes and that forced me to learn how to think critically and read critically and just be someone who asked good questions and thought well about things. Now being a dentist, my patients respond really well to me because I’m a people person and not just some scary dentist.
Were there clubs, leadership opportunities or sports that played a role in your LCA experience?
Yeah. I was definitely a more musical person but it was good in middle school to try sports. I often look back and thought I’m really bad at sports but it was really fun to be a part of a team. I was involved with theater and Chamber Singers. It was fun to have my friends who were my athlete friends but also my theater friends. Mrs. Bulger was like my mother and I was in her office all the time during my free block.
Did you notice anything that was different about your LCA experience when you went to college that helped prepare you for life beyond LCA?
I thought about this and it could just be me that I have such a positive experience with high school and I do think it was the school who did that. When I hear about my friend’s experiences from other schools, there’s always only one teacher who stands out, but here at LCA it was the teachers and the environment overall that allowed me to grow into a confident and independent person. I’ve been so grateful that Christianity was a part of my high school experience and middle school experience. I’ve spent all my afternoons in teacher’s classrooms because my mom was a teacher at another school and so I was always just picking their brains or doing my school work in their classrooms and that was something my friends from other schools never experienced. Most teachers would just leave right after school, but office hours in high school were so cool to look back on.
Were there ways that you felt your faith was encouraged or grown or even challenged while at LCA?
Yes. Having Bible classes every year was really helpful and especially junior and senior year when having theology classes. These taught me to feel more comfortable explaining my faith and as I grew up, it was interesting to be so comfortable and around those who were like me sharing their faith. I remember crying when graduating here since I didn’t want to leave. It was interesting to be someone who had a lot of integrity and be surrounded by others who wanted to be here and share faith comfortably. Even when I went to Wheaton and experienced a different environment, I looked back on my years at LCA and felt very supported by the teachers and environment.
Were there any LCA traditions that stand out to you that you always looked forward to?
Chamber singer tours, those were something special! ArtsFest was another good one. I loved singing Valentines, especially when I was in middle school and they would interrupt the class.
Do you remember what your senior internship was?
I interned at a dental office and remember doing a report on why it was an excellent time to be a dentist. At the time, it didn’t seem like everyone around me wanted to go into dentistry, but this experience from my time at LCA shaped me in wanting to go into that field!
Emma is currently at Mass General Brigham as a dentist. Pictured above is her on a medical mission in Hartford last fall put on by Hartford Hospital, where she completed her General Practice Residency.