Ever since she was in eighth grade, SHS senior Alisa Hil fantasized about living in the United States. A citizen of Ukraine, Hil left her home country due to the war, and “everything in the Netflix movies became real” when she moved to Massachusetts over the summer. 

Hil is enrolled in advanced classes–none of which she considers a challenge because of the contrasting Ukrainian education system, where students take 14 advanced subjects per year. Hil was a very active student at her previous school, the Central Scientific Lyceum, where she was the president of her class. In this role, she helped integrate both a math club and a drama club into the school.

At SHS, Hil is an active member of the Math Team. Out of all of her courses, Hil prefers AP Computer Programming with SHS math teacher Kerri Hallihan and AP Physics with SHS science teacher Geoffrey Gross, saying it’s her “favorite thing to do.”  

While dealing with the demands of her senior year, Hil is also in the process of writing her own science fiction novel. Having already completed around 40 pages, she plans to write a total of 300 pages with well-developed characters and a riveting plot. The story takes place in the year 2461, and the main character is a teenager named Dylan Tracey who experiences modern problems and personal challenges.  

Hil wishes to “be remembered as a person who can adjust to any environment, and as someone who is very determined to achieve their goals.” When asked what her one wish for the near future is, she responded by saying, “Getting into a really good top school in the U.S.” At the college level, Hil would like to study computer science.

If Hil could pick anyone to bring on this year’s Senior Sleigh Ride with her, she would bring her supportive parents and her aunt, who has been a tremendous help to her in the U.S.