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Road To College Includes Self-Discovery

DANBURY, CT (AP) - A science lab, a stable and an art studio are just some of the places you’ll find high school seniors who have discovered their passions, something educators say is rare in teenagers heading off to college.

In some cases, passion comes out of pure talent, such as the artistic gifts of Danbury High senior Shakhed Hadaya.

For Newtown High senior Dayton Horvath, a natural interest in science was cultivated by committed mentors and became the focus of his future studies.

Sometimes an opportunity nurtures a love, as it did for Ridgefield High senior Nina Pola. Her dedication to her family’s horse farm and hard earned equestrian expertise won her a place on the Division 1 equestrian team at the University of Georgia in the fall.

“ It’s very difficult for kids to find their passion,” Newtown High School science department chair Christian Canfield said. “It’s one of the reasons we are in the business of education, so they can create their own opportunities.”

Supporting interests and providing opportunities and experiences are critical to helping young people find what will suit them.

“ One of the things we can all do is think of examples of the time when the student has been really happy, when they achieved something, and then examine what skills were involved,” said Jaye Roseborough, executive director of career services at Middlebury College in Vermont.

Roseborough is not a proponent of students choosing a career path too soon. She’d rather they take the time in college to explore different fields.

But she knows that these days many students have the pressure of finding a job after college that will provide health insurance and pay for a car.

Still, she said, adults should help young people understand that work is what they will do every day. She’s had students, for example, who wanted to become lawyers without ever having been in a law office or really understanding what the job entails.

Students should determine the skills needed to complete the work rather than rely on the label of the job, she said.

“ Get the kids into real world settings. That is critically important. It’s important to get out and see how someone is functioning in the job.”

Ridgefield High School senior Nina Pola was recruited to ride for the University of Georgia’s Division 1 equestrian team, which has won three national championships, including this year’s.

In college, she’ll study business, marketing and Spanish, the first two so she can run her family’s business, the Ridgefield Equestrian Center, and the third so she can communicate with the stable help, who more and more often speak Spanish.

Pola didn’t intend to ride in college because most college programs are not up to her level. But when she was invited to apply to Georgia, she couldn’t refuse.

“ It’s a big deal. They’re the defending champions. They’re the best,” she said.

Dayton Horvath’s name is on some of two dozen plaques in a hallway at Newtown High School that recognizes students for excellence in science research.

In the fall, he’ll be one of the top 250 students from the freshmen class at the University of Connecticut who are selected for a unique program of studies.

Horvath’s been promised time to do research his first year at UConn, something unheard of at many schools.

“ Research is compelling to me because there’s a thrill in discovering something no one else has done before, to feel like you solved a problem. Projects he did in 11th and 12th grade earned him rare repeat invitations to - and honors at - the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. It’s the world’s largest pre-college science competition, where 1,500 high school students showcase independent research.

If you ask 17-year-old Shakhed Hadaya when she first started drawing, she says, “Ask my parents.”

Making art is so integral to the Danbury High School senior that she can’t imagine when she didn’t do it. She’ll attend the School of Visual Arts in New York City in the fall, majoring in illustration.

“ It’s like food - I’ll try anything at least once,” she said, though she likes acrylic paints best. “I like to be able to correct my mistakes, and with watercolors you can’t. They’re not very forgiving.”

She always has a project in the works and spends about four hours every Saturday painting.

“ You can’t expect any 18-year-old to know what they are going to do for the rest of their life. That’s ridiculous,” she said. “I’m glad I have this. I’m not sure if it is better to know what you want or not to know.”

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