(PHOTO COURTESY OF: LINDSAY DEMING)
By: Aneisa Dodson

(WENY) -- An Elmira High School graduate is attending Harvard this Fall. Juliet Poole was the salutatorian of the recent 2023 graduating class. She didn't always plan to attend an Ivy League although she did always have big dreams.

She plans to begin her Harvard journey as a STEM major and eventually figure out which specific career interests her the most. Poole's hard work has provided her with the opportunity to explore all the avenues that Harvard offers. 

"Right now, I’m thinking Pre-med, but I love biology, so I'm thinking about doing something with that," said Poole.

Poole also participated in multiple extracurriculars that supported her Ivy application. 

"I played soccer for a while, [I was a part of] Interact club, National Honor Society, did a lot of community service, [I was] a judge on the youth court,..." said Poole.

As a woman in STEM, Poole offers advice for any young girls hoping to pursue an upper level education. She also advocates for people to ignore any fears and to try and achieve their dreams.

"You just have to not be afraid to be wrong and to express your opinion. You kind of just have to cast their opinions aside and not pay attention to what other people think of you," said Poole.

Poole also explains her decision to go to Harvard and the qualities that drew her to the school. 

"Well for one, it’s one of the top universities of the world. The community is very nice when I visited, and I stayed there. Everyone was super cool and nice. They have so many study abroad programs, so many internships that I can take part in," said Poole. 

Poole gives a final piece of advice, regarding the statistics of STEM as a male-dominated industry. 

"You’re just as capable as any man. You just have to know that and believe in yourself. It can be intimidating being the only one but someone has to do it at some point," said Poole.

WENY wishes Juliet good luck on her journey to Boston.