Addison Simone (Nottingham, 2019) is earnest and analytical, with a solid work ethic and amiable nature. A young man who approached high school with a clear goal, to prepare for college success, Addison has strategically taken advantage of the many opportunities available to him at Nottingham to move him closer to that goal. The greatest dividends, however, came when he allowed the environment to stretch him in ways he couldn’t have foreseen.
“When I came to high school, I sort of stuck with my friends,” he said. But when Addison found himself in classes full of unfamiliar faces, he was forced to form new connections outside his comfort zone. Participating in sports further expanded his horizons, and he recommends the experience to incoming freshmen. “Get involved in sports because it’s a great way to meet people in the community,” Addison said.
“[In school] there are clicks and groups of people, all separated. Doing sports is a great way to sort of erase those boundaries. Volleyball is a districtwide team, so I got to meet so many new people that I’m friends with now. I’m friends with so many people from so many different backgrounds. It’s awesome. I feel like diversity is a big advantage to grow up with because you get to go into the world knowing all these different cultures and being exposed to it, and already knowing how to adapt to other people’s values. If you’re in a suburban school where it’s majority white and everyone has the same views, you’re not being challenged, you’re not thinking of things differently. In an urban school you have to think of things differently, there’s a wider view of things.”
Addison played volleyball, tennis, soccer, and spike ball during high school. He also participated in Nottingham’s robotics team and drone racing club, worked as a lifeguard in the Syracuse city pools, took part in the National Honor Society, and volunteered in the community through Nottingham Key Club and his church. This fall, Addison began the college career he has worked so hard to prepare for, at the University at Albany, studying homeland security and cyber security
“I’ve always been interested in computer science and the computer hardware field,” Addison said. He built his first computer in eighth grade and has been working towards his college journey ever since. Addison is graduating with 47 college credits from the Syracuse City School District’s partnership with Syracuse University Project Advance (SUPA), which offers college classes to SCSD students free of charge. Addison’s SUPA classes included entrepreneurship, finance, forensics, physics 101 and 102, United States history 101 and 102, and calculus.
Addison also took three SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry courses through the college’s partnership with Nottingham. “I really enjoyed those classes, especially the writing and public speaking classes because you really got to interact with the college,” Addison said. He feels the classes prepared him for college-level writing and presenting, and he also enjoyed traveling to SUNY-ESF’s Newcomb Campus in the Adirondacks to camp and work on his writing.
What drives you and keeps you motivated? “I have two really really great parents, and I wouldn’t have any other parents because they’re always supporting me. They do a really good job at keeping me motivated and on track. They’ll say ‘this is what you need to do,’ but they’ll leave all the work to me.”
What’s your favorite quality about yourself? “The energy I bring to people. I always bring a lot of energy to class and I always brighten up everybody’s day. If I see someone not so happy, I’m gonna talk to them and try to bring a smile to their face.”
Favorite place in Syracuse? Schiller Park by the pool. When I was a lifeguard there, I would go up to my car after work and see the sunset there, and it’s really nice.
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