Ben Scheetz is really fast, and that’s probably an understatement. Sprinting 800 meters in less than 1:48, Scheetz is a two-time National Track Athlete of the Year, holder of two Division III records in 800m and 4x400m, captain of the track & field team and member of the cross country team. When not running, Scheetz can be found studying Physics or working with the Peruvian Education Initiative. Known to his coaches, professors and peers as a hard-worker, role-model and mentor, Scheetz applies his goal-oriented mentality to all aspects of his life.
Most of us know Kate Berry as a Resident Counselor in Morris Pratt, but her loved ones know her as Dit Beedy, an incredible conversationalist, die-hard romantic and thoughtful friend. It’s surprising to know that she is already a graduating senior.
Born in Seattle, Wash., Berry grew up with her parents and little sister, Madeline, in Woodinville, Wash. — a suburb just to the east of Seattle. Redmond — the next town over — houses the Microsoft headquarters, so she grew up with an interesting blend of countryside (cows, horses, farms) and the tech industry.
Meeting Shanika Audige isn’t exactly like meeting most people, and that’s because I can’t really tell you when I did meet her. I could say that I first met Audige during my orientation week when she performed at the “Voices of the Class” show, but for most people it wouldn’t really apply since I didn’t speak to her at all.
I first met Trevor Hyde at practices for the William Lowell Putnam Competition, an annual intercollegiate math competition in which math students from around the country compete for scholarship prizes. I’d done math competitions before, but Hyde assured me that this one was different. Scored out of 120 points (10 for each of 12 questions), it is administered over a six-hour period, three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon on the day of the test. The median score out of 120 is usually between zero and two points.
One late night at the end of the August of 2008, a quiet, unassuming girl from Shanghai, China, stepped onto the Amherst College campus, still relatively unfamiliar with American culture and looking forward to an education that would hopefully lead to a career in finance or investment banking. Now four years later, Yinan Zhang will be matriculating with a double major in Spanish and Economics, a close familiarity with three different cultures and languages and an acceptance into a Harvard Master’s program to research education.
For someone who claims to be shy and uncomfortable with the thought of speaking in public, Ioanida Costache is remarkably eloquent. Her unassuming character makes her a favorite among her friends to settle conflict and it’s not until one talks to her boyfriend that one discovers the numerous awards and accolades she has amassed during her four years at Amherst. So even though nobody mentions it specifically, humility might be one of Costache’s defining personality traits. After all, Amherst students all aim high, but not everyone will have the strength of character to match their career.
People who know Jeremy Koo usually describe him in two ways. The first is as a renaissance man. Koo may be best known for his singing, but he’s also a composer, violinist, choir organizer, woods adventurer and digital space-explorer. The other way is as a genuinely friendly person. The La Jolla, Calif. native seems to exude a sort of quiet positivity and a willingness to make time for others. Throw on a layer of reflective creativity and we start to get close to a portrait of Jeremy Koo.
Finding His Path
