It’s only one year after Alonzia Quinn was awarded a full-ride scholarship to Stanford, and she’s already making waves of impact in the California city. After graduating from East High as the class valedictorian in 2022, Quinn made the nearly 2,000-mile journey to begin her studies at the famed university.
Joining this prestigious university has allowed Quinn to walk the same halls as many world-renowned leaders. Iconic alumni such as Ellen Ochoa, Tiger Woods, Herbert Hoover, Issa Rae Diop, Yaa Gyasi, and Eunice Kennedy Shriver have all called this campus home. According to Quinn, her greatest lesson at Stanford so far is to keep her mind open to all the possibilities in front of her.
“I just took my first philosophy class, Education as Self Fashioning: The Transformation of the Self,” said Quinn. “I realized there are so many more opportunities available to me to pursue different majors and career paths. I was initially set on being a biology major, but I discovered political science and international relations, so my focus has switched to being more open to new majors.”
Quinn says that while many students are learning to acclimate to their first year of academia, thankfully she feels ahead of her class thanks to the prep she completed with Waterloo Schools. Most notably, she cites East High’s International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP), for teaching her how to communicate her own voice while utilizing academic resources for long-form essays and topic-specific research.
“We had to write a 4,000-word essay in the IBDP program, and at Stanford, there were a lot of people really struggling. But for me, it felt easy,” said Quinn. “I never had to use an extension for any class papers. My writing got significantly better because of the IBDP program.”
The IBDP program is an internationally accredited curriculum focused on leadership and problem-solving. Within Waterloo Schools, Sherice Ortman and Ellen Shay work to coordinate the program alongside teachers within each of the high schools. According to Ortman, each IB class should have an element of curiosity, encouraging students to question how and why things work.
Whether it is taking their first IB class or choosing a new major, Quinn says students shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help.
“It’s so helpful as you go through life with professors and outside individuals,” said Quinn. “Start practicing asking for help now.”
Quinn has helped us all remember the incredible things we each can accomplish when we have the support of a loving community around us – even from afar.
