Catching Up With Theresa Devine '10
Logging several hours in the gym and in the pool in the morning before her daily classes, Princeton Sophomore Theresa Devine is no stranger to hard work. As an elite runner on Princeton’s Cross Country and Track & Field teams, Theresa puts in several hours of practice a day, on top of her morning regimen. In between the workouts, she attends four classes and stays on top of her rigorous academics.
Theresa attributes her success to time management and study skills she acquired as a student at Marin Catholic. According to Theresa, “various courses at MC provided me with the tools I’ve needed. Students here are bright, but not all of them have the study habits conducive to taking many difficult, time-consuming classes at once, while keeping healthy lifestyles.”
Currently on a pre-med track, Theresa will likely enter the Chemistry department at Princeton in the spring. As an athlete and a fan of the sciences, she is extremely interested in the medical field, a passion she discovered as a student in Mrs. Polizotti’s A.P. Chemistry class at MC. “Mrs. Polizotti encouraged us to pursue the sciences to take full advantage of the strong background we received at Marin Catholic. Ultimately, the variety of different courses provided at Marin Catholic gave me the taste I needed to decide what I was passionate about.”
The most surprising thing to Theresa in her transition to Princeton was the challenge of being on her own. “There are new demands to schedule classes, keep track of appointments, remember assignments, organize plans, take care of my health and more that were more of a collaborative effort at home. It has been a new and difficult adjustment.” Theresa says the key to coping is to have a strong support system. At Princeton, her teammates have become a strong backbone of support for her and at home, she has her family for constant encouragement. “Marin Catholic taught me to foster a strong relationship with God, my family and my community. To have a stable background back in Marin keeps me focused when things get tough here at Princeton.”
“One of the beautiful things
about Marin Catholic is everyone wants to help. The people (students, staff and
faculty) marked my experience at Marin Catholic and continue to inspire me to
be my very best. I will never
forget the athletic lessons I received from Coach Jaeger, Coach Churchill and
Coach Woodall. The discipline and
commitment to excellence they taught me still resonates today. I am forever grateful for the writing
background I received at Marin Catholic from Mr. Gondola’s typing instructions
to Mr. Lippi’s passion for literature to Mr. Novak’s essay-writing
tutorials. Writing is constantly
emphasized here and having the background I received at Marin Catholic has
helped me be efficient and effective in all my courses. I will also never forget Honors
Christian Literature with Mr. Mayer. The class resembled college with the depth of study, the weekly
expectations (readings and compositions), and the intellectual environment. I
am very proud of my Marin Catholic education.”
Theresa Devine
Valedictorian, MC Class of 2010