Sylvie

Sylvie in The Laramie Project

Commonwealth Avenue in Boston is the window on the world for a Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholar named Sylvie.  The 16-year-old with the infectious smile and enthusiasm for life starts each day on that historic New England thoroughfare as she hustles toward her classes at a local private school.  She takes in everything as she walks.  To her, it is a daily new piece of art: the street cars, the people she passes, the students from one of the many local colleges self-absorbed in their crisis du jour. 

But for the high school junior, every day presents the opportunity to learn something new, to experience something she has never felt, and to help others along the way. 

Service to others is a driving force for Sylvie. Most memorable to date was the time she spent one recent summer working at the Blackfoot Indian Reservation in Heart Butte, Mont.  There, in addition to soaking in the culture of the Blackfoot Nation, the young Easterner was welcomed into their community. The whole experience is a memory that will remain with Sylvie her entire life.

“I learned about a people in this country that you rarely hear about,” she said.  “I was so blown away by how kind they were and how welcoming they were to bring us into their community and share their customs and history.”

Another more recent experience: Sylvie spent the summer of 2009 as an intern with a new program sponsored by her high school for Boston middle-school children who have not had the advantages of private schools and tutoring.  It was her chance to give back to other motivated youngsters like herself.  “We didn’t want to call it summer school, but it was a chance for Boston-area kids to come and take classes, get introduced to a college setting, and also to have a good time,” Sylvie said.

What’s next for Sylvie?  Right now she is immersed in her studies, including classes in biology and Mandarin Chinese at a local college.  It’s not all academics though.  She is a key member of the school drama society and may even consider acting as a career.  “I’m really into theater,” she said. “I’m in all the plays and musicals and have directed some, been a stage hand, everything.”

But that is all in the future.  The college selection process is just beginning for Sylvie.  Although she loves Boston, she wants to attend college in another city.   Her current top choices are the University of Pennsylvania and Barnard College, but she is considering West Coast schools as well.