As the Ecology Club Secretary, the Elite Chamber Choir Chaplain, and a National and Spanish Honor Society inductee, Bianca Moore is a dynamic student leader with a stellar record of achievement balancing a rigorous program of studies with extra-curricular participation, church involvement, dance and music commitments, and community service initiatives. TeachersBox sat down with the Grassfield High School Senior Class Vice President for a Q & A on her academic achievements and future aspirations.

TBOX: Good afternoon Bianca.  A number of our readers are high school seniors and juniors and as you know we’re right in the middle of college application and acceptance season. Can you talk to us about your experience applying to college?

BM: Absolutely.  This is a very exciting time because I’ve been accepted to Oklahoma City University, Meredith College, Simmons College, and Randolph Macon. I’m waiting to hear from Spellman, Howard University, Boston College, James Madison, and Harvard.

TBOX: That’s an impressive range of schools. What do you think has best prepared you to matriculate to college?

BM: I think the best college preparation is a strong high school curriculum. I’ve been on the honor roll every marking period for my entire life. So my parents strongly encouraged me to take the most rigorous courses available at Grassfield High School, to include AP Government, AP Music Theory, Honors English, Physics, Honors Chamber Chorus, Honors Chemistry, Spanish V, and AP Spanish. I’ve been fortunate enough to maintain a 4.1 Grade Point Average, so hopefully that will translate into a smooth transition to my college coursework.

TBOX: You’ve also balanced academic excellence with extra-curricular participation, church involvement, and dance and music commitments. In your opinion, which of your many activities stand out the most?

BM: Of course, Senior Year has been very exciting. I’ve had the opportunity to organize the Senior Banquet and plan the Senior Tailgate, and I also coordinated the Senior Prom and Senior Class Gift activities.  So those were great experiences. I’ve proud to have been inducted into both the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society, and last spring I earned Grassfield High School’s Academic Award of Achievement for exceptional scholarship.  For the past four years, I’ve been selected to participate in Chamber Choir for elite musical students, and I recently received the Chorus Student of the Year award.

TBOX: By every objective measure, you have excellent academic credentials, but we’ve been equally impressed with your servant leadership. Can you talk a little about your commitment to service?

BM: I appreciate that question because in all sincerity, that is most important to me.  When I attended a TeachersBox seminar at the 2011 Megagenesis conference, they emphasized being a leader, and not merely a joiner. And I strongly agree with that, so although I have over 350 volunteer hours, I’ve only served in areas that really mean a lot to me.  For example, I mentor a cohort of 9 – 16 year old dance team participants because I’m absolutely passionate about music and dance. I coordinated a clothing drive that netted 500 pairs of shoes for students in Honduras because our Spanish Club emphasizes the importance of being globally aware.  We planted a mini-forest of 300 white cedar trees for our Ecology Club’s environmental enhancement initiative and orchestrated Grassfield’s Big Clean-up to pick up trash on campus because I think it’s important that we are good stewards of our environment.  And perhaps most importantly, for the past three years we raised funds for the Relay for Life initiative to support cancer research.

TBOX: Those are all impressive works of service, Bianca. How have you been able to balance so many activities and accomplish so much?

BM: My passion for music has been one of the largest influences on my life and served as an impetus for many of my other successes.  Since I was eight years old, I yearned to be considered amongst the “cream of the crop” in my every aspiration. So from my earliest musical performance, I dreamt of belting Tony award winning notes on Broadway.  But my dreams were tempered by my parents’ brutally honest critique of my initial audition. Rather than destroying my confidence, however, their constructive criticism birthed a strong determination to succeed at music theatre.  For the next nine years, I participated in every school and district choir possible in a feverish, yet unsuccessful attempt to change my parents’ minds. Incredibly, in the summer of 2011 my faith was rewarded when I learned that a production of Ragtime was to premier in Virginia Beach.  Just like that, the musical made famous for its rendition of “The Crime of the Century” had stolen my heart.

TBOX: So it’s safe to say that music has had a big impact on your life. Did that carry over to other endeavors?

BM: Absolutely! Not only did rehearsing with fifty exceptionally talented artists boost my self-confidence, but performing such an eclectic variety of compositions also introduced me to previously foreign musical genres. Throughout those five weeks, I improved my posture, honed my stage presence, and increased my vocal confidence. By Opening Night, I was no longer that  unsure little girl who’d timidly uttered her lyrics, although I still craved a positive reaction from my parents. Immediately following the finale, my parents’ strong embrace and mile-wide smiles confirmed their approval of my performance.  The discipline required to succeed in music created strong habits that led to several other successes.

TBOX: Quite impressive, Bianca.  Talk to us about your long term career aspirations?

BM: I will study Music or Music Theatre as an undergraduate, and my ultimate goal is to pursue a law degree.

TBOX: Outstanding! What role did TeachersBox play in your college preparation?

BM: Of course, you are aware of the SAT Prep that I received this fall and winter through TeachersBox. Their Platinum series increased my composite Critical Reading and Math score by 200 points (from 1120 to 1320) and my overall SAT Reasoning Test by 290 points (from 1660 to 1950), so I was very pleased with that service. TeachersBox also drafted my resume and provided great feedback for my personal statement, which I’ve used for my college admissions and scholarship application essays. They also conducted a mock session to prepare me for my Harvard interview. So far, I’ve earned four scholarships totaling $200,000 and I continue to apply for scholarships that I receive from TeachersBox’s weekly e-Newsletter. So we highly recommend their services.

TeachersBox’s Platinum SAT Prep series increased my composite Critical Reading and Math score by 200 points (from 1120 to 1320) and my overall SAT Reasoning Test by 290 points (from 1660 to 1950), so I was very pleased with that service. TeachersBox also drafted my resume and provided great feedback for my personal statement, which I’ve used for my college admissions and scholarship application essays. They also conducted a mock session to prepare me for my Harvard interview. TeachersBox’s Platinum SAT Prep series increased my composite Critical Reading and Math score by 200 points (from 1120 to 1320) and my overall SAT Reasoning Test by 290 points (from 1660 to 1950), so I was very pleased with that service. TeachersBox also drafted my resume and provided great feedback for my personal statement, which I’ve used for my college admissions and scholarship application essays. They also conducted a mock session to prepare me for my Harvard interview. So far, I’ve earned five grants totaling over $271,000, to include a $70,800 full scholarship to Xavier University. And I continue to apply for scholarships that I receive from TeachersBox’s weekly e-Newsletter. So we highly recommend their services.

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