By CASEY LYONS
Next fall, senior captain, Monica Joseph, will be taking on a different field before she knows it and will be embarking on a journey that will shape her future.
After a “long, long, long analysis process” Joseph has decided to leave Massachusetts next fall and attend Howard University in Washington D.C., majoring in Civil Engineering. Like many seniors traveling out of state for college, Joseph is scared yet excited to leave Massachusetts and believes that Summer Search has a large role in her excitement. Because of Summer Search, she knows that she is capable of adjusting to a new environment and is optimistic for what the future will bring.
As for Civil Engineering, Joseph has decided that she would like to help other countries build their infrastructure, specifically in Haiti, and would like to leave a mark in this world somehow, and would also like for “[her] great grandchildren to drive on a bridge saying to their kids ‘hey, your great grandma built this bridge.’” Aside from lacrosse, she enjoys rock climbing, shopping (specifically online), and plaster fun time.
But when it comes to lacrosse, Joseph tries to “make everyone feel that they belong to one family.” The team has lost a large portion of good players last year so the team is adjusting and despite their losses the they have remained positive. Becoming captain was also something Joseph had never expected and claims that “if someone said to [her] four years ago that [she] would be in this position I would have never believed them.”
Freshman year, Joseph claims that she was shy and afraid of the intimidating upperclassmen, but through hard work and perseverance she pushed herself to better. As a captain, Joseph works hard to be someone the underclassme
n can talk to without feeling intimidated by, as she once was her freshman year, so she can give them the right encouragement and support they need to improve. To her advantage, she is also able to connect and motivate her team members differently from the coaches since she is closer to them in age.
With the year slowly wrapping up, Joseph has approached the final weeks of her senior year. She offers some advice to the underclassmen that indicate that the next few years of high school will be
the most important years of their lives and to not let it go by. “It will hit you hard senior year” she stated, so to avoid a stressful senior year “do not be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and make new friends or try new things.” Stepping out of one’s comfort zone can create the best experiences and moments of a high school career. Although, one should stay balanced with school and social life. Joseph advises to not “overwhelm yourself…Of course stay focused on the larger task at hand, but make sure you give yourself time to enjoy life.”
