Bethashley Cajuste ‘20. Hometown: Tampa, Florida. Bethashley graduated from Land O’ Lakes High School. She is a contemporary dancer and avid reader. One of her favorite genres is old mystery books, such as the Sherlock Holmes series. Bethashley is proud of her work with the International Baccalaureate program and the closeness of her IB group. At Colby, Bethashley plans to pursue Environmental Science and Policy. She is considering a double major in International Relations. Bethashley is especially interested in political ecology. She wants to make a difference solving environmental issues in developing countries.
Krisla Canales ‘20. Hometown: Houston, Texas. Krisla attended the Yes Prep East End Public School, a school for grades 6-12. Upon graduation, a ceremony is held with all Yes Prep campuses for the senior class to announce their graduation and plans. Krisla remembers this moment and her announcement to attend Colby as one of the proudest moments of her high school career. Krisla is inspired to try many fields in the liberal arts school setting. At Colby, she would like to pursue medical school and a health-related field in the future. In Houston, she was part of a youth group through a small Baptist church. She also enjoys running. In her spare time, Krisla enjoys hanging out with friends, finding new places to eat, and trying new activities.
Emily Carter ‘20. Hometown: Sallisaw, Oklahahoma. Emily became initially interested in chemistry through her high school class at Sallisaw High School. While in high school, Emily worked at a Long John Silver’s restaurant. She enjoys playing with little kids and loves caring her younger brother. Emily says that where she is from, not a lot of people are inspired to succeed. She is proud of receiving a Questbridge Scholarship and she is proud of the respect she receives from her hard work. Emily hopes to motivate people who lack a vision for the future. At Colby, she plans to pursue a major in Environmental Science and the chemistry behind it.
Kris De Luna ‘20. Hometown: Houston, Texas. Kris attended the Awty International School in Houston. She is proud of her success and substantial scholarship at the competitive high school, and is proud to come to Colby as a Questbridge scholar. At Colby, Kris plans to major in Biology. The IB program at her high school helped her discover Biology in depth. As a “hands-on learner,” Kris wants to become a doctor and a surgeon. A piano player for nine years, Kris would like to pursue a new instrument at Colby. She is also excited to travel more. Already, she has been to Turkey and Holland while in high school. Kris won the French competition at her high school. Kris comes from a large family with a younger brother and two cousins the same age as her and her brother.
Holly Lauren Garcia ‘20. Hometown: Miami, Florida. Holly Lauren Garcia attended the Robert Morgan Educational Center. For the past two years, Holly Lauren tutored elementary school students in grades K-8 in all subjects. She is proud of them for their success. Holly Lauren is a lyrical dancer, a style of contemporary dance with ballet and jazz influences. She enjoys reading Victorian literature. Ayn Rand’s is one of her favorites. Holly Lauren plans to double major in Psychology and Literature. She hopes to make a difference by learning to understand people. Holly is especially interested in understanding people “through the ages” and learning how people thought about their world in the past.
Garrett Genco ‘20. Hometown: Queens, New York. Garrett grew up outside of Suffolk and moved to New York for his high school years. For the past few summers, Garret has interned at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York. During his first summer there, he studied many different sciences. During the second and third summers, Garret worked on environmental science projects that inspired his pursuit of the sciences. One of his projects was to assess the health and biodiversity of a river near St. James, New York. He comes to Colby interested in pursuing the biosciences. He aspires to become a zoologist or wildlife biologist. Garret is also interested in exploring communications and sports writing at Colby.
Stephanie Gonzalez Martinez ‘20. Hometown: Aurora, Colorado. Stephanie graduated from Cherry Creek School. She is a hard worker, and due to her dedication to AP classes and student organizations, she is a proud recipient of the Questbridge scholarship. Stephanie was active in Key Club, the National English Honor Society, and Latin Honor Society. As a member of the United Latinas club, Stephanie participated in the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights. Through the Denver organization, Stephanie went to Washington, D.C. to lobby for government rights and a new perspective of health care. This experience is one of many things that inspired Stephanie to pursue Biology at Colby. She is excited to join the small liberal arts school environment that Colby has to offer. Stephanie would like to get to know the professors and create a personable academic community where she can explore her interests.
Juan Luna ‘20. Hometown: Hollywood, Florida. Juan attended McFatter Technical High School. There, he was the president of his high school environmental club. Under his leadership, the club received recognition from the National Wildlife Federation and the Environmental Protection Agency for their positive influence in the Hollywood community. He also started a community cross country club, promoting his belief after experiences with costly sports that exercise should be free and open to everyone. Juan recently received his certificate for medical assisting in May, allowing him to work in clinics and be appointed as a phlebotomist, EKG analyst, and Health Care Provider. Juan is a recipient of the Questbridge scholarship at Colby. Juan is inspired to pursue studies in global health at Colby. While he already speaks Spanish, at Colby he looks forward to learning more languages and studying abroad.
Victoria Marion ‘20. Hometown: Cranston, Rhode Island. Victoria graduated from Cranston High School East. She enjoys playing tennis, biking, and reading. Victoria is proud of her success in track and field in high school. She began throwing discus during her junior year. After months of hard work and some surprise talent, Victoria took second at the state championships. Victoria plans to pursue neuroscience and stem cell research at Colby. She first became interested through a Brown University’s Brain Science program. Victoria remembers one particular student researcher putting sensors into a tadpole’s head to track brain waves and sharing stories of his own journey with neuroscience. Victoria decided then that she wanted to dive in and see where the neuroscience field takes her as an important and developing field. While at Colby, Victoria would also like to study German language. She has fallen in love with the people and landscape of the country through her godfather’s stories of being stationed there during the Vietnam War. She is inspired to travel abroad there and form her own experiences with German culture.
Abraham Pineda Jr ‘20. Hometown: Houston, Texas. Abraham attended both public school in Houston and The Hotchkiss School for high school. Abraham dedicated his school career so far to his classes, working, and track and field. At public school in Texas, Abraham was the President of the National Honors Society and ran track. He is proud that he was able to graduate with honors while juggling his AP classes, sports, and work. Abraham was part of a club called “Green is Love” that his coach began. The club planted trees, picked up trash on the highway, and recycled every week. Abraham says that he felt like the club had a positive influence despite being in a city where environmental values can be hard to come by. At Colby, Abraham would like to prepare for medical school. He is interested in majoring in either Neuroscience or a humanities major yet to be discovered as an interest. Abraham likes to write, especially about sports literature and African American literature. He is excited to take writing seriously. Abraham would like to learn a new language and explore new interests and passions. He plans to join the cross country, indoor, and outdoor track teams at Colby.
Sarah Vaughan ‘20. Hometown: Lexington, Virginia. Sarah attended the Rockbridge Christian Academy. The high school is new; she was part of the third class to fully graduate from the Academy. The new school did not have many opportunities for classes yet, but Sarah was able to work with the faculty to bring in pre-calculus and physics classes her senior year. She aspires to be pre-med and major in biology with the intent to become a surgeon. Sarah’s grandmother was a nurse, and her experiences inspired Sarah to help others. Sarah is also a dancer. She has practiced clogging, a style of folk dance, for five years and ballet for two years. She hopes to continue dancing at Colby. Sarah would also like to explore outdoor activities since Maine and Colby have so many outdoor recreation opportunities to offer.
