“I was born in Chicago, but my family is from Kenya. We moved to the Upper Valley about 15 years ago for my dad’s job at the medical school. I appreciated the tight-knit community at Hanover High. I knew everyone in my classes and all my teachers really well. I wish that the area was a bit more diverse. But, looking back, I would not have it any other way. I don’t see how I could be myself if anything had been even a little bit different.
I ran track for 13 years, so I was on the Varsity Track Team in high school. I also led a diversity club and was the head of an affinity group. As a junior, I was also selected for the search committee to find the new Hanover High principal. They chose a couple of students to represent the study body to help decide who to choose as the new principal. I am glad that I was a junior when she was hired because I got to have my whole senior year with her.
I worked hard in high school. In some sense, COVID offered a nice chance to finally take a break and breathe. We were in such a rush and always running to do as much as possible. It was like the world finally stopped for a second, and that was nice. I still find ways to decompress, even a few years later. Sometimes I go on drives in Lyme because it is so pretty. I will stop by the docks in Etna and just sit there.
When I was applying to colleges, I wanted to be able to form tight relationships with my professors. I was also looking for a school in a city. I ended up going to Colby, which is probably the most similar school to my high school. I look forward to graduating college and seeing what life is like after that. I want to be able to live comfortably and have everything I need and want. So, I am working hard right now to be able to be that comfortable in the future.”
-Zoe Onyango, Hanover, NH
