Ms. Brinegar

Seniors Christina Vaughan and Harper Clark share the love in their college sweatshirts.

The first semester of senior year means that college application deadlines are just around the corner. As a 2016 Rosary alum, I remember the stress and confusion of college commitment like it was yesterday; furthermore, as Royal Reporter Adviser, I often listen to the victories and woes of my students’ college applications. In this special guest article, I (Ms. Brinegar) will predict where our six seniors on the Royal Reporter will spend their next four years.

My first senior is Harper Clark. Harper is a bright student; she is new to the Royal Reporter, but I have known her since she was a freshman. She has tried various sports over the years, and has stuck with cross country. Harper is creative, hilarious and passionate about marine life (you can read her article on the grunion run here). I wanted to pick a school that would appeal to both her intelligence and her fun-loving personality. For these reasons, I predict that Harper will attend the University of Texas. She may get homesick for the beach, but I think she will enjoy living in Austin, Texas during her college years. Harper agrees she will go away to school, but had a different prediction: “I think I will end up at Indiana University or South Carolina. But I’m gonna say IU as my answer.”

Another new senior to the Royal Reporter is dancer Julia Pinner. Julia has the honor and the privilege of being in my class for back-to-back blocks. Despite the time we spend together, Julia keeps to herself. She is honestly an enigma to me. I had a hard time choosing a college for her because she is so mysterious, but I decided on Texas Christian University. TCU would give Julia a multitude of opportunities to get involved: two competitive dance teams, a Christian community, Greek life and a football team in the Top 25. No matter what Julia wants to pursue in college, TCU has options for her. Of course, Julia has different ideas, sharing “I think I will go to Chapman or South Carolina.” Maybe she and Harper will be roommates!

Andrea Salazar ’26 is in her fourth year as a Royal Reporter, and I also teach her in back-to-back classes. Andrea hosts and edits the podcast; she also enjoys writing articles about music and sports. Due to her love of music and media, I can see her thriving at the University of Portland. Portland is an eclectic city that is on the pulse of what’s next in music, so I think Andrea would love the environment. Additionally, UP is a Catholic university, so Andrea would be able to celebrate her faith on campus. Andrea tells me, “I’ve applied everywhere, but I think I’m gonna go to Boulder.” I could definitely see Andrea loving Colorado!

Addison Felix ’26 is in her second year on the Royal Reporter; in addition to writing weekly articles, she also manages our Instagram account. Addie has a future in social media and digital marketing, so she needs a school with a strong communications program. I chose Boston University for Addie, not just because she wears her Boston sweatshirt daily, but also because it offers extensive options and opportunities in the digital media realm. After hearing from Addie, it sounds like I got the city right, but not the university. She exclaims, “I’m going to BC [Boston College]!”

Senior Mikayla Hayward brings infectious energy and inspiring creativity to the Royal Reporter. Despite her class clown tendencies (including an unhealthy obsession with the “6-7” meme), Mikayla is serious about her academics. I see her at a university with other enthusiastic high achievers, including her sister, Kit Hayward ‘24. My college prediction for Mikayla is the University of Southern California, also known as USC. She will definitely fit in with the spirited Trojan football fans! Mikayla agrees that she would love to go to USC, but she predicts that she will attend the University of Utah instead.

The next student on my list is Bella Ramirez ’26. I have known Bella since her freshman year, and I have had the pleasure of teaching her in different classes for the past three years. Bella plays lacrosse, reads at Masses as a member of campus ministry, serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Royal Reporter and leads our student body as ASB Executive President, all while balancing a course load with five AP classes. Bella’s strong faith, academic prowess and organizational skills make her a perfect fit for the University of Notre Dame. I can practically see her in navy and gold already! However, Bella tells me, “I predict I will get into USD!” Like Notre Dame, the University of San Diego fosters students’ Catholic faith, so I could also see Bella enjoying it.

My final senior is Co-Editor-in-Chief Christina Vaughan. Christina has worked on the Royal Reporter since her freshman year; additionally, she captains the Triathlon team, takes two AP classes and writes award-winning articles in her spare time. Since she represented Rosary at Girls State this past summer, I see her combining her political science interest and journalistic talents in college. I predict that Christina will attend Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., which will be the perfect place for her to pursue political journalism. By contrast, Christina thinks she will stay closer to home: “I think I’m going to UCI.” If she does go to UCI, maybe she can be a guest speaker for future Journalism classes!

Only time will tell which—if any—predictions will be correct. Am I spot-on with my guesses? Do you have any predictions of your own? Let me know in the comments!