After seven years, countless classes, and many extracurriculars she was involved in, Mercy Fessehaye (‘23) will be graduating in the class of 2023 and attend UC San Diego in the fall.

Fessehaye first enrolled at Preuss as a sixth grader in August of 2016.

“I remember back when I was in the fifth grade, my dad confronted me about joining Preuss because of how good of a school he heard it was from a family friend,” explains Fessehaye.

At the start of her sixth grade year, Fessehaye admits it was a very different demographic than what she was used to.

Fessehaye states, “On my first day at Preuss I remember seeing all types of people ranging from all types of ages. At the time the transition from going to a predominately white school to a school of all ethnicities felt really daunting, walking across the halls and seeing all these people just walk to class like it was another day at Preuss.”

Just as she reached the midpoint of her ninth grade year, she, as well as students around the world, faced a huge setback.

“When COVID started, it had a harmful impact mostly due to separating me from my new friends and confining me to my house. Because I hadn’t done much my ninth grade year and couldn’t do anything my tenth grade year, I scrambled my eleventh grade year to get things accomplished,” Fessehaye says.

Although she faced these challenges and setbacks, she was able to overcome them and achieve great accomplishments.

“While I mostly only had my eleventh and twelfth grade years to improve my résumé, I was able to accomplish many things like get in to a non-profit organization that helps with preparation for college, join cheerleading, take a college level class during my summer before my twelfth grade year,” explained Fessehaye.

Now as the year winds down, it comes time for her to prepare for the next step in her life which is going to college.

Fessehaye exclaims, “After applying and looking at my choices I have chosen to go to UCSD. Thanks to a thousand dollar scholarship I got and everything I’ve prepared for, I can’t wait to go to college.”

Before it’s time for her to leave, she has closing words for future Preuss students:
“You should stay proactive and take all the advantages that this school offers, even if you aren’t interested.”