Going to the Cistercian Open House last January was pretty nerve-racking. A couple days after finding out I’d gotten in, it was a toss up between Cistercian and Jesuit, my brother’s alma mater. I’d been to Jesuit many times, and it is an unbelievable campus. Never had I dreamed of not attending Jesuit. But I had also never been on Cistercian campus before that day, and wanted to give it a long, hard look. Cistercian was immediately my choice. The overall experience and thought of being a student at this prestigious school was so appealing, and I couldn’t pass the opportunity up.

Playing football and getting to know some of my new form-mates through summer basketball was awesome. It helped me massively, as I wasn’t a total stranger on the first day. Father Ambrose (my form master) has also been an enormous help, getting me prepped and acquainted with the school through tours and meetings. As have my new football coaches, especially Coach Burk. He has taught me so much in such a short amount of time. He introduced me to the hunger for success in athletics at Cistercian. My attitude was definitely apprehensive, knowing I’d need to be ready work through the rigorous academic curriculum here at Cistercian.

Cistercian’s and my middle school’s (St. Mark Catholic School) differences are night and day. They controlled you and made you go from class to class in single-file lines. Everything you did in the hall was monitored. The uniforms were awful (green pants and a green sweater vest). At CPS, you have a sense of trust with the administration. You have a sense of freedom, especially with the 45 minute lunch period. High School has been a huge step-up both academically, and independence-wise as well.

As a new student, I can’t say much about the ins and outs of the school, because frankly, I don’t know yet and still have much to experience at this school. But as of now, I couldn’t be happier to be Cistercian Hawk.