The high school years are truly transformative ones, and it’s important to find a school that’s the right fit for you — whether in terms of academics, culture, athletics, arts or more. For most students, this means remaining at the same high school for all four years. For some, however, it’s simply not that easy. In the search for their school of best fit, several students transfer to Menlo’s sophomore, junior, and even senior classes each year.
Junior Maverick Desuasido has transferred not once, but twice throughout his high school career. He spent his freshman year at Marin Academy High School in San Rafael, a school he enjoyed because of its academic rigor and welcoming community. “Marin Academy kind of gave everything to me,” Desuasido said.
However, after his family moved to Hillsborough before his sophomore year, Desuasido transferred to Junipero Serra High School. Desuasido, a competitive basketball player, was drawn to Serra’s athletics programs. However, he felt that his studies were not as academically rigorous as he would want. “I’d be passing all my classes, but it was like I wasn’t trying at all,” Desuasido said.
Desuasido still values his time spent in the lively environment of Marin Academy and the focused culture of Serra, but he was looking for a school with a stronger sense of community than the latter. It was for this reason that he decided to apply to Menlo in his sophomore year.
Although Desuasido believes Menlo is more academically rigorous than his last year of school, he’s found the transition relatively seamless and appreciates how much Menlo values a good education.
The transition was made easier by the fact that Desuasido already had friends at Menlo, but he said that other members of the Menlo community, such as his teachers, have made the social aspect of Menlo enjoyable for him. “Menlo is a very open and welcoming community […] It’s crazy how much I can see Menlo relating to my freshman year of high school [at Marin Academy],” Desuasido said.
Sophomore Jamie Johnson, too, transferred to Menlo this school year from a single-gender school. Johnson, who attended Castilleja School previously, made the decision to apply to Menlo midway through her freshman year. She said that she enjoyed her time at Castilleja, but felt that Menlo would be a better fit for her in terms of balancing strong athletics and academics. “I left [Castilleja] because it didn’t really have everything I was looking for,” Johnson said.
Johnson agrees with Desuasido that the academic rigor of Menlo has been a step up but believes it is “in a good way.” She feels that her transition has been a positive one both academically and socially. “Everyone is really welcoming and nice,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s current favorite aspect of Menlo has been the athletics program, seeing as she plays for the girl’s varsity volleyball team. Being a part of the team has been another way for her to make new connections in a fun environment. “I think [sports are] a great way to tie different grade levels together,” Johnson said. Overall, Johnson is enjoying her experience so far at Menlo and is looking forward to the rest of the year.
Junior Sulia Gayle transferred to Menlo for the 2023-2024 school year after spending her freshman year at Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, a boarding school in the south of France. Gayle originally applied and was accepted to Menlo for her freshman year but was encouraged to attend the French boarding school by her tennis coaches. She and her family decided to defer her admission to Menlo for a year. She was always going to come to Menlo for sophomore year. That said, she didn’t like her time at the boarding school, so that reaffirmed her desire to transfer.
Now that she is starting her second year at Menlo, Gayle is finding the school more and more enjoyable to be a part of. She also understands that being at a school like Menlo is academically challenging and has found it difficult getting used to the rigor. “[Menlo] obviously has its ups and downs,” Gayle said.
Gayle finds her Menlo classes to be interesting and she enjoys the content that she’s learning in them.
