MDS students find their way up north to MIT, Williams College

Two Mount De Sales students were accepted into prestigious colleges in Massachusetts following their participation in pre-college programs, rigorous studies and extracurriculars. 

Evan Lin is headed to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study computer science, an interest cultivated through AP computer science and his Minecraft server development experience. 

Julia Byron is going to Williams College where she will major in English and geoscience. She hopes to one day become a science journalist.

Lin is a first-generation college student and Bibb’s STAR Student, obtaining one of the highest SAT scores in the entire county and one of the highest GPAs at MDS. He’s managed to keep his grades high while putting in full weeks at his family’s restaurant, Chen’s Wok.

He said he first thought about going to MIT because of his brother’s obsession with the university. Those thoughts started to become reality when he took an online STEM camp run by MIT in the summer and later toured the university.

“The people, they really connected with me,” Lin said. “The students, they were very honest, they were very humble, despite all of their talents, and that really captivated me.” 

Byron has more of an interest in the arts, seen through her involvement in theatre and mock trial. She got nominated for the Governor’s Honors Program for visual arts, which led her to a summer program with college-level classes alongside fellow nominees.

She sent in an arts portfolio to Williams, which she said may have “sealed the deal” for her admission.

“I think that especially my involvement in the arts steered all my decisions on where I wanted to go,” she said. “I wanted to go somewhere with a lively arts community.”

Byron’s first visit to Williams happened on a very snowy Massachusetts day, a stark contrast to her upbringing in Macon, but she nonetheless fell in love with the school.

She said she’s excited to “just get to learning” and “branch out” by taking new classes,  following Williams College’s emphasis on well-rounded scholarship.

“The rigor could be a little intimidating, but I think it’s going to be challenging in a really good way,” Byron said.

High school students are starting the college application process earlier, MDS college counselor Kari Alderman said, and qualifying for the state’s HOPE scholarship is more competitive than ever.

Alderman said MDS worked to optimize their curriculum to maximize the opportunities available to its students and consulted with families through the admissions process to ensure they find a good fit.

The private school brings in about 40-50 college representatives every year and has built a “level of trust” with universities, Alderman said.

“In their discussions, it’s really about what works well for that student,” said MDS Principal Emily Brown. “That’s where building on 9th through 10th grade, all the work that they’ve done, all the introspective work they’ve done together, can really, really be helpful.” 

As Lin and Byron prepare to leave MDS, both students take with them a greater appreciation for the connections they’ve made and the ones they will make.

Lin said the teachers and staff at MDS have helped pull him out of his shell, and Byron said her 10th grade English teacher, Michael Muth, pushed her to look within herself and learn more about her own aspirations.

“I remember that kind of being the first time where I made a really good connection with a teacher who saw the things that I was wanting to pursue and go towards,” she said.