By Cedar Hill Prep Alumni, Ms. Anjola Odukoya

Looking back, what aspects of Cedar Hill Prep’s environment or community had the biggest impact on who you are today?

N. Velanki: The thing about CHP that has really had the biggest impact on who I am is how much the CHP environment fosters leadership and leadership qualities. I was involved with a lot on campus … I had a bunch of leadership positions on sports teams, in clubs, and on my debate team as well. In high school, I was a club leader for many clubs. I was in student government and captain of my tennis team in 11th and 12th grade.

My leadership qualities, the ability to command a room and lead other people, definitely come from CHP… Something else that I really loved about CHP — that has really impacted me along my academic journey is CHP’s emphasis on experiential learning. We went on a bunch of trips throughout all four years of my time at CHP. We went to Frost Valley twice. We also went to Baltimore.

Those trips, as well as just other field trips, demonstrated how the material we’re learning in the classroom is applicable to such a broad range of topics and is so relevant to the world around us. Putting our academics into the context of the real world was something really important for me.

Were there any teachers, classes, or experiences at CHP that taught you lessons you still carry with you?

My intellectual curiosity, especially for the world of science, has 100% come from CHP. Specifically, Mrs. Galliano’s science classes in 5th and 6th grade. I can genuinely trace the moments where I fell in love with science because of how much effort she put into creating cool things, like making science, learning, and education really cool. Those experiences have always stuck with me and have fueled my curiosity all these years. I learned about how the world worked from a science perspective because of Mrs. Galliano’s class. And the other science classes, of course, that I took over the four years of my CHP education.

In middle school, we’re at such an impressionable age that totally depends on the teachers you have around you. I developed a very good relationship with academics in general. Like, for example, if you’re assigned homework to do for a class, rather than just doing it to do it, learning to appreciate why you would be doing it, or like, why this particular assignment was assigned.

Some more teacher shout-outs — Mrs. Lehki, you are so awesome. It’s funny because I never actually had Mrs. Lehki as a teacher, but she just cared about everybody in our grade. Even though I never had her as a teacher, she always made sure to ask me, Oh, how are you doing in your classes? How are you? And even now, in college, if I ever visit, I know that Mrs. Lehki will always be the first one to hug me and say hello.

And of course, Mrs. Nan. Mrs. Nan has always motivated me to be the best person, the best academic I could be. It means a lot that she has stuck around all these years to, like, see where I would go, see what I’d become. She always checked in on me throughout high school, too, which was nice.

How did Cedar Hill Prep prepare you to navigate high school and beyond — academically, socially, or even emotionally?

CHP’s rigorous academic curriculum definitely prepared me for navigating private high school and taking a majority of STEM classes, which was also not very easy to manage. There was a lot of homework, a lot of a lot, and it was a big step. But that gap was a lot smaller than it could have been if CHP hadn’t introduced its students to rigor early on.

In the moment, of course, it was challenging to deal with that being in middle school, but I definitely think in the long run, being prepared for high school also made me very prepared for college now. Something that CHP really prepared me for in high school was learning how to be involved in school activities outside of academics.

In high school, I was really, really big into extracurriculars. My theater experience in middle school at CHP was so fun. Working with a lot of different directors and making different friends through … I did theater for a little bit in high school. I was just involved with so much, and I know CHP really made me understand the importance of that. I met some of my best friends in the entire world through extracurricular activities I participated in during high school, and I probably wouldn’t have been inclined to do anything unless CHP instilled that value in me.

In what ways does CHP still show up in your life today — whether that’s through friendships, habits, values, or the way you see the world?

I know I’ve said this a bunch of times already, but I think the biggest way CHP shows up in my life is just my ability to be able to stand up for myself and advocate for myself. I’m not afraid to ask questions because at CHP, you were encouraged to be inquisitive. You’re encouraged to question the things around you. I’m really grateful for that.

Also, I think that due to the academic rigor, I had to balance my time and learn time management skills from a very early age, and that has helped in every walk of life. But knowing how to compartmentalize, like, do this at this time, do that at that time. That, like, never leaves you.

CHP also taught me the importance of being around your friends even in an academic environment … Just in the little things, like being able to choose your debate team with your friends, who all grew up with you. It has been great to see how my friends have grown alongside me. I guess that’s not like a skill, but I just think it’s really special to see that there are people who are going to grow up with you and go down all different paths. It’s just very valuable and special to see how the same education, the same foundation, can have such a big, profound, but different impact on all of us.

If you could share one message with current CHP students about making the most of their time there, what would it be?

Something I would tell students at CHP right now is just enjoy your time. Try new things, especially things that you wouldn’t have access to do otherwise or wouldn’t even have thought about on your own. Be uncomfortable. Now is the time to explore the things around you.

Mrs. Nan has shown me some of the things CHP’s doing right now, and it’s incredible that you guys have so many opportunities to see how your education really intersects with the real world. And to take advantage of every single opportunity you get, both at CHP and in your life. Don’t take these things for granted is the biggest advice.

Okay, definitely… stay connected with your middle school friends through high school. It’s nice to have friends whom you have known since such an early age. Having those connections with your friends is really important, especially in high school, where it’ll be new and unfamiliar. Having familiar faces from middle school is extremely important.

You should definitely also connect and keep in touch with your teachers. Make sure, if you have a question, you talk to your teachers during extra help. Just go and keep those connections, and then that way, after you graduate, your teachers will always be a connection for you in case you need anything.