After seven years of attending Preuss and being a part of several clubs and extracurriculars, Heaven Woldai (‘24) will be graduating in June and attending Harvard University in the fall, majoring in Bioengineering.
Q: What is the main reason you chose the college you’re attending?
A: “I was debating between Stanford and Harvard for a long time, but the main reason I ended up choosing Harvard was because I felt like it will carry me further in the future as for what I want to do and because Boston… is the best area for healthcare. Iit has an equitable system in comparison to other areas, and I feel like it’ll be a new experience.”
Q: What opportunities at Preuss do you think are underrated and that everyone should take advantage of?
A: “Everyone should take advantage of the posts that are posted by your counselors for your year, where they share different scholarships and summer programs. People should take advantage of that because it’s a great way to build your resume when they’re sharing all these things and giving you easy access to find different programs. [It’s] something that a lot of schools don’t have and something that makes it easier for you to actually apply because, typically, Preuss has a connection with the programs they’re posting on the Google classrooms [so] you have a higher chance of getting in. It’s a great way to either gain money or like to do a summer program.”
Q: What is the most difficult thing about high school?
A: “ The most difficult thing about high school right now is probably staying motivated enough to continue the path that I already started, like keeping my same GPA and having the same effort to participate in some of the clubs or organizations I’m in. Throughout the years, I feel like the hardest thing has probably been keeping up with your school work and also making sure to have that balance between a social life and participating in different organizations and clubs.”
Q: What will you miss most about high school or Preuss?
A: “My friends.”
Q: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
A: “ In ten years, I see myself graduating from medical school and beginning my residency as a doctor; hopefully back in San Diego and hopefully graduated from UCSD medical school.
Q:Why did you choose Bioengineering as your major?
A: “I chose my major because I’ve always known I wanted to do biology and biology is something very general, that a lot of pre-med students want to start with, but the reason I decided to go more into the engineering aspect was because I did a summer program my 10th grade year where I got to research the impact of a gene regarding cancer, so learning more about the field of bioengineering and biomolecular sciences was very interesting and intriguing to me. After doing my senior research paper on genetic engineering, I decided it is something I would like to pursue in my undergraduate years, and even if I don’t go to medical school, it’ll be a great way to still make money and enjoy something to do as my career.”
Q: What advice would you give to the incoming seniors?
: “ Some advice I have is starting on your college apps as soon as can and making sure to use all the opportunities you have to have people read your actual essays because you don’t know if you wrote a good college essay if you just look at it yourself. You need to have … professional readers edit your college essays or use programs like The Matchlighters Scholars Program to maximize your chances of getting into your top schools.”
