From high school to Harvard, Yale and UVA

Prince William County’s class of 2024 began their high school careers online in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, they walked across the stage and embarked on their journeys to college and beyond.

Students from Gar-Field, Colgan, Osbourn Park and Potomac High Schools reflected on the last four years and prepared themselves for what’s next. They are headed off to Harvard, Yale, the University of Virginia and Northeastern and are working toward careers in intelligence, law, global health and finance.

Gar-Field H.S. grad Anjali Ghafoerkhan to attend Harvard on an ROTC scholarship

From a young age, Gar-Field High School graduating senior Anjali Marcia Ghafoerkhan had big dreams of one day working for the CIA or the FBI. 

“I had childhood asthma, so it didn’t actually seem like a possibility,” Ghafoerkhan laughed. “Then I grew out of it.”

Today, that dream is one step closer to a reality. In the fall, Ghafoerkhan will attend Harvard University on a Navy ROTC scholarship, which stipulates that she major in computer science and serve at least four years on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps after graduation. If she has the time, Ghafoerkhan also hopes to get a second concentration in political science.

“I’m still over the moon,” she said. “I still can't believe it. It feels like I’m in a movie.” 

Ghafoerkhan’s love of cryptography comes from media like the movie “Imitation Game”and the nonfiction book “Code Name: Lise.”

Her love of politics comes, in part, from her family.

“My parents, when I was younger, were very adamant about bedtime,” she said. “The only times that they would let (my siblings and me) stay up was for the State of the Union.”

While in high school, Ghafoerkhan was heavily involved in the school’s JROTC program, where she served as the cadet battalion operations officer and the cadet battalion commander. She says the experience taught her people skills, like balancing the emotional needs of cadets with existing responsibilities. She also learned the importance of being adaptable — a tough lesson for the self-described planner and perfectionist.

“One of the very first things you learn is no plan survives first impact,” she said. “As much work as you put into it, it will never completely go according to plan, and so you always have to think on your feet.”

Despite her preparedness, the decision to become a Marine wasn’t an entirely easy one, Ghafoerkhan said.

“It was kind of a whirlwind of, ‘Am I saying no to the Marine Corps because it's legitimately not for me? Or am I saying no to the Marine Corps because I'm afraid?’” she said. “So, eventually, I came to the conclusion that if I did not go and at least serve for four years, I would regret that for the rest of my life.”

Ghafoerkhan was a United States Youth Ambassador to Belize through a program sponsored by the State Department and run by Georgetown University in affiliation with the organization World Learning. Additionally, she was one of just 11 students in Virginia to receive the Harry F. Byrd, Jr. Leadership Award. 

Colgan High School grad Tatiyana Kauo to study at Yale University

Despite a virtual start to high school, Tatiyana Kauo hit the ground running.

“I was full throttle even freshman year, trying to do as much as I can to beef up my high school resumé and try to collect all those essential high school experiences,” Kauo said. If she had to do it again, she said, “I would tell myself to just chill out, slow down. You're going to get there eventually. It'll be fine.” 

Kauo took part in all of the spirit days and homecoming dances, as well as being involved in activities like debate.

“Well, some would say I just like to argue,” Kauo said. “I just love debate because you get to learn about so many random niche topics — like you get to be a mini expert on so many random things.” 

In the fall, Kauo will attend Yale University and plans to major in political science, sociology or both.

“I kind of wanted to do political science throughout my high school career, mostly because I have an interest in politics, and I want to be a lawyer. That's kind of the typical law school pipeline,” she said.

The interest in sociology is newer, Kauo said, stemming from a summer sociology class at Radford University and a research class at Colgan High School, where she wrote about how sociological theory applied to the Barbie movie.

“Basically, it was about how when men feel their masculinity is threatened; they respond with over-acts of masculinity,” Kauo said. 

Kauo said she’s a little worried about the distance from Prince William to New Haven, but mostly, she’s excited.

“What excites me the most is probably being able to have new experiences,” she said. “I've always lived in Virginia, so, I'm excited to just be able to meet all sorts of new people.”

Osbourn Park High grad Marakie Yilekal to study global health at UVA

Marakie Yilekal grew up hearing her mom talk about health disparities in Ethiopia, including “period poverty,” or the lack of access to menstrual products. As a first-generation Ethiopian American, Yilekal decided to do something about it. Alongside two friends, she started the organization “Blooming Abeba.”

“It got much larger than I thought,” Yilekal said. “My friends and I started with some church fundraisers and events, and we raised over $5,000 in our first few fundraisers.”

Today, there are chapters of Blooming Abeba in other states, including Maryland and Georgia, and the group has partnered with the Caleb Foundation to help disperse more than 1,000 reusable pads to girls at three schools in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital.

Yilekal said the experience taught her valuable leadership skills.

“A lot of the time, people don't really take you seriously as a high schooler,” she said. “I feel like it's important to stand up and use your voice and be confident in what you have to say. I got used to that through this.” 

In the fall, Yilekal plans to start a Blooming Abeba chapter at the University of Virginia, where she intends on studying global health.

“I wanted to do something similar (to Blooming Adeba) in the future as a career,” she said. “I just felt like the global health track was calling my name.” 

At Osbourn Park High, Yilekal was also involved with the school’s multicultural nights and hopes to get involved with similar extracurriculars in college.

“I want to be involved in (UVA’s) East African Association, where we can organize dances and stay close with people from my culture,” she said.

Yilekal was also one of the 11 students in Virginia to receive the Harry F. Byrd, Jr. Leadership Award.

Potomac High grad Peter Mitchell is headed to Portugal with Northeastern University

Peter Mitchell is getting an unusual start to his college career. Though he will be attending Northeastern University, he’ll spend his first semester abroad studying finance in Lisbon, Portugal, through the school’s study abroad program.

“I was hesitant to commit to that school at first, because I was a bit nervous,” he said. “I talked to a few students there who were in the (study abroad program), and they said they acclimated pretty well when they returned to Boston in January. So, that kind of eased my worries.”

Mitchell transferred to Potomac High School his junior year for basketball, which he previously played at Bishop Ireton High School and Saint Stephen’s and Saint Agnes School. 

“Going to Potomac was a great choice, as opposed to staying in private school, both for basketball and academic life,” he said. “The teachers are very personable, which is great, and it's very diverse. I met people from all backgrounds.”

Mitchell has played basketball his whole life, and he intends to continue to play in college at a club or recreational level.

“I thought I wanted to play in college, but as I grew older, it was pretty rigorous coming back from practice and doing all my homework for (Advanced Placement) classes,” he said. “I just decided; I think I want to focus on school in college. And I also want to go abroad, and I couldn't have done that if I played college basketball.” 

At Northeastern, Mitchell hopes to get involved with extracurriculars related to his major, like investment club, as well as with cultural affiliation clubs. He said he’s on the lookout for a Filipino basketball club, like his brother participates in at Boston University.

“I'm just excited to grow as a person,” he said. “It's going to be neat to see where I end up, and I want to meet new people of course. It's just very exciting, this whole process.”

Reach Kate Seltzer at news@fauquier.com

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