Alumna Alyssa Acosta '22

WHAT DO YOU VALUE MOST ABOUT YOUR CH ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE?
I really value the amount of time and effort the teachers put forth towards their students. You can really tell the teachers here care about you and help you achieve a good understanding of whatever they are teaching. When it comes to writing and reading analytically, all of the CH English teachers have pushed me to work harder and helped me grow stronger and gain more confidence as a writer and reader. CH teachers are always open to meeting after class for any additional help, including the writing center and math center. I love how the teachers truly care about you academically, how they care for you as their student but also as a person. Their passion for teaching their subject and caring about their students is something I truly value.

HOW HAS BEING INVOLVED IN SPORTS PLAYED AN IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR CAMPBELL HALL EXPERIENCE?
Being new to CH Freshman year was hard since I did not know anyone, but playing soccer again allowed me to make new friends and get closer to more of my classmates. I hadn’t played soccer since I was 6 and I knew I wanted to play again in high school, but seeing how good everyone was made me scared. But my teammates were nice and helpful, reassuring me it was okay to lack some skills because they would help me. Joining soccer played a huge role in how I felt about Campbell Hall. Being in a space with girls from all grades allowed me to feel more comfortable in the environment and community, but it also allowed me to make friendships that I plan to keep for the rest of my life.

As for softball, a sport I have played since I was 5, I went in with no expectations at all since I only knew my sister and the coach. I wasn’t expecting an amazing team, but playing softball at Campbell Hall changed the sport for me. I have played travel ball since I was 11 and I always played with one goal which was to get committed and play in college. But being a part of the Campbell Hall team, where all the girls around me wanted to win but also have fun, changed the game for me. I was always surrounded by girls trying to get committed and looked at by the college coaches and scouts, so playing high school ball was so different. Everyone was having fun and just enjoying softball in a way I had never known. Playing softball for Campbell Hall truly made me love softball again, a new kind of love I never knew I could feel. Softball began to be less stressful and more of an escape to have fun. I love playing high school softball because it allowed me to remember to have fun because in the end it’s just a game.

Overall, sports at Campbell Hall have honestly changed me as a person. Through soccer I was able to rekindle an old love I once had for the sport while also having fun and making new friends. Playing softball allowed me to find a new way to play the sport I love so much. I am so grateful I was able to be a part of these sports at Campbell Hall.

WHAT ARE SOME OTHER ACTIVITIES YOU ARE INVOLVED WITH AT CAMPBELL HALL AND WHAT DREW YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN THEM?
I am a part of the Latinos Unidos Club at Campbell Hall and also the La Familia Group. Going to a private predominately white school I was a little nervous I wouldn’t fit in with my classmates and yes I was prejudging the school at first. Once I heard about a club with other Latinas/os and Hispanics I felt like I could fit in. Being a part of these clubs has allowed me to feel comfortable in the CH community and has also allowed me to learn more about my culture as a whole. La Familia is different because it is for families all together, we gather on weekends to celebrate anything and sometimes nothing, just to be together. Seeing all the families together, getting to know one another is so heartwarming and comforting; it is truly a wonderful sight.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT CAMPBELL HALL?
I love the sense of community and comfort I get from the students, teachers, coaches, and staff. I was extremely blessed to be coached by Marty Rackham and Margaret LaGaly, which was an extremely fun and life-changing experience I will carry for the rest of my life. They pushed me to be better and had faith in me, allowing me to feel good about myself. I was able to become friends with Coach CJ, coach of the girls basketball team, which was totally random seeing as I never played basketball before, not even for CH. He was someone who helped me through my recruiting process, being there for me when I needed someone to talk to and mentoring me to not only be a better softball player, but also a better person. I would talk to him whenever I needed advice or on some occasions he would just give me advice, which was always helpful and showed he cared. He was definitely someone who changed my CH experience for the better, being there to talk, lecturing me, and just overall making me laugh when I needed to. But out of all of these people, the one who I have grown to love and appreciate most is Dr. Sanchez. She was never even my teacher but I was able to become friends with her during the Freshman retreat. Not knowing anyone at that time she reached out to me and made me feel comfortable. Coming into my Senior year, she has always been someone I could talk to, always. I am so grateful for her, allowing me to bug her with my problems and eating lunch with me when I had no one else to eat lunch with. Being at CH was tough a lot of the time for me, but she was always there for me and always able to give me advice. I love that Campbell Hall picks its faculty so well, picking not just amazing educators/teachers/coaches, but just having amazing people work there. I love Campbell Hall for allowing me to have these kinds of relationships, allowing me to make new friends, but also build relationships with my teachers and coaches and I am truly grateful that I was able to experience this.