One of the things that distinguishes Phillips Academy’s student body from that of other schools is that Andover students are not only smart—they are also interesting. You may wonder how the admission committee, with such a large and diverse applicant pool, keeps track of all these talented candidates. We have special codes we use to remind us of a student’s major interests. For example, we use “ART” to note a student’s interest in visual arts, or “AVB” to indicate his/her participation on a high-level volleyball team. However, some students’ interests defy labels. We use a special code for these applicants—the UNA code—to indicate a unique interest. The following are profiles of some of those students who were coded “UNA” during the selection process:

A 15-year-old girl who is training to participate in the two-day, 192-mile Pan Mass Challenge, the nation’s original fundraising bike-a-thon for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. This young woman and her stepdad will bike across the state of Massachusetts during this event in honor of her father who passed away from cancer four years ago.

A young man from Vienna, Austria, with a passion for math and science as well as a true penchant for languages. This worldly young man currently studies six languages in all: French, German, Italian, Latin, Spanish, and Turkish.

A future ornithologist from Boise, Idaho. This incoming 10th grader helped to band young hawks with the World Center for Bird of Prey in her hometown. She also pursued her interest in birds by taking part in a study of Idaho’s Camas Prairie as a resting place for migrating songbirds. During a family vacation in Europe, she identified 47 bird species.

A friendly young man from LaPlume, Pennsylvania, who spent time making friends during his visit to Phillips Academy and later wrote an outstanding application essay about the experience. This young man took full advantage of his campus tour and time spent in the admission waiting room by reaching out to other prospective students who were on campus the day of his visit.  

Another rising lower from Colorado Springs, Colorado, who has a passion for household pets. This young woman volunteers for the Dreampower Animal Rescue Foundation and dedicates time to foster dogs and cats before these animals find their way to new homes. When asked in the application essay how she might use $500 to change her community, this student wrote that she would set up a veterinarian’s clinic for people who could not afford to have their dogs and cats spayed or neutered.

A young man from Lincoln, Massachusetts, who has been described as an “academic, trumpet-playing, athletic community servant.”  This student has managed to maintain the highest average of any student at his school while pursuing a wide range of extracurricular interests including community service, three sports, and the trumpet. 

A young woman from Bogart, Georgia, who is passionate about environmental and sustainability efforts.  She started off by taking shorter showers, encouraging her family to use energy-efficient appliances, and brainstorming ways to spread the word about going green. She earned a trip to conduct environmental research in the Galapagos Islands and was invited by the Environmental Protection Agency to make a presentation of her findings.  This young woman also had the opportunity to be interviewed on NBC as a result of her good work!

A young man from Irvine, California, whose family ties reach all the way back to the Korean Chasun Dynasty. A strong member of his community, this young man is one merit badge away from completing his Eagle Scout requirements.

A young woman from Foxboro, Massachusetts, who serves as president of her school’s student government association.  When her school’s Head of School was away for part of the year, this young woman stepped in and wrote letters on her behalf in the school’s weekly newsletter that goes home to families each Friday. 

A resident of Bellevue, Washington, a star baseball player and lab assistant at the University of Washington, one of our newly admitted 10th graders is currently conducting the equivalent of graduate-level research with a paleontologist.  His work is focused on “mass extinction” between the Permian and Triassic periods. 

A young woman from Stowe, Vermont, who was born in Japan and has lived in Singapore and Thailand as well.  This young woman volunteered teaching art to Tsunami orphans while living in Thailand.  She is also a triathlete, competitive skier and gymnast. 

One of the youngest certified yoga instructors in the world, an incoming new lower also enjoys spear fishing on the shores of his Jamaican hometown of St. Ann, when he is not perfecting deep-breathing techniques.  Academically, he has a pronounced interest in genetics.

A young woman from Johannesburg, South Africa, who is a true adventurer, having lived in four different countries, hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro, studied oceanography in Maine, and joined an expedition to the South Pole. She is also a true scholar-athlete, as the only student in her class inducted into the National Honor Society and a member of the varsity swimming and soccer teams at her school.

The son of a physician/church deacon, one young man is the official Byzantine chanter at his church.  This incoming 10th grader from Rancho Mirage, California, embraces this 2,000-year-old tradition with a level of sincerity and seriousness that belies his age.  In addition, he is a USTA-ranked tennis player and an avid filmmaker.

Two PALS (Phillips Academy-Andover High School-Lawrence Middle Schools Program) students and best friends who won the Lawrence Youth Leadership Award for their work with the Peace Project. These two girls started this project to help combat the rise in bullying in their school.  They created and sold 400 peace bows, sponsored a dance and donated the proceeds to the Rosa Parks Foundation. 

A talented artist, one young man joining us this fall has already had some of his work displayed at Barney’s NYC and the Dallas Museum of Art.  He also has utilized his skill in the name of service. This young man constructed stages and coordinated a volunteer crew of 30 to create a haunted house in his family’s home, and all of the proceeds went to UNICEF.  The initiative has proven to be so successful that it has become an annual “must-see” event in his Dallas neighborhood. 

A newly admitted post-graduate student from Santo Domingo Pueblo, New Mexico. This young woman grew up in a traditional Navajo and Pueblo home which valued story, dance and ceremony. She has preserved that tradition through her own passion for spoken word poetry. She has competed as part of the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam in San Jose, California, and hopes to share her words and stories here at Andover. In addition, she serves as the youngest board member of Earth Care International, an organization which educates and empowers young people on issues of sustainability, community and social justice.