A record number of 22 young alumnae visited the Annie Wright Upper School on January 4, 2012 for the annual College Annies Comeback event. Recent Annie Wright graduates were invited to spend an afternoon with the Upper School students and faculty to field questions about their college experiences. Some offered humorous accounts of campus life, while others spoke reverently of the outstanding academic preparation they received as students at Annie Wright.

Crystal Hwang ’11 expressed how preparing for and taking the IB Diploma examinations was a powerful precursor to the comprehensive college exams she has faced. Hwang spoke of the value of IB courses and the overall quality of the Annie Wright curriculum as the best preparation she could have received and has set her apart from her college peers.

College Annies Comeback is a beneficial part of the four-year college counseling process in the Upper School. Prior to the afternoon panel, the Junior Class enjoyed lunch in the Great Hall with visiting alumnae, including Alumni Board members, and shared in round-table discussions about the college search process. Sadie Winters ’13 asked Holly Hunt ’89 and Kate Dorr ’96 how many colleges they had applied to and if they had any trouble getting in. “I applied to five schools, was accepted to four of them and waitlisted at one,” said Dorr, who attended Pomona College. Hunt laughed at her own memory of having applied to many different schools and recalled being waitlisted at one before finally deciding on Princeton. “I just knew that I was ready to go as far away from Tacoma as possible since my entire life had been here,” said Hunt. “I wanted to experience new surroundings and see another part of the country.”

Alumnae inquired on the types of colleges the girls were considering and what steps they were taking in their college search. Winters and her classmates Zoe Adberg ’13 and Molly Russell ’13 agreed they were not certain where they wanted to attend, but being somewhere near water was important to them. While discussing the upcoming Junior Class College Trip, which charters the entire class down the west coast to visit nine colleges in seven days, Upper School Co-Director Susan Bauska told the students at her table what they could expect from the journey. Eyes wide, the girls showed their excitement for the adventures they might encounter, while Bauska emphasized that the trip is both exhilarating and life-changing for the students. “To see the difference between who they are at the beginning of the trip versus who they are as college consumers by the end of the trip is remarkable,” said Bauska. “They become increasingly more confident and outspoken in what they’re looking for in a college with every visit.”

College Annies Comeback concluded with a reception for alumnae and Upper School faculty in the Great Hall. It was a welcomed reunion for all.

Jennifer Wang ’08

Meghan Bradway ’08

Courtney Banko ’08

Colleen Hunter ’10

Geneva Goldwood ’10

Stephanie Gann ’10

Sirah Hosni ’10

Emily Carr ’10

Lauren Siverly ’10

Katherine Doesburg ’10

Crystal Hwang ’11

Camille Priebe ’11

Linnea Hattery ’11

Jenny Thomson ’11

Alaina Emde ’11

Haley Kerrigan ’11

Melissa Fallat ’11

Kari Ayres ’11

Mina Saudagaran ’11

Colleen Dimmer ’11

Hilary Reagan ’11

Sonia Vora ’11