91�����

Yesterday we began a three-part series introducing the prefects for this year�s High School Summer Program. Below is part 2:

91����� Cain (�18)A member of the College�s newest graduating class, 91����� Cain (�18) of Santa Paula, California, is returning for his fourth Summer Program. �I cannot wait,� he says, �because each year seems to get better.� He is most looking forward to reading and discussing the texts, as well as playing in the volleyball tournament. �Give all of yourself to the program,� he advises students. �Even if you don�t end up becoming a freshman here, these two weeks will change your life.� At summer�s end, 91����� plans to backpack in Europe for three months, and then hopes to begin studying for the priesthood. �Keep me in your prayers,� he says. �You all are in mine.�

Micaela McCall (�20)Like fellow prefect Graham Crawley (�20), rising junior Micaela McCall (�20) of Denver, Colorado, was a �second-time freshman� who enrolled at the College after first studying elsewhere. �I spent a year at the Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati before converting to Catholicism and �transferring� to TAC,� she explains. �My heart longed for a bigger conversation, one about the leading philosophies of Western civilization, the relationship between God and man, and the works of literature that stand out as the best for giving such a vibrant depiction of humanity.� The Summer Program, she finds, offers students a wonderful opportunity to enter that bigger conversation. �See the classes as simply an extension of your life,� she says, �where you get to seek answers for questions that matter to you.�

Joseph Guinee (�21)Although a first-time prefect, rising sophomore Joseph Guinee (�21) of North Andover, Massachusetts, is a Summer Program veteran, having attended as a high school student in 2016. �My favorite memory was sitting outside the Hollywood Bowl, eating pizza with the great friends I had met,� he recalls. �I�m looking forward to seeing this year�s students read the great books, and to see how that experience will spark in them a desire to seek truth and read yet more great books!� In his spare time, Joseph enjoys cooking, photography, and dancing. His advice for the Summer Program students: �Get plenty of sleep, and talk with everybody you can.�

Siena Hsu (�18)After graduating from the College this spring, Siena Hsu (�18) spent the beginning of the summer with the family of fellow prefect Seamus O�Brien (�20) in Wisconsin, �planting seeds, fishing, milking cows, sausage-making, and generally getting a very un-Californian experience.�  She has also been hard at work on her design portfolio, and she hopes to soon land a job as an in-house designer for a publishing company. This year marks her second as a Summer Program prefect and her first as a Catholic, having entered the Church at this spring�s Easter Vigil. �I love running and hiking,� she says. �And would love to do both with any students who are interested!�

Helen Blain (�20)Four years ago, Helen Blain (�20), then a rising high school junior, made the trip from her hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Santa Paula for the 91����� Aquinas College High School Summer Program. Four years later � and now a rising junior at the College � she is serving for the second time as a program prefect. Expect to see her often on the athletic field: She enjoys any and all sports, especially rock climbing and soccer. She greatly looks forward �to getting to know all the students,� adding that she is �super excited� because her sister will be one of them. �Wear sunscreen,� she recommends. �And if you truly dedicate yourselves to the readings, the classes will be even more enjoyable and engaging!�

Daniel Selmeczy (�08)A teacher at St. Monica Academy in Pasadena, California, Daniel Selmeczy (�08) is best known as the Summer Program�s dance instructor, turning neophytes into skilled dancers in time for the end-of-the-program dance. Now returning for his eleventh year as a prefect, he marvels at how he came to attend the College at all. �I was an atheist and was accepted to study marine biology at UC Santa Barbara when I first visited TAC,� he recalls. �During that visit, I fell in love with the program and was accepted to attend as a freshman that same year. Within a year I had converted to Catholicism, which to this day has been the single greatest blessing of my entire life.� His favorite memories of past years� programs are the conversations in the dorms and, not surprisingly, the dance lessons.

Meg Downes (�20)�I�m very extroverted and love getting to meet new people, and then really getting to know them,� reports Meg Downes (�20), a rising junior from Hickory Corners, Michigan. As one might guess, she is eager to meet the students on this year�s Summer Program. Indeed, this second-year prefect�s favorite memory of last year�s Summer Program was the opening-night ice-breakers, from which sprung countless new friendships. �This is the last group of high schoolers who, if they come to the College as students, will be here at the same time as my class,� she observes, noting that she would be a senior during this group�s freshman year. Meg loves volleyball and anticipates some intense matches on the College�s courts during afternoon recreation time.

John Jost (�17)When he was in high school, John Jost (�17) strongly considered going to college on a swimming or baseball scholarship � until he attended the High School Summer Program. �It changed my life,� he says. �And it�s the greatest decision I have made thus far.� During the program, he discovered that �there was something bigger in life than sports,� and that he �actually liked reading.� He is returning for his fourth year as a prefect while on vacation from his work as an account executive for a Fortune 1000 technology company. �I have learned so much from this job,� he says, �but the foundation and habits I developed at TAC gave me the opportunity and ability to succeed in the business world, right out of college.�

Stay tuned for Part 3 tomorrow!