“It doesn’t feel as big as it looks. It feels like a close-knit family.”

Zary - Class of 2011 Allentown, Pennsylvania

Zary came to Andover from a small high school in Pennsylvania where she could have been mistaken for any one of her seven classmates. “We were all Jewish, white, and middle class,” she said. “Here there are so many different types of people. I really appreciate the diversity.”

Though she was nervous at first to leave home, Zary made friends quickly. “As soon as I set foot on campus, I thought, ‘Wow, I really belong here.’ It doesn’t feel as big as it looks. It feels like a close-knit family.”

As a freshman, Zary made a point not only to make friends but to try new things. She took Chinese for the first time, and after enjoying instructional volleyball, she’s planning to try out for the junior varsity team.

Zary says her positive attitude has helped her adjustment to boarding school go smoothly. “I’ve been open to everything since I arrived,” she said. “I figure I deserve to be here if I got in. Someone must have seen something in me.”