Athletic, energetic, and funny senior Cecilia O’Brien plans on going to Penn State to study to be a physician assistant. Throughout her high school years, Cecilia has participated in tennis, track and field, yearbook, class cabinet and more. Her bright and spirited character will take her far in life!

What are your favorite classes? 

Mass Communications and Multimedia: I enjoyed editing the yearbooks and seeing all the photos of everyone in the school, plus, I could make sure that only good photos of me were in the yearbook. Mr. Madden was also fun, and he always had interesting things to say about the different ways that our generation is different from when he was in high school.
AP Computer Science: I enjoyed learning the different ways to code in this class and program the computer to do specific commands; it made me feel really smart and like a coding legend.

What do you hope to study? 

I plan on majoring in Biology/Premedicine and becoming a physician assistant at Penn State’s in University Park. I hope to pursue becoming a physician assistant because I enjoy helping and talking with people, and I also want to have a lot of money.

Describe, in detail, your ideal life 10 years from now.

My ideal life ten years from now is living in the $218,000,000 house on a private island in Florida that I found on Zillow. I hopefully will be famous and won’t even need my college degree, and instead will be a feature in Bhad Bhabie’s phenomenal song “Gucci Flip Flops.” If not that, then I hope to just be able to travel the world.

What is your best high school memory?

My best high school memory is the time that I dressed up like Kim Kardashian for Senior Dress Up Day and I found out that Jaydon Vilmenay had actually dressed up like Kanye West. Now, I have the most iconic photos I could’ve wished for.

Which band could play the soundtrack to your high school career?

I’m going to say the same answer that my brother had said in a year past: Slipknot. The chaos and anger in the songs really define what being in high school was like for me. I enjoyed school, but it would stress me out easily and make me just want to scream. Slipknot was a type of music in which I could do just that. Plus, Slipknot is nostalgic for me in the way that it was the music my brother and I would listen to while driving to school–going debatable speeds on risky turns all while wondering whether we would get into the school parking lot on time or not.

If there were a movie made about your high school days, what would be the title and which actor would play your part?

The title of the movie would probably be called “The Highs and Lows of Deciding to Take Four AP Classes During Senior Year” (work in progress). I would have the famous actress Lizzy Rutt play my part because I have connections with her, so I’d be able to arrange her playing the lead role in my upcoming film.

Which event/events will you miss the most?

I will miss the dances the most because I’m known for doing the worm and pulling out crazy dance moves on the dance floor. To be honest, I didn’t even know I could do the worm until the day before homecoming; I taught myself and just happened to figure it out in 20 minutes.

Who is your biggest mentor?

My biggest mentor is Mr. Madden because he never gets super mad at me or, at least, he doesn’t show it. I might be the Editor in Chief of the yearbook and newspaper, but I often get side tracked…pretty easily. Despite this, he is able to keep his calm and make light of the matter. Some days I also get into really cruddy moods and don’t feel like doing anything in his class; I don’t know how he had the ability to still work with me on those days. He also showed me that sometimes in life you just need to step back and take a break; don’t stress too much, whether it be the AP Lit practice test or figuring out my life after high school.

What is your favorite quote to live by?

My favorite quote to live by is “It Is What It Is” or “It Wasn’t Me” (Rik Rok) –both very short quotes, I know–but I quote these both daily: either to get out of a situation or to just continue on with my life.

Who will you remember most in Bangor?

I will remember Abby Duyssen and Abby Maguire the most–I know, for some reason I seem to attract people with the name Abby. Abby Duyssen has been my day one and has dealt with my many stupid ideas. Despite being the valedictorian, she would participate in these crazy antics, and I expect her to continue to get sushi with me when she returns from the academy. When I tell you I couldn’t be more proud of her, she has worked so hard for her goals and has shown me that if you are determined, you will achieve your goal. You better expect me to continue to brag about how my best friend is going to West Point.
I would also like to shoutout Abby Maguire: Gosh…when I tell you it’s been one helluva crazy rollercoaster; we have both seen each other’s highs and lows. She has shown me that a person with a strong heart and will can overcome anything and that maybe talking to a friend is better than keeping it all bottled up. She’s always been able to put a smile on my face and let my emotions out. When I first met her at my work and found out that we would be taking AP Spanish together in school, I thought nothing of it. Two years later, and we are the two annoying, immature girls who somehow find a way to do everything together.
What activities have you done throughout your high school career?

I have participated in tennis, track and field, yearbook, newspaper, literature magazine, scholastic scrimmage, class cabinet, and made up 50% of the swim team.

Which of these activities is your favorite?

My favorite activity is track and field; every year, I look forward to it. I hope to be able to participate in an intramural team in college. Even though I might be mediocre at the sport, I enjoy being able to brag to people that I do in hurdles. Hurdles are my favorite part of the sport as they give me an adrenaline rush every time I jump over them — Will I make it over or will I fall flat on my face? — that is the question. If I’m able to, I’d like to also participate in the steeplechase when in college; it looks like complete torture, but I feel like it’d at least be a fun way to stay active. Throughout my years at Bangor, I have made it to districts in both tennis and swimming and leagues in track and field.