I choose Fullerton because it is “accomplished, creative, and fun.”

Senior Shane Simpson is a water polo and swim athlete, a full IB diploma candidate, and most recently, a Mr. Fullerton nominee.

Simpson’s experiences at Fullerton have not only been enjoyable, but have prepared him for the future.

“Fullerton has prepared me academically by offering more difficult and stricter courses such as AP and IB courses that allow me to experience what more workload is like and to help earn me credit for college,” Simpson said.

He credits teachers for his own academic achievements.

“The thing that is most important to me about my academic success would be a teacher’s passion on a certain subject,” Simpson said. “If you have a teacher who doesn’t care about what they teach, then how are they going to convince a student to care about the subject at hand?”

Thankfully, there are much more than a handful of teachers who do.

“I think Mr. Henderson in TOK [Theory of Knowledge] has challenged me the most, making me think outside of the box, in different and new ways on different subjects and helping me analyze different perspectives,” Simpson said.

As for electives, Simpson has found a passion in photography.

“Mrs. Kudron has challenged me the most on an artistic level. She has helped me open up the creative part of myself, and I now feel a new way about perceiving art and making art that I never had before,” Simpson said.

Pursuing a four year program pathway while being a full IB student can be challenging, but the advantages always outweigh the obstacles.

“Being part of a four year program or academics is the best thing you can do as a freshman. It helps you meet and connect with more people, creating new social ties and a bigger social sphere for yourself. It makes you feel like a family on the team,” Simpson said.

Although Simpson’s plans for the future are broad, he plans to double major in either Architecture, some type of specific Engineering, Economics, or Political Science.

No matter what he pursues or where he goes, he will always “choose Fullerton because of the positive environment in addition to great academics, arts, and athletics.”