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Rachel McCoy
1. Why was The Advanced Academy of Georgia important to you?
The Advanced Academy was important to me because it gave me
an opportunity to grow and be challenged in ways that my high school
just didn't offer. When I entered the Academy in 1996, there was
no other comparable program available. I cannot put into words the
excitement I felt to be a part of such a progressive and elite program.
At sixteen, I was given the opportunity to live and learn with college
students, to be taught by University professors, to debate against
such schools as Harvard and Dartmouth , and most importantly, to
find a peer group of other high school students who understood what
it meant to be......well, "special." We were all yearning
for the next challenge, the next concept to learn, and the newest
technology to master and only the Advanced Academy provided us with
what we were looking for. My fondest "high school" memories
are from the West Georgia campus...discussing existentialism on
the Mounds, or talking to Chancellor Porch at the Z, or just going
to a college football game with my friends. To Academy students,
being a part of the Advanced Academy is like stepping into Willy
Wanka's chocolate factory. It's an all access pass to learn and
ask questions, grow, and be exposed to new and exciting things.
The Academy is important to me because it has allowed me to become
who I am today, and for that I am grateful.
2. What would your last year in high school have been like if
you stayed?
I would have made the best of it, because that's what I do.....but
there is no way it would have compared to being in the Academy.
3. Where would you be now if you did not attend The Academy?
How would your life be different?
Being a Junior in college at the age of eighteen not only gave
me a two year jump start on life, but it also gave me something
much more important: confidence. Since I hit the ground running
at sixteen, I haven't looked back once. The Academy taught me to
focus on what I CAN do and not how old I am or how I am supposed
to do things. The Academy taught me to think outside the box and
if I can't find the path to something I want, blaze a new one. I
am now one of, if not the, youngest corporate level Managers at
a Fortune 500 company. Had I not learned these valuable lessons
at the Academy, I am sure I would not be were I am today. Most importantly,
I am happy. Rather than spending my last two years in high school
spinning my wheels and getting frustrated, I got the wonderful opportunity
to dive into the next "stage" of life and that has set
the pace for me. Again, I am appreciative.
4. Would you have stayed in Georgia or the USG for higher education
without having been in the Academy?|
Before attending the Advanced Academy , my plans were to go
to an out of state school, possibly Wake Forrest or Duke. Had I
stayed in state, I was looking at Emory. I wanted to get a good
education and be a part of a competitive debate program. After spending
two years in the Academy, it was clear to me that SUWG offered both.
I decided to transfer to UGA because I wanted more of the "college
experience" that a larger school could offer and a more diverse
choice of majors and because all of my work at SUWG would transfer
as whole credits, which was not a guarantee had I gone out of state
or to a private school.
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