It takes a lot to get to Yale, and senior Emily Rodriguez has checked off all the requirements. Known for her achievements on the speech team, Rodriguez is involved in co-leading an all girls student acapella group, Stella Acapella, and is involved in National Honors Society. Rodriguez’s hard work paid off on December 15, the day she received her acceptance letter.

“When I was younger and first made a Facebook, I put down that I went to Yale,” Rodriguez said. “Which is weird, I know, and I didn’t know anything about the school, but it was a cool thing to say that I was going there. The lesser known Harvard but better than Harvard.”

While attending U-High, Rodriguez has learned many leadership roles and skills that have become beneficial to all of her activities.

“I’m very organized and am good at communicating to people what I need from them, that’s really helped me lead Stella,” Rodriguez said. “I’m not afraid to voice my own opinion.”

With an acceptance rate of 6.3%, Yale is a well-known Ivy League university. To be accepted, Rodriguez built good relationships with teachers and kept engaged in her studies maintaining a 4.0 while taking AP classes.

“Mostly, I just really want to learn. I think Yale saw that,” Rodriguez said.

Compared to other schools she visited, Yale’s campus convinced her that this was the place she could live for the next four years.

“When I visited in the past spring, I fell in love with the atmosphere, the individual attention, and the traditions they have,” Rodriguez said. “There were traditions that provided a strong sense of community on the campus with the fun things they have to offer.”

Yale’s tradition for welcoming freshmen was unique.

“The tradition at the beginning of the school year, when freshmen are moving in, is that the seniors move in a week early so they can move everything into your dorm for you,” Rodriguez said.

Like many seniors preparing for college, Rodriguez has some fears for what the future holds.

“I’m scared of not finding what I want to pursue. I’m nervous that the atmosphere might be a little too competitive, especially within the arts and theater,” Rodriguez said.

But fears of what’s next accompany an excitement for a new environment and what that will bring. Although Rodriguez is still deciding what to major in, she knows she is going to study theater and political science while she’s at Yale.

“I can’t wait to meet new people with similar interests and right minds that want to make the world a better place to live,” Rodriguez said. “I’m eager to be surrounded by good people and to be challenged by them.”